Our driveways are a big part of our homes’ curb appeal whether we like that fact or not, and the truth of the matter is that most people simply don’t care about their driveways until they’re experiencing some serious issue they need repaired or replaced. There are countless ways in which your driveway and overall asphalt pavement can deteriorate over many years, so it’s important to remain vigilant in terms of maintenance and overall upkeep when it comes to the overall longevity of your driveway.
We are really lucky to have teamed up with an experienced Asphalt Contractor VA Beach to help us make this article including 5 considerations all homeowners need to think about when it comes to making these types of hiring decisions. The paving industry is going to be over-saturated no matter where you live, so by going through this type of list you’ll have a much better understanding as to what to look for to find the perfect paving company for you and your property!
- 1.Experience Says A LOT!
Experience is of course something that we all look for in all of our hiring and subcontracting decisions, and you’ll want your driveway to be laid out and surfaced by people who really know what they’re doing. The only way a company can gain this amount of industry knowledge is through years and years of performing these types of tasks on home construction/improvement projects.
You should also ensure that the company is experienced in the specific material you want to use for your driveway, which is something that a lot of homeowners don't realize. If you have a specific material in mind for your driveway, like cobblestone, brick or something a little more creative than asphalt, then you’re of course going to need the type of team who have been working with these materials for decades!
- 2.Communication Strengths
It’s always a lot better when you can work with a contractor that speaks clearly and let’s you in on everything you need to know in a coherent manner so you’re always on the same page and know what’s going to happen on a daily/weekly basis on your property.
You should always understand what they’re going to be doing and how long their process is going to take and why. This also means asking questions so you can better understand what’s going on, and a good paving company will always be willing to answer all your questions with good, understandable answers.
- 3.References
No asphalt or general paving job is the same, so it’s important to be able to talk to some of a paving company’s past clients in order to better understand what it’s like to work with them on a more objective level. When you do end up talking to some past clients and get this type of information, you’ll undoubtedly have more confidence in the paving company knowing they’ve left behind a trail of satisfied customers.
Paving driveways is always a really big investment because you’re going to want it to last for decades to come, so talk to some past clients that did a similar project to yours so you can understand more what to expect.
- 4.Quality of Asphalt Matters
A lot of homeowners don’t realize the many grades of asphalt that are out there on the market and the differences between the many types of asphalt, so it’s important to ask these types of questions to prospective paving companies in order to better know what type of asphalt they use.
High quality asphalt will last a lot longer than other types of asphalt, so for a driveway you are going to need a full-depth asphalt surface. This is something you’ll have to verify is available per paving company, but when it comes down to it this type of high quality asphalt is always what you’ll want with these investments.
- 5.Drainage Plans
If your driveway isn’t laid out properly it can lead to a whole mess of problems in terms of water management throughout your property, including water pooling up and even flowing towards your home.
All good paving companies know how to handle drainage, which is a major part of the entire layouts of these paving projects. You’re going to want to ask your paving company questions about their drainage plans on your property in order to better understand not only the layout of your property, but also how you can make a better investment decision.
