How to Hire a Concrete Contractor: 10 Questions Every NC Homeowner Should Ask Before Signing

Quick answer: The bid sheet matters less than the ten questions you ask before signing. A licensed contractor with no deposit, a written specification, and a real one-year workmanship warranty will outperform the cheapest bid in your inbox every time. Skip the questions and you risk paying twice — once to the contractor who disappears, and again to the contractor who has to demo their work and start over.

Why hiring is the riskiest part of any concrete project

Concrete is unforgiving. Once it cures, mistakes are locked in — the wrong PSI, the wrong subgrade prep, the wrong joint spacing, or the wrong cure time will all show up as cracks, spalling, or settlement within the first two to five winters. Unlike a paint job, you cannot redo it cheaply. Replacement of a botched residential driveway runs $7,000 to $14,000 in 2026 NC pricing, and the original cash you spent is gone for good.

The contractor you hire is the single largest variable in whether your slab lasts fifteen years or two. Material costs are roughly the same across the trade — what varies is the prep, the finish, the cure, and whether the crew actually shows up on day three to pour. The right ten questions, asked before you sign, surface those differences before any money changes hands.

The 10 questions to ask every concrete contractor

1. What is your NC license number, and is it current?

In North Carolina, any project over $30,000 in total cost requires a General Contractor license issued by the NC Licensing Board for General Contractors. Ask for the number, then verify it at nclbgc.org — verification takes thirty seconds and weeds out roughly a quarter of self-described licensed contractors who let their status lapse. For projects under $30,000, a license is not legally required, but you still want to see proof of general liability insurance and active workers' compensation coverage.

2. Do you require any deposit or upfront payment?

The correct answer is no. Honest NC concrete contractors carry their own working capital and bill on completion. Deposit-required outfits are the most common source of disappearance scams in this trade — homeowner pays $2,000, contractor cashes the check, contractor never returns. If the answer is anything other than "you pay nothing until the work is done," cross the bid off your list.

3. What PSI concrete are you specifying, and what is the air entrainment percentage?

For an NC residential driveway, the correct answer is 4000 PSI with 5 to 7 percent air entrainment. We cover the exact reason behind the spec in our deep dive on the 4000 PSI secret. Anything less than 4000 PSI on a driveway is a cost shortcut at your expense, and missing air entrainment means the slab will spall in its first freeze-thaw season.

4. How thick will the slab be, and what reinforcement are you using?

Four inches is the minimum residential driveway thickness in NC. Five inches is better and what we typically pour for double-car and RV-capable driveways. Reinforcement should be either #4 rebar on 18-inch centers properly chaired off the subgrade, or wire mesh pulled up to mid-slab during the pour. Our full guide to driveway thickness standards covers the math. If the contractor says "we don't use rebar on residential," read our piece on why that matters before signing.

5. What is your subgrade prep process?

Listen for these words: excavate, compact, base material, geotextile fabric if needed. The crew should be removing 6 to 8 inches of native soil, installing 4 inches of compacted ABC stone, and compacting it in lifts. A contractor who plans to pour directly over existing soil is going to give you a slab that cracks within eighteen months on NC's Piedmont clay. We have written extensively about why this matters in our piece on Piedmont clay and your slab.

6. How will you place expansion and control joints?

Control joints every 8 to 12 feet, saw-cut within 12 hours of pour, at one-quarter of slab depth. Expansion joints at every fixed edge — garage apron, foundation wall, walkway intersection — filled with closed-cell foam backer rod and a Class 35 polyurethane sealant. A contractor who skips this step is gambling that random cracks will appear in convenient places. They will not. We have a full walkthrough in our expansion joint repair guide.

7. How long will the cure be before I can walk or drive on the slab?

24 hours minimum before foot traffic. Seven days before light vehicle traffic. Twenty-eight days before the slab reaches design strength. A contractor who promises same-day drive-on is either lying about the concrete mix or planning to charge you again when it spalls. The honest answer respects the chemistry — concrete cures by hydration, not by drying, and rushing the timeline is the single most common cause of premature failure in NC residential work.

8. What does your written warranty actually cover?

One year on workmanship is the legitimate industry standard. The warranty should explicitly cover settlement, joint failure, and finish defects — not just "defects" in vague terms. It should also explicitly disclose that hairline shrinkage cracks are normal and not covered. If a contractor offers a five-year or lifetime warranty, ask exactly what is excluded — usually the answer is "every common failure mode," which makes the warranty worthless. We have written about this in our piece on the lifetime warranty scam.

9. Can I see three completed projects in my area from the last two years?

Not photos on a phone — actual addresses. A contractor with a real local book of business will give you three addresses within a 20-minute drive, and you can drive by yourself. Look for slab edges that are still crisp, joint sealant that is still flexible, no spalling or surface scaling, and even color. If the contractor offers only photos or projects two hours away, the local track record probably is not what they claim.

10. Who is doing the actual pour, and will you be on site that day?

Concrete is finished in the first 90 minutes after placement. The crew lead on pour day is the single most important person in the entire project. Ask whether the same person who quoted you will be on site managing the finish, or whether the work has been subcontracted to a day crew. Both arrangements can produce good work, but you need to know which one you are buying. A contractor who deflects this question is selling you the bid and subbing out the work — the quality risk doubles.

Red flags that should kill a bid on the spot

Any one of these is reason enough to walk away. Two or more and you are looking at a scam in progress.

• Door-to-door solicitation with leftover material from a nearby job. This is the #1 scam in the NC concrete trade. The mix is wrong, the price seems great, the work fails within one winter, and the contractor has no permanent address.
• Cash-only or check-only payment terms with no written contract. Honest contractors take payment by check or card and provide a written contract with their license number on it.
• Quote dramatically below every other bid. If three contractors come in at $8,500 to $9,200 and the fourth comes in at $5,400, the fourth is cutting prep, PSI, thickness, or reinforcement. The math does not allow for a 35 percent discount on the same job.
• No written estimate. Verbal numbers are not binding and disappear when the bill arrives.
• Refuses to pull a permit when one is required. Driveway expansions in most NC municipalities require a permit. Skipping it puts the liability on you when the city catches up.

What a good written estimate should include

The estimate is your single most powerful negotiating document. It should have all of the following in black and white:

• Total square footage and slab thickness
• Concrete PSI, air entrainment percentage, and slump range
• Reinforcement type, size, and spacing
• Subgrade prep description with depth of excavation and base material spec
• Joint plan — control joint spacing, expansion joint locations, sealant brand
• Finish type — broom, smooth, exposed aggregate, stamped pattern, etc.
• Cure protocol and exclusion period for foot and vehicle traffic
• Total price, broken down by material, labor, and any add-ons
• Payment terms — and the words "no deposit required" or equivalent
• Workmanship warranty term and what specifically is covered
• Contractor license number, insurance certificate number, and physical business address

Permits, licenses, and insurance in North Carolina

Three documents matter, and you should ask for proof of all three before signing.

The NC General Contractor license, required for any project over $30,000, is verifiable in thirty seconds at nclbgc.org. The contractor's general liability insurance certificate should name your property as a covered job site — call the insurance carrier directly to verify, do not trust a photocopy. Workers' compensation coverage protects you from injury claims if a crew member is hurt on your property. Without it, you can be personally liable. For driveway projects that change the curb cut or widen onto public right-of-way, your municipality probably requires a permit — our piece on permit requirements for driveway expansions covers the city-by-city specifics.

Why deposits are the #1 risk signal in this trade

Across every concrete scam pattern in NC over the last decade, the common thread is the upfront deposit. The contractor asks for 30 to 50 percent down to "hold the material order," the homeowner pays, and the crew either never arrives or pours a bad slab and leaves. Legitimate contractors carry working capital and material supplier accounts. They do not need your money to order ready-mix from the plant the night before pour day. The pay-on-completion model — you pay nothing until the slab is poured, finished, and inspected — is the single most reliable risk filter in the entire hiring decision.

After the pour: what good follow-up looks like

A good contractor does not vanish on pour day. Within 24 hours they should return to remove forms, brush off curing compound residue, and inspect the slab edge. Within 7 days they should walk the joints to verify proper saw-cut depth. At the 30-day mark a brief check-in for any settlement or hairline cracking that may have appeared is standard practice. Ask the contractor what their post-pour visit schedule looks like before you sign — the answer tells you whether they treat the project as a one-time transaction or as a relationship.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a license number from a concrete contractor in North Carolina?

Yes, for any project over $30,000. North Carolina requires a General Contractor license through the NC Licensing Board for General Contractors. Below $30,000 a license is not legally required, but liability insurance and workers' compensation still are. Verify license status at nclbgc.org.

Should I pay a deposit before the work starts?

No. Honest NC concrete contractors do not require an upfront deposit. The professional model is pay-on-completion after the slab is finished and inspected. Deposit demands are the single largest source of disappearance scams in this trade.

What PSI concrete should my driveway be in North Carolina?

4000 PSI minimum with 5 to 7 percent air entrainment. 3500 PSI is acceptable for shaded patios that see no vehicle traffic. 3000 PSI on a driveway is a cost shortcut at your expense.

How long should the warranty on a new concrete driveway be?

One year on labor and craftsmanship is the legitimate industry standard. Longer warranties tend to be marketing rather than insurance — most contractors will not honor them when the time comes.

How long does a residential concrete pour actually take?

Roughly one week elapsed: demolition day one, form-setting and prep day two, pour and finish day three, then 24 to 48 hours before foot traffic and 7 days before vehicle traffic. Same-day pour-and-drive promises are dishonest.

Key takeaways

• The bid sheet matters less than the ten questions. Two bids with the same dollar number can deliver fifteen years of service or two years of regret — the questions before signing decide which.
• No deposit, ever. Pay-on-completion is the single most reliable risk filter for the entire trade. Walk away from anyone who asks for money up front.
• 4000 PSI, 5 inches, rebar, 4 inches of compacted base. These are the NC residential driveway minimums. If the spec is below any of them, the slab will fail early.
• Verify the license, the insurance, and the address. Thirty seconds at nclbgc.org plus a phone call to the insurance carrier eliminates 80 percent of bad outcomes.
• One-year workmanship warranty is the honest standard. Lifetime warranties are marketing. Vague warranty language that excludes settlement, joint failure, and finish defects is worthless.

Ready to get a real, no-deposit quote on a driveway, patio, sidewalk, or pool deck? Pay nothing until the work is complete. Local Concrete Contractor serves Charlotte, Mooresville, Gastonia, Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Wake Forest, Concord, Huntersville, Davidson, Cornelius, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Hickory, and the surrounding NC markets. Get a free written estimate and we will answer all ten of these questions in writing before you sign anything.