Concrete paperwork, done properly

Concrete estimates are decided before the truck arrives. The pour itself is predictable; the excavation, base preparation and forming are where the hours go, and a bid that shows only cubic yards is hiding two-thirds of the job. State the PSI and the finish, price the base and forming as their own lines, and note that cure time is not a delay — it is the schedule.

Pick your document

  • Concrete estimate

    An estimate is your best professional judgment of what a job will cost, given before the work starts.

  • Concrete quote

    A quote is a fixed price for a defined scope of work — the number does not move unless the scope does.

  • Concrete invoice

    An invoice is the request for payment once the work is done — the document that actually gets you paid.

What belongs on concrete contractor paperwork

  • Volume in cubic yards, with the slab thickness it assumes
  • Mix design: PSI, fibre or admixtures, and air entrainment in freeze-thaw climates
  • Reinforcement — rebar size and spacing, or mesh — since "reinforced" covers both and they differ
  • Base preparation: excavation depth, compacted gravel, and spoil removal
  • Forming and stripping as separate labor from the pour
  • Finish: broom, trowel, exposed aggregate or stamped, and any sealer
  • Control joints, their spacing, and a plain note that concrete cracks

How concrete contractors price work

Flatwork prices per square foot at a stated thickness, with the mix bought by the yard. Excavation, base and forming are usually more than half the labor, and access is the biggest single variable — a pour a truck can reach directly and one that needs a pump or wheelbarrows are different jobs at the same square footage. Price the pump, or price the barrows, but do not absorb either.

The builder ships with 12 concrete line items to start from, grouped into 2 sections. Edit the rates once and they save to your own price book.

Open the Concrete builder

Questions

What should a concrete estimate say about cracking?
That it will. Concrete cracks; control joints decide where. Put a plain line on the estimate stating that hairline and control-joint cracking is normal and not a defect, alongside your joint spacing. It is the single most useful sentence you can print, because otherwise the first hairline crack becomes a warranty call.
Should excavation be separate from the pour?
Yes. Excavation, base and forming often exceed the cost of the concrete itself, and a bid showing one number per square foot invites comparison against someone who assumed a flat, clear site. Separate lines make your bid legible and make an over-excavation conversation straightforward.
How do I price a pour the truck cannot reach?
As a named line: pump truck, or additional labor for wheelbarrow placement. Access is the largest hidden variable in flatwork pricing. Note the access assumption on the estimate so that discovering a gate too narrow for a chute is a priced change rather than a loss.