Commercial paving questions

It depends on the project. Area, base condition, how much reconstruction is needed, drainage work, curb and island work, access, phasing and the time of year all change the number. A site visit and a written scope come before any figure is discussed.

Because two lots of the same size can need very different work. One may need an overlay over a sound base and the other a reconstruction of a saturated one. A figure given without seeing the lot would be a guess presented as a price.

As early in the year as the scope can be decided. Paving and sealcoating sit inside the warmer months and the workable weeks fill up. A lot assessed in spring has a good chance of being paved that season; a lot assessed in midsummer often waits.

It depends on the project. The scope is the same in June as in September, but scheduling, phasing and how much work has to be compressed into a short window all affect how a job is planned. The honest answer is that the scope decides the cost, and the calendar decides the schedule.

In the warmer months, when hot mix can be produced, delivered, placed and rolled inside a workable temperature range and the base is dry. The shoulder weeks depend on the weather and on plant operations, and work is scheduled inside that window rather than at its edge.

No. Placing asphalt over a saturated base traps water underneath it, and that water works its way back up through the surface. If the base is wet, the work waits. That is a technical limit, not a scheduling preference.

It depends on the lift thickness, the air temperature and the wind, so it is judged on site. Vehicles and plow equipment stay off the mat until it has cooled, because turning wheels on a soft surface mark it permanently.

It opens every crack and joint a little wider each cycle, and it lifts edges that a plow blade can then catch. Water is the mechanism, so drainage that works and a surface that sheds water are what limit the damage.

It depends on the base. Sound base with surface level wear points to an overlay. Alligator cracking through wheel paths, settled areas that hold water, or repeated failures in the same place point to the base, and reconstruction of that area is the honest answer.

An overlay does not fix a failing base or a lot that drains to the wrong place. The new surface inherits the shape underneath, so the puddle returns in the same spot unless the low point is corrected while the surface is open.

Yes. A new layer raises the surface, so basin frames, covers and aprons have to be brought up to the new elevation. A basin left low becomes the low point of the finished lot.

Yes. Large fields are often scoped by condition: repair the worst rows first, overlay the middle areas next, and leave the sound rows with crack sealing and fresh lines. That spreads the cost and keeps the property usable.

Because the water that caused it is still arriving there. A patch placed without correcting the low spot or the drainage will fail again. The repair that lasts deals with the grade around it as well as the hole.

It depends on the lot. Sealcoat protects asphalt that is sound and intact. On a lot with alligator cracking, soft spots or areas breaking up, the money is better spent on repair or an overlay, and we will say which situation the lot is in.

It keeps water out of the crack, which interrupts the freeze-thaw cycle that widens it. It is maintenance rather than repair: it does not restore structure, but it slows how fast a sound surface deteriorates.

Once a year is a reasonable habit, ideally in late winter or early spring when standing water, heaving and edge breaks are easiest to see. A short walk each year is how a small repair list stays small.

After the mat has cooled and the surface is ready to take paint. Painting a surface that is still bleeding or holding surface oil wastes the paint and the layout, so the timing is set on site.

Yes, and it is often worth reviewing. Stall width, drive lane width and the position of accessible stalls can be adjusted, and a layout that no longer suits the tenants can be corrected at the marking stage before any paint is applied.

Because getting water to the basin is a grade problem. If the surface has settled or been patched, the fall may no longer lead to the low point. Resetting the basin and restoring the fall is what fixes it.

No. Our work is on the property side: the basin, its frame and cover, the concrete apron, the lead within the lot and the pavement around it. Anything beyond the property line is the municipality's responsibility.