If you’ve gotten a quote for a concrete driveway, patio, or parking pad in the last year and found yourself hesitating — waiting for prices to come down, waiting for a better time, waiting until fall — this post is worth reading before you make that decision.
The construction cost environment in 2025 and into 2026 has been unlike anything the industry has seen since the pandemic-era spike. Material prices are up. Labor costs are up. Contractor schedules are filling faster than they were two years ago. And the data strongly suggests that waiting for relief is not a strategy — it’s a gamble that is more likely to cost you money than save it.
Here’s what’s actually happening, why it matters for a concrete project in Anne Arundel County, and what the timing picture looks like for homeowners who are still on the fence.
What Has Happened to Construction Costs Since 2024
The clearest way to understand the current cost environment is to look at what’s driven it — and the main driver has been tariffs on imported construction materials.
Construction material prices rose 6.2% across 2025 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index — the largest single-year increase since the pandemic-related price spike in 2021. Much of the increase can be attributed to tariffs levied on important trading partners, especially those targeted at steel, aluminum, and copper, with the PPI for aluminum mill shapes increasing by more than 30% and steel bars, plates, and structural shapes rising by 12.1%. Constructconnect
Those numbers sound like they apply to large commercial projects. They trickle down to residential concrete work too — through the cost of rebar and reinforcement wire mesh used in every driveway and parking pad pour, through the cost of equipment and fuel used to deliver and place ready-mix concrete, and through the broader cost pressure that runs through every subcontractor and supplier in the chain.
Concrete costs have risen 3 to 7% from 2025 levels, and the forces pushing prices higher aren’t going away anytime soon. For a homeowner who got a quote in early 2024 and is comparing it to a quote today, the difference is real and measurable. CostFlowAI
The Tariff Picture in 2026
Trade policy is the most important variable in construction material costs right now, and it’s worth understanding clearly rather than vaguely.
Current tariff rates as of early 2026 are estimated to result in an increase to construction materials costs of approximately 6% relative to a 2024 baseline, with total project costs estimated to rise around 3%. When tariff rates were at their peak in summer 2025, materials cost relative to 2024 was estimated to increase by 9%, so recent developments are encouraging but do not mitigate cost risk completely. Cushman & Wakefield
As of April 2026, steel, aluminum, and copper items carry a 50% tariff. Derivatives of those metals sit at 25%. A global 10% baseline tariff is also in effect through July 2026. Tax Credit Advisor
What this means practically for a concrete project: the reinforcement materials, equipment components, and supply chain inputs that go into every pour are operating in a tariff environment that has fundamentally repriced the cost of construction. The central issue for the industry is no longer whether costs will rise, but how unevenly and unpredictably those increases will appear across markets, trades, and material categories. Volatility is no longer an anomaly — it is the baseline. Tax Credit Advisor
The Labor Problem Is Separate and Compounding
Material costs are one side of the equation. Labor costs are the other — and the labor picture in construction is structurally difficult in ways that won’t resolve quickly.
Labor remains the industry’s most acute structural challenge. Approximately 439,000 additional workers were needed in 2025, with nearly 500,000 required in 2026 to meet projected demand. About 94% of contractors report difficulty filling open positions, contributing to schedule risk and continued wage escalation. Nearly 40% of skilled construction workers are over age 45, accelerating retirement risk and institutional knowledge loss. Tax Credit Advisor
Many contractors report labor expenses up 4 to 5% year-over-year, reflecting sustained demand for qualified tradespeople. In concrete specifically — a skilled trade that requires experienced finishers, particularly for decorative and stamped work — finding and retaining quality crews is an ongoing constraint that puts upward pressure on labor rates. Baldwincpas
The labor shortage also has a scheduling dimension. Workforce shortages are contributing to delays and wage inflation, especially in skilled trades, with project schedules being extended to allow additional time for sourcing both labor and material deliveries. For homeowners planning outdoor concrete projects, this translates to longer waits to get on a contractor’s calendar — particularly heading into summer, when demand peaks. KSK Construction Group
What This Means for a Concrete Quote You Already Have
If you received a quote from Maryland Curbscape — or any reputable concrete contractor in Anne Arundel County — within the last few months and haven’t yet committed, here’s the reality of that quote’s shelf life.
Concrete contractor quotes are typically valid for 30 to 60 days. They’re priced based on current material costs, current labor rates, and current schedule availability. When those inputs change — and in the current environment, they are changing — quotes get revised at renewal.
Construction costs have risen steadily by 34% since December 2020. Rising costs by themselves are only part of the problem — volatility impacts project financing and cost modeling between the quote phase and completion. For Construction Pros
For a homeowner considering a $5,000 to $15,000 concrete project, a 5 to 8% cost increase between quote and construction represents $250 to $1,200 in additional spending — for the same scope of work, the same design, the same outcome. That’s not a trivial number. And it compounds: a project deferred from spring 2026 to fall 2026, and then again to spring 2027, may carry a materially higher price tag at each point of reconsideration.
The Scheduling Reality in Anne Arundel County
Beyond material and labor costs, there’s a practical scheduling reality that affects homeowners who wait.
Spring and early summer are peak season for concrete work in Anne Arundel County. The weather is cooperative, the ground is stable, and every homeowner who wants outdoor improvements finished before summer is calling at the same time. Contractors with strong reputations fill their calendars from the front — May projects go to the homeowners who called in April. June projects go to the homeowners who called in May.
Homeowners who wait until June to book often find themselves looking at August installation dates. Homeowners who wait until August frequently find that quality contractors are booked through October. The project that could have been installed in time for summer entertaining gets pushed to fall — or, when the fall schedule fills, to the following spring.
At that point, the homeowner has waited a full year, paid higher material costs, and spent another summer looking at what they wanted to change.
The Case for Acting on a Quote in Hand
We’re not suggesting that every homeowner needs to make rushed decisions. Concrete is a permanent investment and it should be thought through. But if you’ve already done that thinking — if you’ve gotten a quote, you know what you want, and you’re waiting for some unnamed better moment — the data doesn’t support waiting.
If you’re on the fence about timing a concrete project, current pricing is elevated but not spiking. The risk of waiting is a potential second-half price increase if demand rebounds. The risk of moving now is paying the current tariff premium — which is already embedded in current quotes. CostFlowAI
In other words, the current quote you have already reflects the tariff environment. A quote in six months may reflect a higher tariff environment, higher labor costs, and a tighter scheduling window. There is no known mechanism by which residential concrete costs in Maryland are likely to be meaningfully lower in fall 2026 than they are today.
The factors driving current costs — tariff policy, labor shortages, skilled workforce demographics — are structural, not temporary. Longer-term tariff impacts are expected to range from 5 to 25% depending on material type, with aggregate construction costs estimated to rise roughly 8% under current policy conditions. Tax Credit Advisor
What Smart Homeowners Are Doing Right Now
The homeowners across Cape St. Claire, Severna Park, Arnold, and Annapolis who are managing this environment well are doing a few things:
Booking sooner rather than later. Getting on a contractor’s schedule in May or June secures a summer installation date and locks in current pricing before the next round of material adjustments.
Combining projects where possible. If you’re considering a driveway replacement and a parking pad, doing both in one mobilization is more cost-efficient than scheduling them separately — the fixed costs of bringing equipment and crew to the site get shared across more square footage.
Not waiting for costs to normalize. The expectation that construction material costs will return to 2022 or 2023 levels is not supported by any current industry data. Construction costs will keep rising in 2026, but at a slower pace than in recent years — labor remains the key pressure point, with skilled labor shortages and wage growth continuing to push overall costs higher. Stability is the most optimistic realistic outcome. Significant reduction is not on the table. Urban Land Magazine
A Direct Note to Homeowners Sitting on a Quote
If you’ve received a quote from Maryland Curbscape and haven’t yet committed, we want to be straightforward with you: the quote reflects current material costs, and those costs are not expected to decrease. Our schedule is filling for summer.
We’re not in the business of manufacturing urgency that isn’t real. The cost data from 2025 and early 2026 is real, the labor market pressures are real, and the scheduling dynamics in Anne Arundel County in May and June are real. Homeowners who act on good quotes in hand generally pay less and get better installation dates than homeowners who wait for a better moment that doesn’t come.
If you have questions about your quote, want to revisit the scope, or are ready to move forward, call us.
Ready to Lock In Your Project?
📞 Call us: 443-623-2068
🌐 Request a free estimate: marylandcurbscape.com/contact
Maryland Curbscape serves Annapolis, Cape St. Claire, Severna Park, Arnold, and surrounding Anne Arundel County communities. Free estimates, no obligation. Summer dates are filling now.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index, ConstructConnect, Cushman & Wakefield, Engineering News-Record, Construction Dive, Associated Builders and Contractors, JLL, CostFlowAI, Tax Credit Advisor 2026 Construction Cost Outlook.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are concrete prices actually higher right now, or is this just contractor spin?
The data is real and well-documented. Construction material prices rose 6.2% across 2025 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index — the largest single-year increase since the pandemic-related price spike in 2021. Concrete costs specifically have risen 3 to 7% from 2025 levels. These aren’t projections or estimates from contractors trying to close deals — they’re published federal and industry data. The increases are real, they’re documented, and they’re driven by tariff policy and labor market dynamics that haven’t reversed. ConstructconnectCostFlowAI
Why do tariffs on steel and aluminum affect a concrete driveway?
Concrete itself isn’t directly tariffed, but concrete projects require reinforcement materials — rebar and wire mesh — that are steel products subject to significant tariffs. The PPI for steel bars, plates, and structural shapes increased 12.1% in 2025, while aluminum mill shapes saw a 30.5% rise. Beyond reinforcement, every piece of equipment used to deliver, place, and finish concrete — trucks, mixers, finishing tools — incorporates steel and aluminum components whose costs have risen. Fuel, transportation, and supplier operating costs all run through the same tariff-affected supply chain. By the time ready-mix concrete is delivered to a residential jobsite in Annapolis, the tariff impact is embedded in the price even if the concrete itself isn’t a directly tariffed import. Constructconnect
Could concrete prices come down later in 2026 or in 2027?
Possibly, but the conditions for a meaningful price decrease aren’t in place. Tariffs are expected to remain near current levels throughout 2026, absent extraordinary policy changes, and the defining feature of the 2026 construction cost environment is unevenness — volatility is no longer an anomaly, it is the baseline. Construction costs will keep rising in 2026, with labor remaining the key pressure point as skilled labor shortages and wage growth continue to push overall costs higher. The most optimistic realistic outcome for homeowners waiting is price stability — not reduction. A meaningful return to 2022 or 2023 pricing levels is not supported by any current industry forecast. Tax Credit AdvisorUrban Land Magazine
How much more would I actually pay if I wait until fall or next spring?
The honest answer is that no one can give you a precise number because material costs are volatile. What the data does show is the directional risk. Current tariff rates are estimated to result in an increase to construction materials costs of approximately 6% relative to a 2024 baseline, with total project costs estimated to rise around 3%. Longer-term tariff impacts are expected to range from 5 to 25% depending on material type, with aggregate construction costs estimated to rise roughly 8% under current policy conditions. For a $10,000 concrete project, an 8% cost increase represents $800 in additional spending — for the exact same scope of work. Over two deferred seasons, that compounds further. The risk of waiting is real and quantifiable; the benefit of waiting is speculative. Cushman & WakefieldTax Credit Advisor
Is the labor shortage really affecting residential concrete projects, or is that a commercial construction issue?
It affects both, and the residential impact is direct. About 94% of contractors report difficulty filling open positions, contributing to schedule risk, selective bidding, and continued wage escalation. Nearly 40% of skilled construction workers are over age 45, accelerating retirement risk. For decorative and stamped concrete specifically — which requires experienced finishers who understand color, pattern, and timing — the skilled labor pool is genuinely constrained. This affects both price and availability. Contractors who maintain quality crews have less flexibility to add new clients on short notice during peak season, which is why scheduling in advance produces meaningfully better installation dates than calling in June hoping for a July pour. Tax Credit Advisor
My quote is from a few months ago. Is it still valid?
You should confirm directly with us, but concrete contractor quotes are typically valid for 30 to 60 days because material costs can shift within that window. Rising costs by themselves are only part of the problem — volatility impacts project financing and cost modeling between the quote phase and completion. If your quote is older than 60 days, it’s worth a quick call to confirm current pricing before you commit to a scope of work based on a number that may no longer reflect current material costs. In most cases we can reconfirm or update a quote quickly — and if pricing has moved, we’ll tell you honestly by how much and why. For Construction Pros
We were thinking about waiting until fall to avoid the summer heat during installation. Does that make sense?
Concrete installation timing is primarily driven by temperature and precipitation, not summer heat avoidance. Summer is actually one of the best seasons for concrete pours in Maryland — stable temperatures, no freeze risk, and predictable curing conditions. The concern about summer heat is more relevant in extreme heat climates like Arizona or Texas. In Annapolis, summer temperatures create good curing conditions with proper technique. The practical risk of waiting until fall is schedule compression — fall is also a busy season for exterior concrete work, and by September the best contractors are often booked from work that was committed in spring and summer. You’re not gaining a scheduling or quality advantage by waiting for fall; you’re primarily adding cost risk and reducing your date options.
Is it true that combining projects saves money in this environment?
Yes, and the savings are meaningful. Every concrete project carries fixed mobilization costs — bringing equipment, concrete trucks, and crew to the site. Those fixed costs are the same whether you pour 200 square feet or 600 square feet. When you combine a driveway replacement and a parking pad into one project, or a patio and walkway into one visit, those fixed costs get spread across more square footage — reducing the effective cost per square foot for both projects. In a rising-cost environment where mobilization costs have also increased, the efficiency gain from combining work is larger than it would have been two or three years ago. If you’re considering multiple concrete improvements, discussing them together during the estimate visit almost always produces a better total price than scheduling them separately.
We got competing quotes and one was significantly lower. Should we go with that?
Not without understanding why it’s lower. Nonresidential construction input prices surged at a 12.6% annualized rate during the first two months of 2026 — the fastest pace since the supply chain disruptions of early 2022. In this environment, a quote that’s significantly below market is almost always reflecting a tradeoff — thinner concrete, lighter reinforcement, less thorough base preparation, or a crew that cuts corners on curing and sealing. For a driveway or patio that’s meant to last 20 to 30 years in Maryland’s freeze-thaw climate, the cheapest installation is rarely the best value. Ask specifically what concrete thickness is specified, what reinforcement is included, how the base is prepared, and what sealer is applied. Those details explain price differences more reliably than negotiating skill. Tax Credit Advisor
What if trade policy changes and tariffs are reduced — won’t that bring prices down?
Possibly, over time, but the timing is uncertain and the impact on residential concrete would lag significantly. Trade policy changes take months to flow through supply chains — suppliers don’t immediately lower prices when tariffs ease, particularly when they’ve already absorbed inventory at higher costs. While policy remains in flux, further cost pressures are expected in the months ahead regardless of tariff direction, as some but not all tariff-related cost increases have already impacted the construction market. Waiting for tariff relief to produce lower concrete quotes in Annapolis in the next six months is not a strategy that’s supported by how supply chains actually work. The tariff premium is already embedded in current pricing; any reversal would take quarters, not weeks, to produce meaningful change at the residential project level. Cushman & Wakefield
We already have a quote and we’re ready to move forward. What’s the next step?
Call us at 443-623-2068 or submit your information at marylandcurbscape.com/contact and we’ll confirm your quote, schedule your installation date, and walk you through what to expect from there. Summer dates are filling now — the sooner you confirm, the better the installation window we can offer.
📞 443-623-2068 🌐 marylandcurbscape.com/contact
Maryland Curbscape serves Annapolis, Cape St. Claire, Severna Park, Arnold, and surrounding Anne Arundel County communities.