By the time you're comparing repair bids, you know the slab is damaged and roughly what kind of fix it needs (see concrete repair for the repair-vs-replace ladder). Two bids for the same visible crack can be very different jobs underneath, and on Fort Bend's clay, the difference usually comes down to whether a crew diagnosed the cause or just quoted the symptom. The questions below are for vetting a repair job on existing damage, not for hiring a crew for a brand-new pour.
First: did they actually diagnose the cause?
The single question that separates a durable repair from a repeat job on this soil: did the bid address why the slab moved, not just what's visibly wrong with it?
- Ask what they think caused the damage, not just what they'll do about it. A crew that looks at a faulted joint or a heaved panel and jumps straight to a price, without discussing the subgrade or drainage, is quoting the symptom.
- Ask whether the fix addresses drainage and moisture, or just the concrete. On Lake Charles clay, a repair that doesn't touch what's driving the soil's movement (grading, drainage, where water goes around the slab) is a repair that's likely to need doing again.
- Ask what's under the slab where they're repairing. A settled section over a void calls for a different fix than a section heaved by clay swelling; a crew that hasn't distinguished the two isn't ready to scope the job correctly. See why is my concrete cracking for how to read that yourself before the estimate visit, so you can tell whether their read matches what you're seeing.
Make them put the scope in writing
A complete written scope for a repair job should spell out, at minimum:
- Which method, and why: seal/patch, slabjacking, polyurethane foam raising, resurface, or tear-out, tied to the actual condition of the slab (sound-but-settled vs. structurally failed), not a default answer.
- What's included in base and subgrade work, if any, or a clear statement that base prep isn't part of the scope, so you know what you're not getting.
- Drainage and moisture correction, included or explicitly excluded so you can price it separately. On this clay, leaving it out is leaving out the part that makes the repair last.
- Joint spacing and thickness, if any new concrete is being poured. A replacement or resurface section should follow the same control-joint spacing (roughly 24–36 times the slab thickness) and 4-inch residential minimum as new construction, not get poured without joints because it's "just a patch."
- What happens if the repair doesn't hold: is there a warranty on the repair itself, and what does it require of you to stay valid?
Base prep questions specific to this soil
- "Are you compacting the subgrade, or pouring straight onto what's there?" On expansive clay, skipping subgrade compaction under a repair or replacement section is one of the most common ways a bid comes in low and a repair fails early.
- "Is there a crushed-stone base going down, and how thick?" A compacted base separates new concrete from the active shrink-swell layer underneath. Its absence is a shortcut that shows up as a crack again within a season or two on this clay.
- "What's your plan for water, and where does it go once it leaves the repaired area?" A repair that doesn't route water away from the slab just re-saturates the same clay it was supposed to fix.
Right-of-way and permit awareness
If any part of the repair touches the driveway apron where it meets the public street, that portion is frequently governed separately by the local municipality, often requiring a permit, a specific thickness with continuous rebar, and inspection before and after the work. This is a generic pattern seen across many jurisdictions, not a confirmed Rosenberg-specific rule; ask whether the crew is pulling the right permit for that section, and confirm the requirement with Fort Bend or Rosenberg public works if the apron is part of the job.
Red flags specific to a re-pour over active clay
- A bid that's noticeably cheaper with no explanation for why. On this soil, the gap is usually base prep, drainage, or both.
- No mention of joints on a repair or replacement section. New concrete poured without correct control-joint spacing is just a future random crack waiting to happen, patch or not.
- A quick visual estimate with no discussion of what's underneath. A crew that never asks about drainage, nearby trees, or how the damage has behaved over past seasons (worse in summer? better after rain?) hasn't diagnosed the actual cause.
- A repair method that doesn't match the damage. Slabjacking or foam quoted for a slab that's cracked through and structurally failed, rather than settled-but-sound, is the wrong tool for the job.
Questions people ask
Should I get more than one bid for a repair? Yes. Ask each crew to price the same written scope once you have one, rather than comparing five different unwritten assumptions about what the job includes. The gap between a cheap bid and a thorough one is almost always in what's left out: base prep, drainage, or joints.
Does a repair need a warranty? Ask what's covered and for how long, and whether it requires anything of you (like maintaining drainage) to stay valid. A repair warranty that doesn't mention drainage on this soil is a warranty that hasn't accounted for why the damage happened in the first place.
How do I know if a bid actually diagnosed the cause or just looked at the crack? Listen for whether they talk about drainage, the base, and what's under the slab, not just the crack itself. A crew that can explain why the damage happened, in terms that match what you're seeing (worse in summer, near a tree, after a wet stretch), is diagnosing; a crew that only describes what they'll pour is quoting the symptom.
Area covered
Rosenberg 77471, plus Richmond, Beasley, Pleak, and the Fort Bend County area.