Deciding on the concrete contractor can be one of the hardest things if you put together all the research, and it’s easy if you go by hunch. But, if you plan to do the easier way, you may have to suffer badly later, and your precious money may all go down the drain together with your dreams on the construction project. The best you can do is to go the hard way and enjoy the sweet results for many years to come. 

What happens when you get a bad contractor at work?

A construction work is a crucial job, and the role of a concrete contractors in this is very well defined. A bad contractor means: 

• Delays on work
• Unprofessional attitude
• Bad quality of raw materials supplied
• The danger and risk of inferior quality construction due to low quality material 

Hence, you must be doubly sure before you hire a concrete contractor. 

How to find a good concrete contractor?

Good contractors would not come to you and advertise. But you can still find one by a little homework. You will have to go by business listings pages on the internet. Yellow pages and business classifieds will help you find some of the names in your area. 

You should use your contacts as well. Ask family and friends, neighbors and colleagues etc for recommendations. Many of them would have done work with one or the other concrete contractor in the past for making the home or garage or pool etc. Hence, a talk can help you get idea on some good names. 

Next, you can contact the contractors one by one, and tell your requirements and collect quotes provided by them. This is one of the important steps, where you actually start developing an idea of your project cost. Choose a contractor, who quotes closest to your budget, or else, try negotiating the cost with a contractor you like the most. 

Now, time for further research. When you have a list of the concrete contractor names who will work close to your budget and near your area, then you may do further research on them to know who has a clean and nice record. If the contractor has a nice record and old clients are satisfied with the company, you may hire them. 

Finally, you should read the contract papers carefully. The contract will tell you what you can really do about them if you are not satisfied with their supplies etc. 

Discuss your project

Show your vision to your concrete contractor about the project. Unless you discuss the project in detail, they would never understand your requirements totally. Depending on project type, factors like the concrete quality, tinting supplies, polishing supplies would vary. You must therefore clarify for what purpose you need the supplies. 

Contractors are of few types- choose the right one

There are concrete contractors who are quite old players, and have a good idea of the market, but are still struggling to adapt to newer technologies in concreting. Then there are new contractors, who have instruments and idea of new ways, but all they lack is experience of years. 

Again, there are commercial specialized contractors and residential contractors. The residential contractors would be experienced with driveways, patios, garages and lawns. The commercial contractors would be experienced with commercial concrete driveways, large commercial garages, pools and landscaping. Choosing one may be tricky, and you must choose one with care. 

Always find out if the contractor has the insurance and licenses

Insurances for working, and licenses to supply you the material are must for your safety. When you hire one, check these factors well.