Concrete Estimate Template for Slabs, Driveways and Patios

Concrete is bought by the yard and sold by the foot

Your biggest cost arrives by the cubic yard, but the homeowner thinks in square feet. A concrete estimate has to connect the two: area, thickness, the yards that come out of it, and everything that happens before and after the truck shows up. Most of the labor is in prep and finish, not the pour itself, and most of the surprises are in the ground. Write the estimate so both are visible.

Line items: prep, reinforcement, pour, finish, fees

Give each stage its own row. Clients compare concrete bids line by line, and a lower bid usually skipped the base or the steel.

Description	Quantity	Unit	Unit price
Excavate and grade for 4 in. base	300	sq ft	$1.50
Gravel base, 4 in., compacted	300	sq ft	$1.75
Wire mesh, 6x6 W1.4	300	sq ft	$0.60
Stamped finish, ashlar slate pattern, 1 color	300	sq ft	$9.00
Exposed aggregate finish	150	sq ft	$5.50
Pump truck, line pump, minimum	1	each	$850

Rebar or mesh, forms, and the finish type are where bids differ most. Name them. "Concrete patio, $4,800" tells the client nothing they can compare.

Worked example: 20 x 20 driveway replacement, 4 in.

The old driveway is cracked and heaved. Tear it out, rebuild the base, pour a new 4 in. slab with rebar and a broom finish. The garage side needs no form.

Volume: 400 sq ft x 4 in. / 12 / 27 = 4.94 cubic yards. Order 5.5 yards.

Description	Qty	Unit	Unit price	Amount
Demo and haul existing slab, 4 in.	400	sq ft	$3.50	$1,400.00
Grade and compact 4 in. gravel base	400	sq ft	$1.75	$700.00
Forms, three sides	60	linear ft	$3.00	$180.00
#3 rebar, 18 in. on center, with chairs	400	sq ft	$1.25	$500.00
Ready-mix, 4,000 psi, delivered	5.5	cu yd	$185	$1,017.50
Place, broom finish, tool control joints	400	sq ft	$4.25	$1,700.00
Short-load fee (under 8-yard minimum)	1	each	$250	$250.00
Penetrating sealer, 1 coat	400	sq ft	$0.75	$300.00

Subtotal: $6,047.50, about $15.12 per square foot including tear-out.

If the city requires a permit for the driveway apron or curb cut, add it as its own line and say who pulls it.

Terms that belong on a concrete estimate

• Validity: 14 to 30 days. Ready-mix and fuel surcharges change often.
• Deposit: enough to cover the ready-mix order and base material, with the balance due when the pour is finished. Check your state's deposit rules.
• Weather: no pour in rain or when temperatures are forecast below 40°F without cold-weather measures. The date moves; the price does not.
• Cure: foot traffic after 24 to 48 hours, cars after 7 days. The client keeps vehicles off it, and you are not responsible for damage caused by use before then.
• Subgrade: unsuitable soil, buried debris, tree roots or old footings found during excavation are extra, priced per cubic yard removed.
• Utilities: you call 811 before digging; the owner marks private lines such as sprinklers and low-voltage lighting.
• Exclusions: landscaping repair past 2 ft from the forms, sprinkler line repair, permits unless listed.

The common dispute: cracks

Within a year, nearly every slab has a crack somewhere, and nearly every homeowner calls about it. Control joints direct where it happens, but they do not stop it. Settle the expectation on paper before the pour:

"Concrete shrinks as it cures. Control joints are cut to direct cracking. Hairline cracks under 1/8 in. wide with no vertical displacement are normal and are not a defect. Cracks wider than 1/8 in. or with more than 1/8 in. of height difference within one year of the pour will be evaluated and repaired at our cost."

That sentence turns a vague complaint into a measurement. Bring a ruler and a coin to the callback, and photograph the slab on finish day so you have a record of how it left your hands.