Concrete · Nashville, TN
The Nashville homeowner's guide to concrete
What the work involves, what drives the price, what your options are, and what a bad job looks like — written so you can judge any concrete contractor in Middle Tennessee, including us.
Estimate request
What are we pouring, or fixing?
Straight to us, and a reply the same day.
By Michael Blair, owner, Nashville's Concrete · who we are
Warning signs
How to know you need us
Recognize one? Have it looked at before it grows.
- Slabs that have settled so sections no longer meet, creating a trip edge
- Cracks wider than a credit card, or cracks that step vertically
- Water standing on a patio or running toward the house instead of away
- Spalling — the surface flaking off in sheets after winters
- A driveway apron breaking up where vehicles turn in
- Pitting and exposed aggregate on a slab under ten years old, which usually means it was finished wet
Your options
More than one right answer.
Broom finish, stamped, exposed aggregate, leveling or a full tear-out and repour: there is a right answer for each slab, and it is not always the costly one.
Replace the slab
Right when the concrete is broken up, badly settled or draining the wrong way. The sub-base gets corrected at the same time, which is the point.
Slab lifting
Injecting under a settled slab to raise it back to level. A fraction of replacement cost when the concrete itself is sound.
Resurface
An overlay over structurally sound but ugly concrete. Cosmetic, and honest about being cosmetic.
Decorative finish
Stamped, colored or exposed aggregate where the slab is a feature rather than just a surface.
What it costs
What actually drives the price.
Concrete is priced by the square foot, but the base, the thickness, the steel and the tear-out decide most of it, and none of that can be judged on a call. The factors that change it are below.
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Square footage and thickness
A driveway that will carry vehicles needs more thickness and usually reinforcement compared with a patio or a walk.
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Sub-base preparation
Compacted gravel under the slab is what stops it cracking and settling. It is invisible, it is most of the durability, and it is the first thing a cheap bid leaves out.
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Removal of the old slab
Breaking out and hauling away existing concrete is a real line item, and reinforced or thickened slabs cost more to remove.
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Access for the truck
If a mixer cannot reach the pour, concrete gets moved by buggy or pump, and that changes the labor substantially.
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Finish
Broom finish is standard. Exposed aggregate, stamped and colored finishes cost more and need more skill on the day.
Estimates are free, written and without obligation. Anything found only after starting is priced up front.
What happens
From your call to the finished job.
Site visit and estimate
Grade, drainage and access all looked at, because those decide the price more than the square footage does.
Demolition and sub-base
Old slab out, base graded and compacted. This is the day that determines whether the new slab lasts.
Forming and pour
Forms, reinforcement and control joints set out, then the pour and the finish, which is weather-dependent.
Cure
Walkable in a day or two, vehicles after about a week, full strength at around twenty-eight days.
Done badly
What goes wrong, and why it matters.
Shortcuts that cheapen the quote and cost you later. Ask anyone you are considering about them.
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Pouring on uncompacted fill
The slab will crack along whatever settles under it, and no amount of reinforcement prevents it.
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Adding water to make it easier to finish
Extra water at the truck weakens the mix and is the usual cause of a surface that spalls a few winters later.
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Cutting control joints too late or too shallow
Concrete will crack. Control joints decide where. Cut late, it cracks where it wants to.
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Pouring against the house without a slope
A patio that drains toward the foundation is a crawl-space problem waiting to happen.
Before you hire anyone
Six questions worth asking any concrete contractor.
Including us. If a concrete contractor cannot answer these easily, that is the answer.
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What goes under the slab, and how is it compacted?
Stated inches of stone, compacted, over clay that has been dealt with. A pour straight onto Middle Tennessee clay cracks on schedule.
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What mix and what steel are in the quote?
The strength of the concrete and the rebar or mesh, written down. “Standard mix” is not an answer.
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When will the control joints be cut?
Within hours of the pour, at a spacing the slab size dictates. Joints cut the next day are cut after the crack chose its own path.
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Is tear-out and disposal of the old concrete included?
Yes, on the estimate, with the haul-off. A driveway price that assumes an empty site is missing a day’s work.
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Are you licensed for this job’s value, and insured for a truck on my property?
A Tennessee contractor’s license where required, and liability insurance for the truck, the pump and the crew. See the certificate.
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What is warranted, and what is not?
Workmanship in writing; hairline shrinkage cracks are normal and should be said so up front. A promise of no cracks ever is a promise nobody can keep.
FAQ
Choosing a concrete contractor in Nashville
How do I choose a concrete contractor in Nashville?
Every concrete crew we run carries liability insurance on file with us and holds the Tennessee contractor’s license the job value requires; the crews have poured on this clay before, on jobs we can name. Ask the six questions below of anyone, including us.
Should I get more than one quote for concrete?
Yes — and compare the scope, not the total. Concrete in Nashville is priced by the square foot for a slab or a drive and by the linear foot for footings, with the demolition and haul-off of the old concrete, the base and the rebar as their own lines.
Is the cheapest concrete quote usually a bad idea?
Not automatically; a low number is information. Middle Tennessee clay heaves; a slab without a base follows it.
Do I need a permit for concrete in Nashville?
Metro Nashville and the surrounding counties permits driveway aprons in the right-of-way and structural slabs; a patio in the back yard usually needs none, and the crew should know which it is pouring.
How far in advance should I book concrete?
A concrete estimate in Nashville is usually within a week; pours are scheduled around weather, and a good crew would rather move a day than pour into a forecast of rain.
Free estimate
Have a slab, drive or walk that needs work?
Give Nashville's Concrete the size of the area and what is wrong with it now. A crew lead comes to look at the ground and the drainage, then puts a free written estimate in your hands.