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What should a concrete contractor do before pour season?
Short answer: A concrete contractor should use the cold months to book spring work, not wait for it. Update your site and Google profile, ask last year's customers for reviews, publish estimate-ready pages, and take deposits for spring pours. Pour season rewards the shop that is ready before the first warm week.
- NRMCA says fresh concrete freezes below about 25 degrees F and can lose over 50 percent of its strength.
- NRMCA defines cold weather as more than three days in a row with average temperature under 40 degrees F.
- Start marketing in winter, roughly two to three months before your first pour.
- Past customers are your cheapest leads, so message last season's customers with a spring booking note.
- Set a fall cutoff date for new pours and post it on your site and profile.
- Google says use special hours for closures up to six days, and Temporarily closed for seven or more.
In much of the country concrete is a seasonal trade. Pours slow down when the ground freezes and surge when it thaws. If you run a crew in a cold state, you know the pattern: a flood of calls in spring, then a gap you wish you had planned for. This guide covers what to do in each part of the year. It is written for contractors with real winters. If you are in a warm state, shift the calendar and keep the ideas.
Why is concrete so seasonal?
Fresh concrete does not like the cold. The National Ready Mixed Concrete Association says fresh concrete freezes if its temperature falls below about 25 degrees F, and that frozen concrete can lose more than 50 percent of its potential strength and will not be durable. It says to protect concrete from freezing until it reaches 500 psi, about two days after placement. It also says a drop of 20 degrees F in concrete temperature roughly doubles setting time, which slows finishing and form removal (NRMCA: CIP 27, Cold Weather Concreting).
The same source defines cold weather for concrete as a period of more than three days in a row where the average daily temperature is under 40 degrees F, and the air temperature does not top 50 degrees F for more than half of any 24 hours. Under those conditions, it says, concrete needs special care in placing, finishing, curing and protection.
Winter also sets up your spring repair calls. Concrete Decor magazine says freeze-thaw damage normally shows up in spring, as spalling or pop-outs, so spring is the time for repair posts and estimates. Summer has its own limits: the NRMCA says high temperatures, wind, low humidity and sun speed up moisture loss and setting (NRMCA: CIP 12, Hot Weather Concreting).
Some shops pour through winter with heated enclosures and blankets. Many do not, because the extra cost and risk are not worth it. That is a choice for you and your supplier, not something this page can settle. What this page can do is help you fill the calendar either way.
What does a year look like for a cold-state concrete crew?
Here is our estimate of the calendar. Shift the months to match your climate.
| Period | What is happening | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (slow) | Ground frozen, few pours | Book spring work, update the site, collect reviews, sell interior jobs |
| Early spring | Ground thaws, phones start ringing | Answer fast, quote fast, set a start-date list |
| Late spring and summer | Peak pours | Protect margin, ask for a review after every job |
| Early fall | Homeowners rush before freeze | Run a "last pour of the year" push, set cutoff dates |
| Late fall | Cutoff, closing out | Collect final reviews, plan winter work |
The numbers in your area will differ. Look at your own books for the last three years: which months had the most booked jobs and which had the fewest. Mark them on a calendar.
How do you build a concrete season plan?
Work through these steps. Each takes less than a day.
Step 1: Look at last year's calendar
Open your invoices and mark the first pour date, the last pour date and the busiest month. Write down how many estimates you gave and how many you won. This is your baseline.
Step 2: Choose a winter goal
Pick one number. "Fill 60 percent of April and May by March 1." A goal tells you how many estimates to run in winter, and how many calls you need to get them.
Step 3: Fix your site and your profile
Update job photos, prices and service pages. Add your best jobs from last season. See our guides on what a concrete contractor website should include and your concrete contractor Google Business Profile.
Step 4: Book spring estimates in winter
Most homeowners do not need a pour in January, but many are happy to get an estimate. Offer winter estimates for spring work. You can also offer a spring start-date list: customers who commit by a date go on the first-pour schedule. Say what you need to hold a spot, such as a signed quote or a deposit. Use whatever deposit rule fits your state and your contracts.
Step 5: Send a message to past customers
Text or email last year's customers: "Hi [name], we are booking spring concrete now. If you have a patio, walk or driveway in mind, send a photo and we will give you a number." Past customers are the cheapest leads you have.
Step 6: Ask for reviews
Winter is the right time to chase reviews, because you have time to do it. Message everyone from last season with a direct link. See how many Google reviews a concrete contractor needs.
Step 7: Set a fall cutoff
Decide the last date you will start a pour in the fall, based on your supplier and your crew. Put it on your site and in your messages: "We take fall pours until [date]." A cutoff creates urgency without a sales trick, and it protects your crew from bad late jobs.
What winter work can a concrete company sell?
Not every concrete job needs warm weather. These can fill the gap, depending on your skills and your area.
- Interior slabs and garage floors. Indoors, the cold matters less. Check the conditions with your supplier.
- Floor coatings and polishing, if you offer them.
- Repairs when the ground is thawed enough, such as steps and patches. See how to get more concrete repair jobs.
- Planning and design work, such as stamped patio layouts. See stamped concrete marketing ideas.
- Forms, rebar and prep for spring pours, where the site allows.
Do not take on a winter job outside your skill just to keep busy. A bad job in January shows up in your reviews in June.
How do you use Google Business Profile in the off season?
Your profile is your front door all year. Two features help.
Posts. Google Business Profile posts let you share updates, offers and events. In winter, post a spring booking note, a before and after photo from last season, or a short tip about when to pour. Use an offer post for "spring estimate slots," with dates.
Special hours. If you close for a stretch or change your hours, update your profile hours instead of leaving old ones up, so a homeowner is not told you are open when you are not.
If your crew pauses for weeks in winter, do not mark yourself closed if you still answer the phone and book estimates. A profile that says closed can cost you the calls you want.
How do you handle the spring rush?
Spring is when a lack of planning costs you. Calls come in faster than you can return them, and the first company to answer wins.
- Answer every call. If you are on a job, a missed-call text back catches the lead. See missed-call text back for concrete contractors.
- Quote within a day or two. A homeowner will take the first clear written number.
- Be honest about your start date. "We are booked into late May" is a fine answer. It tells the buyer that you are in demand.
- Do not take more than you can pour. A delayed job costs a review.
- Raise your price as the calendar fills. If you are booked six weeks out, that is a sign to adjust.
A waiting list is also a marketing asset. "Booking now for the first week of May" on your site tells buyers to act.
How should you plan around fall?
Fall is the second rush. Homeowners want the driveway done before the snow, and your window is closing.
Run your fall push in late summer. Post the cutoff date on your site and profile. Tell past customers and anyone who got a spring estimate and did not book: "We have a few fall pour slots left before [cutoff]." Do not squeeze in pours that the weather will not allow. The NRMCA source is clear that freezing in the first hours can wreck concrete, so a failed late-fall job is a risk to you.
For more on local search, read our guide to concrete contractor SEO. For a shop in a state with local licensing, keep your license on the site; see for example Minnesota's page. Minnesota requires a licensee to show its license number in advertising, including websites and internet ads (Minnesota Statutes 326B.87). Check your own state.
How does seasonal marketing link to your other marketing?
The seasonal plan sits on top of the basics: a clear site, a strong profile and steady reviews. If those are weak, a spring push will not fix them. Our guide on concrete contractor marketing gives the full list, and how to get concrete leads covers where leads come from.
If you want a site that is ready before pour season, you can see a free demo site.
Common questions
When should a concrete contractor start marketing for spring?
Start in winter, roughly two to three months before your first pour. Update your site, ask for reviews, message past customers and book estimates. The shops that wait for the thaw are the ones scrambling in May.
Can a concrete contractor work in winter?
Some do, with heated enclosures and blankets. The NRMCA says fresh concrete should be protected from freezing until it reaches about 500 psi, roughly two days after placement. Whether it pays for you depends on your costs and your supplier. Many shops use winter for estimates, repairs and prep work instead.
Should I mark my Google profile closed in winter?
Not unless you are truly closed for a long stretch. Google says to use special hours for closures of up to six days, and "Temporarily closed" for seven days or more. If you still answer calls and give estimates, keep the profile open.
How do I stop the feast and famine cycle?
Book spring work early, add work that does not depend on warm weather, and ask for deposits to hold dates. Track your estimates by month so you can see the pattern before it hurts.
Do I need different pages for each season?
No. Keep one set of service pages and update them. Add a short note on your booking calendar and your fall cutoff. Fresh dates and photos matter more than extra pages.
Sources
- NRMCA: CIP 27, Cold Weather Concreting (current)
- Minnesota Revisor of Statutes: Minnesota Statutes 326B.87 (current)
- Concrete Decor: Helping decorative concrete survive the winter
- NRMCA: CIP 12, Hot Weather Concreting
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