Tips for dealing with contractors

• Hire a licensed contractor.  Ask to see a copy of a valid license.
• Ask for a copy of their insurance be mailed to you by their carrier.
• Insurance should include General Liability and Workmans Compensation.
• Get a written estimate/contract on company letterhead.  Don't settle for something written on the back of a business card.
• Make sure it spells out exactly what will happen and when.  Most projects should only take a few days to complete.
• Ask for references.  Make sure you feel this person can complete the work.  Both physically and financially.
• You only get 1 chance to get it right.  What you see is what you get.  You cannot change or fix it the next day.
• You should not have to pay any money down in most circumstances.
• Ask the contractor for a list of companies supplying materials and labor.
• Check with these companies to verify they receive timely payments.
• Make sure you are happy with the amount and quality of the work performed before you pay.
• Pay by check and make the check out to the business entity on the company letterhead.
• Demand a final lien release from the contractor and his suppliers.  If the contractor does not pay for his supplies and labor, you may be held liable by a court for these costs.

• The subgrade should be prepared properly.  It should be in one flat plane and should be compacted.
• The forms should be set with a laser and string lines.  If the concrete slab is to be outside in the weather, it should have a slope so water will drain away from any structures.  If the slab will be an interior space, the the forms should be level.
• If you use 10 gauge wire reinforcement, it should be chaired up on 2" plastic pop up chairs.  The reinforcement serves no purpose lying in the dirt instead of the concrete.
• The thickness of the concrete should be as close to uniform as possible.  Minimum 4" thick.
• The concrete you use should have a low water cement ratio.  The more water in the concrete mix the more the concrete will shrink and the weaker it will be.  The more the concrete shrinks, the more it is likely to have random cracks.
• Slump measures the workability of the concrete, or how wet it looks.  If the concrete needs to be easier to work, we recommend the use of a HIGH RANGE WATER REDUCER.  Do not add 40 gallons of water to the truck to make the concrete easier to work.
• Control joints need to be either tooled into the concrete or cut with a saw after the concrete hardens.  This will control where the concrete will crack most of the time.  They should be 1/4 of the thickness of the concrete.  1" deep joint for 4" thick concrete.
• There must be plastic on site in case there is a rain shower.  Especially if there is a roof nearby that will drain onto the new concrete.

Tips to ensure a quality concrete project

EMAIL  quote@wilsonconcrete.org

FLORIDA HOMEOWNERS' CONSTRUCTION RECOVERY FUND

PAYMENT MAY BE AVAILABLE FROM THE FLORIDA HOMEOWNERS' CONSTRUCTION RECOVERY FUND IF YOU LOSE MONEY ON A PROJECT PERFORMED UNDER CONTRACT, WHERE THE LOSS RESULTS FROM SPECIFIED VIOLATIONS OF FLORIDA LAW BY A LICENSED CONTRACTOR. FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE RECOVERY FUND AND FILING A CLAIM, CONTACT THE FLORIDA CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY LICENSING BOARD AT THE FOLLOWING TELEPHONE NUMBER AND ADDRESS: Construction Industry Recovery Fund 1940 North Monroe Street, Suite 42 Tallahassee, FL 32399 telephone: (850) 921-6593.

Please Email your information to me for a fast estimate of the work you need done.  I will send you a detailed written proposal indicating what I will do and how much it will cost.  Please send some photos of the site coditions if possible.

Email quote@wilsonconcrete.org

We do the following:

• New driveways
• Retaining Walls
• Garages
• Pole Barn Slabs

We do some residential work, but not all. 

We do not do the following:

• Small additions to driveways
• Sidewalk Repair
• Patio additions

Email a description of what you intend to do along with measurements or drawings and photos of the area where the work will be performed.