I learned concrete on new construction crews, pouring footings and slabs on empty lots where nothing was in the way. In 2013 I started A&M Azusa Concrete to work on homes people already live in, which means trees, sprinklers, neighbors and usually a dog that wants to help. Most of our calls come from homeowners in Azusa and the cities around it who want old concrete replaced without the whole yard torn up. We're best known for driveways, patios and walks that come out flat and shed water where they should, and you can see the rest of what we pour on our home page.
I care most about the parts you won't see later, because the ground and the joints decide how a slab holds up. Concrete doesn't care how nice the top looks if the subgrade, the dirt and gravel it sits on, was just raked level, so we dig it out and pack it before anything gets poured. Control joints, the straight lines cut across a slab, give it a planned place to crack, so if it cracks it usually does it there instead of across the middle. If a budget gets tight, I'd rather spend it on the base than the finish, since a nice surface on loose dirt just settles along with it.