By the Templateez Team · Licensed Attorney · June 2026

Concrete & Masonry Intake Forms: What Contractors Need to Capture at Project Intake

A concrete contractor who shows up to a job site without knowing the project scope, soil conditions, or whether the homeowner expects a broom finish or stamped ashlar slate is going to waste half the visit asking questions that should have been settled before the truck rolled. Concrete is unforgiving. Once you pour, you do not get a second chance. A driveway poured at the wrong thickness, with the wrong PSI mix, or without proper joint spacing will crack within a year — and the callback will cost more than the original job.

Most concrete companies collect a name, address, and a vague description of the project. That is not intake — that is lead capture. A real concrete and masonry intake form captures everything your crew needs to estimate accurately, prepare the site correctly, and protect the business from disputes about specifications, timelines, and warranty claims. Here is what that form should include.

Project type: the scope determines everything

Concrete work spans an enormous range of complexity, from a simple sidewalk repair to a commercial warehouse floor. Your intake form needs to identify the project type immediately because it drives every downstream decision — mix design, thickness, reinforcement, finishing, equipment, crew size, and price.

• Driveway — new installation, replacement of existing, or extension of current driveway. Replacement projects include demolition and haul-away of existing concrete, which adds significant cost and time. Extensions require matching existing finish and elevation, which is harder than starting fresh. For existing asphalt or concrete driveways that need surface protection rather than replacement, a driveway sealing intake form captures the surface condition, sealant type, and cure-time logistics that a concrete installation intake is not designed for.
• Sidewalk or walkway — residential walkways, municipal sidewalk replacement, garden paths. ADA compliance may apply for commercial or public-facing sidewalks, including slope requirements and detectable warning surfaces.
• Patio — the most finish-sensitive residential project. Clients choosing a patio typically have strong opinions about appearance — stamped, stained, exposed aggregate, or scored patterns. Capture the desired finish at intake, not at the pour.
• Foundation work — slab-on-grade, pier and beam, foundation repair, or footer installation. Foundation work has code requirements that flatwork does not — frost line depth, rebar schedules, moisture barriers, and inspection holds. This is also where your permit requirements become non-negotiable.
• Retaining wall — height, length, drainage requirements, and whether the wall is structural or decorative. Retaining walls above a certain height — typically four feet, though it varies by municipality — require engineered plans and a building permit.
• Stamped or decorative concrete — pattern selection, color selection (integral color vs. surface-applied), border and accent options. Decorative work requires a larger crew because the stamping window is tight — once the concrete sets past the right consistency, you cannot stamp it.
• Concrete repair — crack filling, spalling repair, leveling (mudjacking or polyurethane foam injection), resurfacing. Repair work requires documenting the current condition in detail because the scope can change dramatically once demolition reveals what is underneath.
• Pool deck — slip resistance is mandatory, drainage slope must direct water away from the pool, and the finish must withstand constant moisture and chemical exposure from pool water.
• Commercial flatwork — parking lots, loading docks, warehouse floors. Commercial projects have heavier load requirements, thicker pours, and often require joint layout plans approved by an engineer. A warehouse floor that will carry forklift traffic needs a fundamentally different specification than a residential patio.

Site assessment: what is on the ground before you pour

A concrete estimate without a site assessment is a guess. Your intake form should capture conditions that directly affect preparation, cost, and risk:

• Current condition of existing concrete — if replacing, document what is there now. Cracking patterns (linear, map cracking, corner breaks), settling or heaving, spalling (surface deterioration), and whether the existing slab has moved relative to adjacent structures. Photographs should supplement the written assessment — a note that says "moderate cracking" means different things to different people.
• Soil conditions — clay, sand, fill dirt, or unknown. Clay soils expand and contract with moisture, which is the leading cause of slab cracking and heaving in residential work. If the client does not know the soil type, your intake should flag that a site visit or soil test is needed before estimating.
• Drainage and grading — is there standing water on the property after rain? Does the grade slope toward the house or away from it? Poor drainage under a concrete slab leads to erosion, settling, and eventually cracking. Solving drainage before the pour is dramatically cheaper than fixing it after.
• Underground utilities — water lines, gas lines, electrical conduit, septic systems, irrigation lines. Your crew needs to know what is below the excavation depth before they start digging. A utility locate (811 call) is standard practice, but the intake form should ask the client about any private utilities not covered by the public locate service — sprinkler lines, private drainage, dog fences, low-voltage landscape lighting.
• Access and equipment reach — can a concrete truck reach the pour site? Is there a gate wide enough for a wheelbarrow if the truck cannot get close? Will a pump truck be needed? Pump truck rental is a significant line item that should not be a surprise on the invoice. Also document any landscaping, fencing, or structures that could be damaged by heavy equipment.
• Tree roots — mature trees near the project area can cause root heaving within a few years of the pour. Document their proximity and discuss root barriers or alternative slab placement if roots are a factor.
• Demolition of existing concrete — is there concrete that needs to be removed before new work begins? How thick is it? Is it reinforced with rebar or wire mesh? Reinforced concrete is substantially harder to demolish and haul away, and the cost difference is meaningful.

These site conditions overlap with what any contractor working on a property needs to evaluate. General contractors face the same utility, access, and grading questions across every trade they coordinate — the difference is that concrete is less forgiving of mistakes in the assessment because the finished product is a monolithic slab that cannot be easily adjusted after the fact.

Concrete specifications: the technical details that determine performance

This is where concrete intake diverges sharply from other trades. Your client may not know these specifications — and that is fine, because recommending the right spec is part of your expertise. But the intake form should document what was discussed and what was selected, because disputes about cracking, surface defects, and premature wear often come down to whether the right specification was used.

• Concrete type — standard ready-mix, fiber-reinforced, high-early strength (for cold-weather pours or projects where the client needs to use the surface quickly). Fiber-reinforced concrete reduces surface cracking and is increasingly standard for residential flatwork.
• PSI requirement — compressive strength measured in pounds per square inch. 3,000 PSI is the minimum for most residential flatwork. 3,500 PSI is standard for driveways. 4,000 PSI is common for commercial applications and garage floors. 4,500 PSI or higher is used for structural applications and heavy-load commercial floors. Document the selected PSI and the reason for the selection.
• Thickness — 4 inches is standard for sidewalks and patios. 6 inches is standard for driveways and garage floors. 8 inches or more for commercial applications and foundations. Under-specifying thickness to save cost is the most common source of premature failure in residential concrete.
• Reinforcement — rebar (size and spacing), welded wire mesh, or fiber reinforcement. Rebar is required for foundations and structural applications. Wire mesh is common for flatwork. Fiber is increasingly used as a supplement or replacement for wire mesh in residential applications. Document the reinforcement plan.
• Finish — broom finish (standard, slip-resistant), smooth or troweled (for interior or covered areas), stamped (pattern and color selection), exposed aggregate (decorative with visible stone), stained (acid stain or water-based, color selection). The finish is the most visible aspect of the work and the most common source of client dissatisfaction when expectations were not documented.
• Color — integral color (mixed into the concrete, consistent throughout) or surface-applied color hardener (applied during finishing, surface-deep). Color matching existing concrete is difficult and should be discussed at intake with the caveat that an exact match is not guaranteed — concrete color varies by batch, weather, and cure conditions.
• Joints — control joints (cut into the surface to control where cracking occurs), expansion joints (placed where new concrete meets existing structures to allow independent movement), and isolation joints (separating the slab from fixed objects like columns or walls). Joint spacing is dictated by slab thickness and industry standards — typically the joint spacing in feet should not exceed 2 to 3 times the slab thickness in inches.
• Edging — formed edge (square, clean) or tooled edge (rounded, decorative). This is a small detail that clients notice when it does not match their expectation.

Dimensions and quantity: measuring twice before you pour once

Accurate measurements are the foundation of an accurate estimate. Your intake should capture:

• Length, width, and total area — measured in square footage for flatwork. Irregular shapes should be broken into rectangles and calculated separately. Document the measurement method — client-provided, measured from a survey or site plan, or field-measured by your estimator.
• Estimated cubic yards — this is the number that determines your material cost. A 20-by-20-foot patio at 4 inches thick requires approximately 5 cubic yards. At 6 inches thick, the same patio requires approximately 7.5 cubic yards. A one-inch difference in thickness across a large pour adds up to hundreds of dollars in material cost.
• Grade and slope requirements — minimum slope for drainage (typically 1/8 inch per foot away from structures), maximum slope for vehicle use, ADA-compliant slopes for commercial walkways (1:20 running slope, 1:48 cross slope).
• Step-downs or elevation changes — transitions between different slab levels, stepped patios, or areas where the new concrete must meet existing surfaces at a specific elevation. Every elevation change adds complexity to the form work and increases labor time.

Permits and code compliance

Permit requirements vary by municipality, but ignoring them is never the right approach. Your intake should capture the regulatory landscape for the project:

• Municipal permit requirement — most jurisdictions require a permit for new concrete work above a certain size or for any foundation or structural work. Sidewalk and driveway permits are common in suburban municipalities. The intake form should note whether a permit is required and who is responsible for obtaining it — the contractor (standard) or the client.
• Setback requirements — how close the new concrete can be placed to property lines, easements, and structures. A client who wants their driveway extended to the property line may discover that a setback requirement prohibits it.
• Right-of-way encroachment — sidewalks and driveways often cross municipal right-of-way, which may require a separate encroachment permit or must meet municipal specifications for thickness and finish.
• ADA compliance — required for commercial projects and public-facing walkways. Slope, width, transition, and detectable warning surface requirements apply. Non-compliance exposes the property owner to liability.
• Frost line depth — for footings and foundation work, the bottom of the footing must be below the local frost line to prevent heaving. This depth varies from 12 inches in the southern United States to 48 inches or more in the northern states. Your intake should document the local requirement.

Permit and code issues are where concrete work intersects with broader construction management. Home remodeling contractors coordinate concrete subcontractors as part of larger renovation projects where permitting covers multiple trades under a single building permit — but when you are the concrete contractor working directly with a homeowner, the permit responsibility falls squarely on you.

Weather and scheduling: you cannot pour on your timeline alone

Concrete is one of the most weather-dependent trades in construction. Your intake needs to set realistic expectations about scheduling constraints:

• Preferred start date — capture the client's ideal timeline, but document that concrete placement is weather-dependent. A client who needs a driveway poured before a graduation party in two weeks needs to understand that rain or freezing temperatures will delay the pour, and rushing the schedule to meet a social deadline risks a poor result.
• Weather constraints — concrete cannot be placed in freezing conditions (below 40 degrees Fahrenheit) without cold-weather precautions that add cost. It should not be placed during rain or when rain is expected within the cure window. High heat (above 90 degrees) accelerates set time and can cause surface defects if the finishing crew cannot keep pace.
• Cure time — this is the single most misunderstood aspect of concrete work for residential clients. The surface can typically support foot traffic in 24 to 48 hours. Light vehicle traffic should wait a minimum of 7 days. Full cure — when the concrete reaches its rated PSI strength — takes 28 days. Document these timelines on the intake form so the client cannot claim they were not told when they park on their new driveway three days after the pour.
• Project timeline estimate — how many days for preparation (excavation, grading, form setting, reinforcement), pour day, and finishing. A residential driveway replacement typically takes 3 to 5 days from start to the point where forms are stripped. Larger commercial projects can span weeks.

Pricing: what the client is actually paying for

Concrete pricing has more variables than most trades, and clients who compare your estimate to a neighbor's job from five years ago will not understand the difference without documentation. Your intake should establish the pricing framework:

• Per square foot for flatwork — the standard pricing unit for residential driveways, patios, and sidewalks. This rate varies by region, thickness, finish, and site conditions. Document the per-square-foot rate and what it includes.
• Per linear foot for curbing — decorative landscape curbing, driveway borders, and property-line curbing are priced per linear foot.
• Demolition and haul-away — a separate line item for removing existing concrete. Price depends on thickness, reinforcement (rebar vs. unreinforced), and distance to the disposal site. Some contractors include this in the per-square-foot rate; others break it out. Either way, the intake form should document it so the client knows what they are paying for.
• Grade preparation — excavation, grading, compaction, and sub-base material (gravel or crushed stone). On a well-prepared site, this is straightforward. On a site with poor soil, drainage issues, or significant grade changes, preparation can be a substantial portion of the total cost.
• Reinforcement — rebar, wire mesh, or fiber. Each adds cost, and the client should understand why the reinforcement was selected and what it costs.
• Finish upgrades — stamped concrete, stained concrete, exposed aggregate, and decorative scoring are all premium finishes that add to the base price. Document the upcharge for each so the client can make informed decisions. A client who asks for stamped concrete without understanding the cost difference from broom finish will have sticker shock at the estimate.
• Permit fees — are they included in your price or passed through to the client as a separate cost? Document the approach so there are no surprises.

Warranty: what you stand behind and what you do not

Concrete warranty terms are the most important section of your intake form from a liability perspective. Concrete will crack — it is a physical certainty, not a defect — and clients who do not understand this at intake will treat every hairline crack as a warranty claim. Your intake form should establish clear terms:

Surface warranty. Most concrete contractors offer a 1-year warranty on surface defects — scaling, spalling, popouts, and discoloration beyond normal variation. Define what is covered and what constitutes a valid claim.

Structural warranty. Varies by contractor and project type. Foundation work may carry a longer warranty than flatwork. Document the term and what it covers — typically structural failure, not cosmetic issues.

Normal cracking disclaimer. This is non-negotiable. Your intake form must state clearly that concrete cracks. Control joints are placed to encourage cracking at predetermined locations, but cracking outside of joints — including hairline cracks — is a normal characteristic of concrete and is not a defect. Clients who understand this at intake are far less likely to file a complaint when a hairline crack appears six months after the pour.

Exclusions. Your warranty should exclude damage from de-icing chemicals (salt and chemical de-icers cause surface scaling), heavy equipment driven on residential-grade concrete, settling caused by soil conditions beyond your control, and damage from tree roots. Each exclusion should be documented on the intake form so the client acknowledges them before work begins.

Building the estimate from the intake

A thorough concrete intake form is not paperwork for the sake of paperwork. It is the document that drives your estimate, protects your margin, and prevents disputes. When a client calls six months after a pour to complain about a crack, your intake form — with its documented PSI selection, thickness specification, joint spacing, cure time instructions, and normal cracking disclaimer — is the document that resolves the conversation. When an estimate comes in higher than a competitor's, your intake form shows the client exactly what they are getting: the right mix, the right thickness, proper reinforcement, and a defined finish — not a lowball number that will be revised upward after the forms are set.

If you are building documentation across a multi-trade operation, the Trade Services Bundle includes concrete and masonry alongside 51 other service categories, each with trade-specific intake fields.

Related guides

• Home Remodeling Intake Forms — what remodeling contractors need to capture when concrete is part of a larger renovation project.
• General Contractor Intake Forms — coordinating concrete subcontractors alongside other trades under a single project intake.