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Concrete Driveway Quote Comparison: Base, Drainage & Finish

Compare a driveway quote from demolition through drainage and the finished surface.

Put your quotes side by side

Compare the prices once both quotes cover the same work.

Quote A
Costs outside the quote & your reserve

This is money you set aside. It is not a contractor charge or a recommended percentage.

Enter a quoted price

Quote B
Costs outside the quote & your reserve

This is money you set aside. It is not a contractor charge or a recommended percentage.

Enter a quoted price

Quote C (optional)
Costs outside the quote & your reserve

This is money you set aside. It is not a contractor charge or a recommended percentage.

Enter a quoted price

Compare two quotes or three. Type the price of each written quote, then mark what each one includes. A cheaper quote often leaves work out: mark that work Extra with its price and the totals add it back, so you compare the same job.

Before you sign: six checks
  • Get written quotes from at least two contractors, three if you can, and do not pick the lowest on price alone.
  • Hire a licensed, insured contractor. Your state or local building department says which license the work needs; ask for current insurance certificates.
  • Get a written contract with the contractor’s name, address and license number, start and finish dates, the payment schedule and who gets the permits.
  • Do not pay it all up front: tie payments to finished stages, never pay in cash or by wire transfer, and make the last payment when the work is done. Some states limit the down payment.
  • A sale made at your home can usually be cancelled until midnight of the third business day under the FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule, and the seller must give you the cancellation forms. The rule does not cover emergency work, a repair you asked the contractor to come and do, or a contract you finish at the seller’s own place of business; your state may give you more.
  • Be wary of a contractor who knocks on your door, pushes you to decide now, or asks you to get the permits yourself.

From the Federal Trade Commission’s advice: How to avoid a home improvement scam and the Cooling-Off Rule.

Check what each quote includes

Leave anything unclear as “Ask.” Choose “Extra cost” to add a separately priced item to that quote’s budget. Do not also put it in the general left-out costs below.

Materials

Concrete and reinforcement

Keep the specified mix, reinforcement, thickened edges and ordered volume with the plan.

Labor

Existing driveway removal

Identify asphalt or concrete, thickness assumptions, hauling and any buried obstructions.

Excavation and base

Record the designed base and the allowance for soft spots or unsuitable material.

Drainage and grades

Ask how the driveway meets the garage, sidewalk and street without directing water where it should not go.

Finish and joints

Name the texture, decorative work, control joints and curing responsibilities.

Equipment, access and disposal

Access and restoration

Record pumping, traffic control, landscape repairs and restrictions on using the driveway.

Nothing is sent to a contractor. Saving keeps these entries in this browser; downloading makes a text file.

Before asking for a price

Record the driveway outline, planned thickness, slopes, vehicle use and the connection to the street or garage.

Reading the totals

Compare the same thickness, base and reinforcement for the vehicles that will use the driveway, plus removal of the old one and the drainage.

The budget adds the quoted price, separately priced extra costs, other costs left out and any tax not already included. Your chosen reserve is added to that subtotal. Treat every “Ask” row as work that is not yet confirmed as included. Get the answer in writing before comparing totals.

Your project

My project

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