Author Topic: Concrete Patio Estimates  (Read 1713 times)

NextTime

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Concrete Patio Estimates
« on: July 09, 2020, 08:27:33 AM »
Can anyone tell me what the average cost per  square foot for an installed concrete patio should be?  I realize it is different based on the area.

To preface, it has been nigh impossible getting people to come out and give a quote. I have a well known company coming out next week to give a quote, but they probably can't get to it until next year. Everybody is extremely busy. I have had one guy, a friend of a friend, come out and he finally sent me some quotes that seem quite high to me.

Based on some websites I've found, a concrete patio should be anywhere between $3-$7 per square foot in my area. For a basic 360 sq ft broom swept patio, he quoted $9,900. That is $27.50 per sq ft.
I also had him give me a quote on a floating TREX deck. For 210 sq ft, he quoted $8,820, which would be $42 per sq ft. Both of these quotes include 3 steps down from the back door.

I know I haven't received a competitive quote yet, and obviously I'll wait on a few more quotes, but these numbers seem extremely high. Am I being unreasonable?

Mgmny

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Re: Concrete Patio Estimates
« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2020, 08:32:43 AM »
Where are you located? I had a colored concrete patio poured last spring by a concrete-worker/mason "moonlighting" from his day job (he poured over the weekend, set the forms at night, etc.). The total for me was $3500. The shape was irregular, but i think it had to be close to 300 sqft of concrete.

If you live in the twin cities, i can give you his info. He's come back a number of times to help with random stuff and is a great guy.

I found him by going on Facebook Marketplace and searching "concrete." There were a lot of guys who work for bigger concrete companies looking to do pours over the weekend for extra $$. I would check this route out.

NextTime

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Re: Concrete Patio Estimates
« Reply #2 on: July 09, 2020, 08:46:29 AM »
I'm in Topeka, Kansas, pretty LCOL city.
« Last Edit: July 09, 2020, 08:48:53 AM by dcozad999 »

Paper Chaser

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Re: Concrete Patio Estimates
« Reply #3 on: July 09, 2020, 09:19:11 AM »
What's there right now? Anything that would need to be torn out/disposed of? In other words, how much prep would need to be done before the pour? What thickness?

There are a hundred different factors that go into pricing. The only way to really know is to do your best to get identical quotes from multiple people.

3 inch thickness would be around 3.33 cubic yds by the way (plus whatever amount is used for the steps).

NextTime

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Re: Concrete Patio Estimates
« Reply #4 on: July 09, 2020, 10:10:48 AM »
There is a small deck there now. But I told him I would tear it out myself.

I will be getting more quotes.  I was just taken aback by this guy's quote. It's at least double what I was expecting.

Granted it was 5 years ago, but my friend just texted me the receipt from his stamped 420 sq ft patio that was installed for $3,840. And it is from a known concrete company in the area.

FIRE 20/20

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Re: Concrete Patio Estimates
« Reply #5 on: July 09, 2020, 10:13:58 AM »
Please continue to add to this thread as you get more estimates.  I was thinking about doing this a few months ago when the markets tanked and uncertainty about COVID was very high so I deferred the work to next year. 

Do you know what might be causing such high demand right now?  Is this typical for this time of year?  Or is there something about people staying home that is causing them to want to do more patio/deck improvement projects thus causing an unusual increase in business for these companies? 

NextTime

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Re: Concrete Patio Estimates
« Reply #6 on: July 09, 2020, 10:22:21 AM »
Please continue to add to this thread as you get more estimates.  I was thinking about doing this a few months ago when the markets tanked and uncertainty about COVID was very high so I deferred the work to next year. 

Do you know what might be causing such high demand right now?  Is this typical for this time of year?  Or is there something about people staying home that is causing them to want to do more patio/deck improvement projects thus causing an unusual increase in business for these companies?

I think demand is always high in the summer here. I tried to get quotes a couple of years ago, and it was hard to get anyone to show up and give me a quote so I gave up. I think the smart thing to do is to get quotes set up in Feb/Mar, or in the fall to get the job set up for early spring.

But from what I've heard through the grapevine, COVID has definitely increased demand for pretty much every kind of home improvement projects.

Fishindude

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Re: Concrete Patio Estimates
« Reply #7 on: July 09, 2020, 11:49:25 AM »
Call the nearest redi-mix concrete supplier to your location and ask to talk to the plant manager or dispatcher.   They will know all the good concrete guys in the area and know who is good at what.   They will also know who is reliable and pays their bills.   Give him a brief description of what you are needing done and ask for a name and number or two of contractors who might do your project.

When you talk to these guys, take the words "quote" and "bid" out of your vocabulary.   Just have him come out, take a look at things and let him know what you want to have done.   If you bring up the notion that you are getting competitive bids that is an immediate red flag and you may never hear back from them.   If you like the guy and he seems competent, just try to work a deal with him rather than wasting his time and other contractors time bidding.   

Batting around square foot prices on an internet forum is pointless.   It will cost whatever it costs in your little local situation.   The amount of site prep can be a big factor.   Site access can also be a big deal; for instance it may have to be pumped or wheelbarrowed -vs- pouring right out of the truck.

I was a builder for 40 years and can tell you that I would have very little interest in a small job such as this if it was a competitive bidding scenario, as there is always somebody around that can work cheaper.   Why waste my time bidding when I have good customers that don't challenge my prices on small projects?

NextTime

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Re: Concrete Patio Estimates
« Reply #8 on: July 09, 2020, 12:25:13 PM »
Call the nearest redi-mix concrete supplier to your location and ask to talk to the plant manager or dispatcher.   They will know all the good concrete guys in the area and know who is good at what.   They will also know who is reliable and pays their bills.   Give him a brief description of what you are needing done and ask for a name and number or two of contractors who might do your project.

When you talk to these guys, take the words "quote" and "bid" out of your vocabulary.   Just have him come out, take a look at things and let him know what you want to have done.   If you bring up the notion that you are getting competitive bids that is an immediate red flag and you may never hear back from them.   If you like the guy and he seems competent, just try to work a deal with him rather than wasting his time and other contractors time bidding.   

Batting around square foot prices on an internet forum is pointless.   It will cost whatever it costs in your little local situation.   The amount of site prep can be a big factor.   Site access can also be a big deal; for instance it may have to be pumped or wheelbarrowed -vs- pouring right out of the truck.

I was a builder for 40 years and can tell you that I would have very little interest in a small job such as this if it was a competitive bidding scenario, as there is always somebody around that can work cheaper.   Why waste my time bidding when I have good customers that don't challenge my prices on small projects?


My goal isn't to go in and get 5 bids and pick the cheapest one. In fact if this guy had come in with a price that seemed reasonable, I probably would have just okay'd it. I don't usually shop around for bids. But from everything I've read, seen on the web, and compared to a job my neighbor had, this quote is obscene. Maybe I'm missing something but I don't see an above average prep job on my backyard.  It's fairly level, obviously with a slight slope away from the house.

Not sure how it makes me a bad customer to question the cost when it's twice as much as I was expecting.

Fishindude

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Re: Concrete Patio Estimates
« Reply #9 on: July 09, 2020, 01:13:37 PM »
Call the nearest redi-mix concrete supplier to your location and ask to talk to the plant manager or dispatcher.   They will know all the good concrete guys in the area and know who is good at what.   They will also know who is reliable and pays their bills.   Give him a brief description of what you are needing done and ask for a name and number or two of contractors who might do your project.

When you talk to these guys, take the words "quote" and "bid" out of your vocabulary.   Just have him come out, take a look at things and let him know what you want to have done.
  If you bring up the notion that you are getting competitive bids that is an immediate red flag and you may never hear back from them.   If you like the guy and he seems competent, just try to work a deal with him rather than wasting his time and other contractors time bidding.   

Batting around square foot prices on an internet forum is pointless.   It will cost whatever it costs in your little local situation.   The amount of site prep can be a big factor.   Site access can also be a big deal; for instance it may have to be pumped or wheelbarrowed -vs- pouring right out of the truck.

I was a builder for 40 years and can tell you that I would have very little interest in a small job such as this if it was a competitive bidding scenario, as there is always somebody around that can work cheaper.   Why waste my time bidding when I have good customers that don't challenge my prices on small projects?


My goal isn't to go in and get 5 bids and pick the cheapest one. In fact if this guy had come in with a price that seemed reasonable, I probably would have just okay'd it. I don't usually shop around for bids. But from everything I've read, seen on the web, and compared to a job my neighbor had, this quote is obscene. Maybe I'm missing something but I don't see an above average prep job on my backyard.  It's fairly level, obviously with a slight slope away from the house.

Not sure how it makes me a bad customer to question the cost when it's twice as much as I was expecting.

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Good luck !

Cranky

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Re: Concrete Patio Estimates
« Reply #10 on: July 09, 2020, 01:22:09 PM »
When I had my driveway redone a few years ago, you had to get on the schedule by April at the latest to get concrete work done in the summer season.

trollwithamustache

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Re: Concrete Patio Estimates
« Reply #11 on: July 09, 2020, 01:35:11 PM »
Once you get a quote, ask the guy to explain it to you.

your square footage number strikes me as ridiculous, because concrete isn't priced like that for small jobs. Big projects conform well to guideline numbers like that. Little jobs have the same amount of set up/tear down time and typically have a lot more formwork costs per yard poured than a big job.

Things like stairs take a lot more hours to form up and the concrete cost is likely irrelevant if it takes the better part of a day to make the forms. Then you have to do the rebar inside.

So if the 27 dollar a foot guys explanation of the work makes sense and matches the work you want done, it may in fact be a legitimate price.

But FWIW, the only concrete work I have ever managed is industrial stuff. I have definitely seen Contractors get burned on small projects when they use $/sq foot type numbers.

sheepla

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Re: Concrete Patio Estimates
« Reply #12 on: July 10, 2020, 06:56:08 AM »
We got an estimate recently for a trailer pad on our farm, I'm guessing around 10' x 35' (can't remember exactly). We asked them to give us the gravel estimate and the concrete estimate.  Gravel was $1,800 and concrete was $3,800 (that includes the grading).  I'm in Oklahoma in a very low cost of living area.

Of course, when we told him to proceed, we haven't been able to get on his schedule yet because he's so busy.

LearningMustachian72

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Re: Concrete Patio Estimates
« Reply #13 on: July 15, 2020, 09:01:02 PM »
I had 15 x 18 patio put in, cost was $2,500 but I bought the class 5  and concrete myself, roughly another $500.

Hope that helps.  Received 4 bids or so and that was by far the cheapest.

Greystache

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Re: Concrete Patio Estimates
« Reply #14 on: July 16, 2020, 07:54:48 AM »
One other piece of unsolicited advice: before you pour a concrete patio, make sure there are no nearby trees with roots that could damage your new patio.

Goldielocks

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Re: Concrete Patio Estimates
« Reply #15 on: July 16, 2020, 10:21:15 AM »
Don't forget that on small jobs, contractors need to make a small profit, too (to pay for their overhead, sales costs, etc).   I find that most jobs start with $4k to $5k overhead, plus the hourly rate and materials.  They quote it as a lump sum, but it becomes obvious what the starting position is.


NextTime

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Re: Concrete Patio Estimates
« Reply #16 on: July 17, 2020, 08:47:32 AM »
Just an update.

I received a second estimate from one of the larger, well known concrete companies in town.

They came in at $5,600 for a 20x30x4 concrete patio with 3 steps. Now 20x30 is much larger than I asked for so not sure why those dimensions were used, but $5,600 is much more in line with what i was expecting than $9,900. And from a reputable company that I've actually heard of.  They probably won't be able to do it until the spring (took them a month to even get someone out for a quote), but I'm certainly willing to wait for that kind of savings.






9900

NextTime

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Re: Concrete Patio Estimates
« Reply #17 on: July 17, 2020, 08:48:44 AM »
One other piece of unsolicited advice: before you pour a concrete patio, make sure there are no nearby trees with roots that could damage your new patio.

Trees won't be an issue. Thanks for the advice.