stamped concrete estimate - thoughts

[jpcjguy]

Hi all,

So getting some estimates for my screen porch. Contractor brought his concrete guy out and we talked about the patio/footer/foundation. Decision was to dig a footer all around the perimeter for the porch support. Then use block up to the stamped concrete floor height. This will give support regardless where we place the 6x6 columns. The outside wall will have a 3 ft knee wall that should hide any post anchors (according to contractor). That is another topic. Wanted to get thoughts on the concrete work price. All the existing stone (pavers and stone walls) will be pulled up/removed by me and my sons.
Price came in at $21,000. This is about 964 square feet (rough measurement - see pics). Includes all prep, digging footer along red part of outline pic, laying block up to floor grade and then stamped concrete on top of all. So that is about $21 square foot - but includes the footer work.....
Seems reasonable to me but checking with the group for any thoughts or additional comments...

 

[MovingAlong]

What did the other two competing bids come in at?

 

[jpcjguy]

still trying to get some others to come out unfortunately. This contractor has done work for 2 friends are are happy with his work - but their cashflow is significantly more than mine...

 

[jpcjguy]

Here are some pics he shared of examples of his stamps. Any of the patterns can be whatever colors that we want.

 

[kbuhagiar]

Don't know what the baseline for comparison is in Virginia, but here in So California that would be pretty reasonable.

 

[bdbecker]

Seems like a fair price all factors considered. I've had a fair amount of concrete work done this summer at work. For basic flat work (cut out bad section and dispose, rebar, re-pour) we're averaging right around $15 per square foot. For more complex project involving excavation and footings, we're closer to an average of $45 per square foot. Those more complex projects likely require significantly thicker pours than your patio, so the price is likely not quite an apples-to-apples comparison.

The bigger factor is that you know two people you know who have been happy with the contractor's work... given that the price is not out of line, I'd probably would just book him if it were my project.

 

[PoorUB]

I am a "cry once" type of guy. Hire the guy you feel confident that he will do good work and write the check. Much better that hiring some unknown, getting a crappy job done, then living with it, or ripping it all out and starting over.

No problem getting more quotes, but price alone doesn't make the decision.

 

[ConCretin]

I'm not sure I fully understand the plan but the price doesn't seem out of line for a quality job. Decorative concrete is difficult to do and the guys that can pull it off command a premium. Not to mention that it's a one shot deal and if it doesn't come out right, it's probably going to require a do-over and that ain't cheap. Even the best occasionally have a bad day and these risks get factored into the bid.

The most common cause for dis-satisfaction with concrete work is visible cracks. If I understand the plan, it appears the structural elements will be isolated from the stamped concrete slabs? This is a good start. In addition, you'll want properly spaced and executed control joints to hide the inevitable shrinkage cracks. Your slab appears to have a lot of re-entrant corners that will need to be dealt with.

There are a lot of elements to a successful decorative concrete slab but most of them fall under the heading of craftsmanship and that's where picking the right guy is critical. Nevertheless it's still a concrete slab on grade. Take a look at my Guide to Floor Slabs in the link below for some additional thoughts.