If you’re considering paving your driveway, parking lot, or other surfaces, asphalt is an excellent choice and comes with many benefits. Asphalt paving has a lot to offer both residential and commercial properties, but the key to any successful asphalt project is the asphalt contractor undertaking the work. A great asphalt contractor can create a long-lasting product that is durable, aesthetically pleasing, and built to stand the test of time; however, a lesser quality asphalt contractor has the potential to cause damage to the surrounding site or create a product that is weak and poorly installed.
It’s worthwhile, therefore, to make sure you select the best asphalt contractor for your project. If your pavement needs sealing, a crack repair, or a completely new surface, here are 10 questions to ask before hiring an asphalt contractor.
1. How long has your company been in business?
Understanding how much experience a company has can help you set relative expectations of their final products. If a company has less experience, it does not necessarily indicate that your project will be a failure, but asphalt contractors with extensive experience are likely to have gained a lot of knowledge that will be applied to your project, and it shows that they have had years and years of happy customers allowing them to grow their business. At Asphalt Doctors, we have over 30 years of experience serving Colorado.
2. Where in Colorado do you serve?
It’s important to ensure that prospective asphalt contractors serve the communities in which your project is located, otherwise, it could end up being a waste of time and money deliberating with them. Therefore, always ask about a contractor's service area before getting too deep into the process with them. For your reference, Asphalt Doctors serves Denver and the Front Range from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs. Give us a call if you want to know whether we can serve in your area.
3. What asphalt services do you provide?
There’s a lot that goes into asphalt paving, and your project may require one or several different services to achieve the desired result. Be sure to ask prospective asphalt contractors about what asphalt services they provide to understand the depth and breadth of products they can offer your project. Asphalt Doctors provides full-service asphalt products including asphalt overlay, crack sealing, seal coating, asphalt patching (surface, infrared, and full-depth), pothole repair, asphalt maintenance, asphalt paving, and more.
4. How long will my project take?
It’s important to gauge how long your project will take. For many, minimizing downtime for usable space is critical. Unfortunately, project timelines significantly depend on the type of work being performed. Once Asphalt Doctors has been awarded a project, we schedule the job and provide you with the scheduled date. If your project requires the asphalt portion to be done at a certain time, please indicate this to our estimators and we will do everything we possibly can to accommodate your schedule. Typically the late spring and early fall are our busiest times of the year, and providing an immediate turnaround is not always feasible, since we have other projects already on our schedule. However, small projects like infrared patching can be performed in as little as an hour.
5. Can you work in the winter?
If your project requires a specific type of asphalt service and it is currently the winter season, it’s wise to check whether it can be performed. Typically, sealcoat and overlays require the ground temperature to be above 45° F. Otherwise the asphalt or sealcoat does not cure properly and flaking can occur. At Asphalt Doctors, we can perform asphalt patching and crack filling all throughout the year.
6. What additional fees are not included in my bid?
When you get a bid from an asphalt contractor, be sure to evaluate what exactly is included in the quote and what isn’t. Some contractors may omit certain fees that will arise later in the process, so don’t hesitate to ask about the particulars. We typically do not include testing, permit fees, traffic control, surveys, utility adjustments, or bonds in our project bids. If these are required, please make sure to note this on your request for a bid.
7. Are you fully licensed and insured?
It’s also important to know whether asphalt contractors are fully licensed and insured before undertaking work for your project. If they are not, this could result in a serious liability issue should a worker get injured on the job. Asphalt Doctors is a fully licensed and insured asphalt contractor!
8. Do you have references or reviews from past customers?
Hearing from past clients and customers of a prospective asphalt contractor can give great insight into what to expect from their services. Check out Asphalt Doctors’ testimonials page to see why our clients love working with us.
9. Will you clean up after the project is completed?
Completing an asphalt project successfully with a beautiful end-product is one thing, but no one wants to be left with a busy clean-up job after the fact. Make sure you ask potential asphalt contractors about whether they will clean up after the project is completed - the team at Asphalt Doctors never leaves the site until any and all debris resulting from the process is removed and your satisfaction is assured.
10. What materials do you use?
Always inquire about the materials that an asphalt contractor intends to use for your project. Substandard asphalt mix, for example, will result in a lower price but will also mean that your surface is not durable and potentially unsafe. Materials will generally vary depending on the type of project and the service being provided, but Asphalt Doctors always meets or exceeds Colorado State Highway Specifications for our materials, and we will provide you with manufacturer certification upon request.
Direct Your Questions to Asphalt Doctors
At Asphalt Doctors, our team understands the scale and significant investment in an asphalt paving project. Naturally, this will come with certain questions, and we always strive to provide our clients with all the information they need so that they can keep peace of mind that their project is in the most capable hands. If you're planning an upcoming asphalt project or have more questions that we didn’t cover in this article, reach out to the expert asphalt contractor at Asphalt Doctors today!