Concrete Pricing - Any Ballpark Ideas?

[gpalmer77]

Looking for high level estimates to see if I am getting a good deal. Wondering if there might be some people who can look at this quickly and figure a price. Not looking for exact numbers, just to see if the prices I am getting from contractors are fair, and I know there is a lot of knowledge here.

1. Location is suburban Chicagoland
2. 22x24 10"w trench footing with 16" bell, 42" deep
3. 22x24 slab, 5" depth (with insulation and pex) by me
4. 75x12 driveway, 4" depth
5. Bumpout by garage, additional 12x8, 4" depth
6. Bumpout by street, additional 20x4, 4" depth
7. Path across property 50x3, 5" depth
8. Front path to deck 20x5, 5" depth

Greenfield site for the bulk of this, easy access. Only the two paths are currently there, so demo is minor. Garage and all of the driveway is just excavation of fresh dirt. 4" of crushed stone under everything, 2" of leveling sand on the stone under the slab for the foam board to be laid on, by me. Putting rebar in the side of the footing for the slab to tie into.

Total square feet of exterior flatwork is about 1320 square feet.
Slab is 528 square feet.
Total yards is about 35 ish for everything, my best guess from simple math.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Tscott]

Around here in Florida $200 a dollar a yard in place is the running rate, or at least it was when I built my shop a few years ago. YMMV.

Tom

 

[68 Bird]

Hello gpalmer.
Much depends on location and the mix but here in Colorado last year when I had my flat work done for my shop (slab floor and apron) 5 inches thick, 6 sack mix,2,911 square feet total, formed, poured, finished, saw cut joints was $2.50 per square foot, $7,277 total. I supplied the remesh for the floor, they installed it. I laid out the rebar for the apron on 4' x 4' centers and they poured it in. It turned out real well. It has only cracked where they told it to.

I had a sub grade of 7 inches of crushed concrete that sat in the open about 3 years while we built the structure. They had a hell of a time trying to drive rebar into it or scraping with the skid loader to level it out. Sub grade is everything.

I shopped about 7 estimates ranging from $1.75 psf (this guy said I didn't need to reinforce any of it, through him out right away) all the way up to $6.25 psf (this guy didn't need the work).

The company I hired was a reputable flat work firm in the area that does alot of work on city streets, parking lots, etc. I happened to catch them in a relatively slow spell and after a couple of beers with the boss I was able to work him down that low.

I hope I helped.

 

[IHI]

Locally I charged $5/yrd for flat work and $70/ft for trench footings on garages. That price is relatively level ground with no much tear out needed and rock brought in for sub base.

Every job is different, pricing for mud is different from city to city much less state to state so there's no way for outsiders to give you a answer with any substance when it comes to this. As a former GC for 20yrs and frequenting DIY forums offering assistance, and contractor forums...talking about prices online is futile. Example:
When we were building simple garages under 850sqft (no footings required in my area) using good materials inside and out, I priced them at $19/sqft and made a fair margin to stay in business. Contractor forum had guys from various locations saying they would'nt get out of bed to build a garage for under $47/sqft...then we started talking material costs in certain area's, overhead was completely different for all of us/our businesses....

so basically what I'm getting at....if your concerned, your going to get no relavent info on here, just opinions, call a few more local contractors and get more than 1 bid to compare pricing, scope of work and decide from there.

 

[wedge40]

Just got a quote and he is charging $3.5/sqft for the cement and labor. South Central Indiana.


Wedge

 

[gpalmer77]

All good information so far. I know it is just "opinion" in many cases, and yes location does vary, but as a non-concrete guy by trade, any information is good information, even if it just gives me the high and low ends. I already know I live in an area where costs are typically at the higher end of things.

Thanks guys.

 

[matouse3]

Locally I charged $5/yrd for flat work and $70/ft for trench footings on garages. That price is relatively level ground with no much tear out needed and rock brought in for sub base.

Every job is different, pricing for mud is different from city to city much less state to state so there's no way for outsiders to give you a answer with any substance when it comes to this. As a former GC for 20yrs and frequenting DIY forums offering assistance, and contractor forums...talking about prices online is futile. Example:
When we were building simple garages under 850sqft (no footings required in my area) using good materials inside and out, I priced them at $19/sqft and made a fair margin to stay in business. Contractor forum had guys from various locations saying they would'nt get out of bed to build a garage for under $47/sqft...then we started talking material costs in certain area's, overhead was completely different for all of us/our businesses....

so basically what I'm getting at....if your concerned, your going to get no relavent info on here, just opinions, call a few more local contractors and get more than 1 bid to compare pricing, scope of work and decide from there.

Completely agree. A few local quotes for your dimensions are just a couple phone calls away.

 

[gpalmer77]

I already have a couple of quotes coming..... just didn't see the numbers yet.

 

[IHI]

Completely agree. A few local quotes for your dimensions are just a couple phone calls away.

i dealt with the "what would it cost me?" questions almost daily over the phone with phonebook/yellow page shoppers. I cant give a ball park over the phone for a basic job in my area, much less a job like OP a state away. I would try to explain to cold calling customers, if you would like a price, let's set up a date and a time to meet and go over everything you want so I know what you want, and i will be able to present you with options/ideas you may not have considered.....

Unless we replaced a storm door, there were no two jobs the same, ever. Each job has it's own challenges hence the impossibility to quote a ballpark for anybody...and I would also explain to consumers, a ballpark will not be good for you or me. If I quote you $**,*** over the phone, no matter what happens, what options you chose I put the number $**,*** in your head and that is what you will expect it to be done for, and if it's more...then you will think i'm trying to screw you, not your personal problem, just human psychie and how we think, so let's get everything on the table so we both know what you want and I can quote this once correctly.

 

[gpalmer77]

My point was not to get actual prices, more to get a general idea. My budget was around $13k for all my concrete work when I started planning, and to be honest I didn't really know what I needed. Just knew I would have that much money when the time came to pour.

Just got my first number, $17k and change for all of the above. Does not include rebar at $600 more and siloxane at $750 more.

For guys that do this for a living, where do economies of scale kick in, is a job this size considered big enough to deal down on price? Is paying with cash much of an option for getting a price break?

 

[brownbagg]

going be $3500 for concrete itself, and labor here would be about $5000, so looking at $8500. but most of them are so small, do the labor yourself, looking at about $4000

 

[68 Bird]

I considered doing the labor myself as well. Hard work at my age plus I wanted it to be right. I've seen some pretty f@cked up looking floors from those who didn't know their limitations.

 

[KPSquared]

Form it and tie the rebar your self then just pay someone to pour/place/finish it for you. I paid $1.50sq. Ft. just for that labor. Materials are easy to figure.

It's not your age. . .it's your shape! My old man is 72 and just spent the day doing all the soffit and fascia on my shop. The old guy can still bust hump when he needs to! Get at it!

 

[68 Bird]

Amen brother amen.

 

[gpalmer77]

I talked the guy about the first price, my budget was $13k and he came in at a shade over $17k.

1) Trench footing and slab came in at $9600.
2) Balance (flatwork) was $7500.
3) He priced the flatwork at $6 a sqft based on the fact that it is greenfield, needs full excavation and crushed stone etc. I had budgeted $4.50.
4) Trench footing cost is higher than I thought, he said he digs straight down with an excavator, then his guys have to get in and dig the bell out by hand. There is also a lot of formwork around the top for the 6.5" curb and the ledge for the slab to sit on.
5) Said he gives 5% off for cash, which would be about $850, but said he could come down to $16k even.

Still too high for me right now. I'm paying with cash I've saved up, so it is less about what I am willing to pay, more about how much I actually have. I either have to find a cheaper guy or start cutting scope. Shame, I really liked this guy too, took the time to explain everything to me, and he has done some great work locally that I've checked out.

 

[gpalmer77]

Form it and tie the rebar your self then just pay someone to pour/place/finish it for you. I paid $1.50sq. Ft. just for that labor. Materials are easy to figure.

It's not your age. . .it's your shape! My old man is 72 and just spent the day doing all the soffit and fascia on my shop. The old guy can still bust hump when he needs to! Get at it!

I would, but I'm already buried with finishing the house (full remodel down to the studs, all new utilities) and parenting a 2.5 year old (who thinks she is 13) and a 10 month old.

I always said I would do stuff myself where I could do a good job, spend the money on good labor for the stuff I can't do, and concrete is one. Renting an excavator and doing it myself seems time consuming, and I, er.... have no idea where to even start. Lol.

I'll get some more prices. Maybe I just need to go cheaper and be the project manager while they are there. Got the feeling the guy I was talking to could do this off the plans and not need close supervision. Don't always get that vibe, and I oversee a decent amount of construction work for a living.

Thanks.

 

[joes169]

My point was not to get actual prices, more to get a general idea. My budget was around $13k for all my concrete work when I started planning, and to be honest I didn't really know what I needed. Just knew I would have that much money when the time came to pour.

Just got my first number, $17k and change for all of the above. Does not include rebar at $600 more and siloxane at $750 more.

For guys that do this for a living, where do economies of scale kick in, is a job this size considered big enough to deal down on price? Is paying with cash much of an option for getting a price break?

I do this for a living, and I'm in SE Wisconsin, so not too far away.

Here are my thoughts on why it's already coming in higher than you expected, and certainly higher than it would be here, or especially Texas, Florida, etc....

I have a peer in the same industry in Will County and I from what i can tell, many of the companies are still union, and that set's the "bar" for pricing, even for the few non-union outfits. If it's common place in say Texas to use $6/hr. day laborers, you can't compare that to your area when the prevailing wage is over $65/hr. when all benefits are figured in. That $65 quickly spirals over $100/hr. when company overhead and profit are figured in. This effects every element of your project, including the materials. The ready-mix company pays their drivers similar wages and benefits, the gravel quarry as well, etc....

So, the point of my post is that you live in a very expensive locale, when compared to the nation as a whole, and the best you can do is get multiple quotes from area contractors, which is what it sounds like you're doing.

On another note, you may receive a small discount for paying "cash", but it may be negligable, as the ready-mix billing will have a job address on it, and the contractor has to cover that address in an audit, or show revenue for that particular address......

 

[MrC1953]

I just paid $100 a yard delivered or $1000 a truck, labor varies, on average double the cost of the concrete for your total job.

Godspeed
MrC.

 

[Colonial Cobra]

$300 per yard, finished, in our area.

 

[Falcon67]

Form it and tie the rebar your self then just pay someone to pour/place/finish it for you. I paid $1.50sq. Ft. just for that labor. Materials are easy to figure.

It's not your age. . .it's your shape! My old man is 72 and just spent the day doing all the soffit and fascia on my shop. The old guy can still bust hump when he needs to! Get at it!

As above, it's going to vary by area. I priced out the materials, then priced the job complete. Once I got the bids, I said screw busting azz digging and fetching material. Wasn't worth my time. Wrote 'em a check, supervised.

Last year, flat work - like driveway, dig, bar, sand, form, no footings - was between $5 and $6 sq/ft. My Supervisor is having a new house built - 2000 sq/ft, has $22,000 in the foundation. Big difference here between "foundation" and "flatwork".

 

[gpalmer77]

I'm getting other prices, but I talked to a few people in the trade at work today. I'm currently thinking of having this contractor do the footing and garage slab, then do the driveway next year with some pros I know who do side work.

This frees up some money at this time to move forward with other aspects of the garage, and ultimately should save a few thousand bucks on the driveway when it comes time. Having the garage portion done this Fall is the big attraction to me right now, as it we have a good Winter, I can be framing early in the year without waiting for the ground to thaw.

 

[IHI]

I'm getting other prices, but I talked to a few people in the trade at work today. I'm currently thinking of having this contractor do the footing and garage slab, then do the driveway next year with some pros I know who do side work.

This frees up some money at this time to move forward with other aspects of the garage, and ultimately should save a few thousand bucks on the driveway when it comes time. Having the garage portion done this Fall is the big attraction to me right now, as it we have a good Winter, I can be framing early in the year without waiting for the ground to thaw.

just be sure to hurry, i think this flash of warm weather is about all done with, and if you have insulate the mud after they pour it, the price will go up naturally, so right now time is of the essence. Why wait to build the garage until next year? money issue or something else? We built structures year around, give the concrete a good 2-3 weeks to take a set and build like you do in the spring/summer. If it's 20*F and sunny, with minimal wind...you can work all day in a sweatshirt and stocking cap and not lose any productivity due to being bundled up. 20*F cloudy and windy...***** LOL.

 

[sailcat]

I had a beautiful job done on a 33 x 40 garage floor 4 inches thick (the forms and grade work was already done) for $2900.000 This also included the saw cuts. This works out to $2.20 SF. This is by a company that did most of the work at Bristol Motor Speedway. The floor was so nice I hated to cover it with epoxy.

 

[Detroit cc]

I'm having a house built in Michigan, concrete work is $2.75 a sq/ft.

 

[gpalmer77]

just be sure to hurry, i think this flash of warm weather is about all done with, and if you have insulate the mud after they pour it, the price will go up naturally, so right now time is of the essence. Why wait to build the garage until next year? money issue or something else? We built structures year around, give the concrete a good 2-3 weeks to take a set and build like you do in the spring/summer. If it's 20*F and sunny, with minimal wind...you can work all day in a sweatshirt and stocking cap and not lose any productivity due to being bundled up. 20*F cloudy and windy...***** LOL.

The guy I have been working with the most on this is available to do it the first week of November I think. Other guys have called me back telling me they are booked through until Winter, even if the weather holds off.

I'm fine working in the cold, so I may get started early with framing. Still have to side the back of the house though, and my wife wants that done first. We've also got a few rooms to mud/tape and paint over the Winter, my little girl will be needing a room of her own soon.