Concrete is one of the most popular & versatile building materials available and it simply cant be beaten for superior strength, durability and safety. When choosing to build or pour concrete it is advisable to invest in the services of a professional concrete contractor to guarantee a perfect professional product every time.
How to find contractors
The best way to begin looking for a good contractor who will give you the best value as well as a professional looking job is to ask around, one of the most powerful forms of advertising around is word of mouth, ask friends and family even acquaintances, they will be only too willing to tell you of their experiences good or bad with concrete contractors, another sure fire method is to do a search on contractors in your area, a simple Google search will yield lots of results. Reviews are important as well, better contractors will have more positive reviews. Check out Houzz and Porch as well as they are great depositories for reviews.
What to avoid
There are a couple of really important things to avoid when choosing a concrete contractor, firstly the thing to avoid at all costs is shoddy work, before employing a contractor or signing a contract, be sure to ask to see previous projects that he has completed. Ask for references and see if they were happy with his work and turn around time. Make sure that the contractor that you choose is both reputable and well known for doing a good job on time.
Professionalism is also important, don’t expect the contractor to be in a suit and tie. The type of professionalism to look for is by gauging his reactions to your questions and concerns, can he give you clear and concise answers and is he able to explain parts of the process to you easily and in an understandable manner?
What to look for
The ideal type of contractor is one who will return your calls in a quickly and take the time to discuss your project. Avoid ones that can’t tell you much about the way he will be conducting the project and don’t seem to be able to commit to a time to talk with you about a project, or when the project will be completed.
How to deal with them
To begin with it is important to make sure that the concrete contractor know what you want. He must know whats acceptable and what is not as well as your timeline for completion of the product. Get a contract, write what you want in the contract! This is probably the most important piece of advice available, because if your contractor doesn’t give you what you want, you will want to have a contract on hand to fall back on.
By keeping these simple steps in mind you should be able to find a great concrete contractor and enjoy all the benefits of having a beautiful new concrete patio driveway, or walk.