Describe the concrete project you are planning

The details that save the most time

1. Where the property is. A narrow Dearborn lot with an alley garage, a hillside yard above a lake in Oakland County and a brand-new subdivision in Macomb Township each bring their own soil, grade and access, so the location alone tells a contractor a good deal before anyone drives out.
2. What you want done, and a rough size. A new or wider driveway, a backyard patio, a front stoop and walk, a detached garage floor, a shed pad, or replacing concrete that has heaved, flaked or sunk. Paced-off length and width are plenty for a first conversation.
3. What will sit on it. Only family cars, or also a pickup, a camper parked for the winter, a boat trailer, a hot tub or shop equipment. A slab meant for a loaded trailer is built differently from one meant for a sedan, from the stone underneath to the steel inside.
4. What covers the spot today. Lawn, gravel, old concrete, asphalt or pavers. Any old surface that must be demolished and trucked off the lot adds a step, so mention it up front.

Photos that help before the visit

Start with a single wide shot that takes in the entire work area and a little of the yard around it, so the lay of the land comes through. Add close shots of any cracks, lifted joints, flaking patches or broken edges. If you can, snap the yard mid-downpour, or within an hour after, to catch the paths runoff takes and the spots it lingers, and note where downspouts and any sump pump line empty. On flat Metro Detroit lots, water decides how long a slab lasts about as much as the concrete does.

After you send it

Expect a reply to arrange a visit. Standing on the property shows the contractor the soil, the slope and the route a ready-mix truck would take, which no photo fully captures, and only then can a real scope and cost be put together. Ask for that scope in writing, covering the base, thickness, reinforcement, joint layout, drainage and finish, so you can hold any two estimates side by side and compare them item by item.

Request an estimate visit

Send the address and what you have in mind, and a contractor will follow up.