Spring is here! Asphalt plants are opening up and we want to help you to make an informed decision on hiring asphalt contractors to pave your asphalt driveway or parking lot. We understand that pavement is a big investment and want to provide you with some helpful hiring tips that you can ask the paving companies you are soliciting to serve you.

Helpful Tips When Hiring Asphalt Contractors:

Get References

When you speak to the paving company and are getting information about their services and quotes for your job, we recommend that you ask for a list of references. Being able to hear firsthand from a client of theirs can be very insightful.

Ask Questions

Ask a lot of questions. Your phone call and/or in person consultation will likely have a lot of industry terminology. The right asphalt contractor will help you to better understand each of the steps that they take throughout the process. We suggest asking for clarification if feeling unsure about any part of the process. For example, ask about how drainage will be taken care of, how will site grading take place, what is their compaction of the sub-grade and base method, and what is the thickness of the pavement etc. This will give you a sense of their level of professionalism in how they explain each of these components.

Read Reviews About the Asphalt Companies

Take a look around on Google to see what reviews say for the paving companies you are researching. Many times you will find a variety of comments that may be helpful in getting a sense of the type of service and professionalism the company has. By reading them you are getting insight through firsthand accounts of customers that were either completely satisfied or not. Use your best judgement while reading them, as occasionally you will find disgruntle people that may have left a good company poor feedback. Another tip is search paving companies near me to get additional insight on how they compare to each other.

Research the Process Yourself

While we want to be believe that we can trust the professionals, in today’s world where we have access to learning about endless things on the internet, it’s a good idea to cross check your consultation. Here are a few additional questions you can research further when researching asphalt companies:

• What do the estimates entail?
• Which additional professionals are necessary for the project and how does that tie together with the paving company’s part?
• Does the company offer paving plans for your parking lot layout?

Call A Reference

Make a list ahead of time of questions that will be helpful to get answers to from a customer’s perspective. Preparing a list of questions ahead of time to ask the asphalt contractors’ customers can be useful. Here are some starter questions you can use:

• Did the proposal match up to the job expectation?
• Are they trustworthy?
• Can you provide us with your total job cost?
• Did the workers have a good work ethic?
• Overall, how would you rate their service and finished project?
• How was their communication?
• Did they adhere to a schedule?

Visit the Site of a Finished Project

When talking to the referrals, ask them if it is possible to visit their premise to see the job in person. You can then see firsthand how well the job was completed. Another good question to ask is when the job was done, so that you can see how well it has endured.

Do the Asphalt Contractors Have Liability Insurance?

Ask for proof of liability insurance. Do not settle for the “yes, we do”, have them share with you a copy of their policy. The last thing you want is a mishap to occur to then find out that the company you went with does not have liability insurance. There should be no reason that a company will deny you a copy, if they do, that is a red flag!

Before Signing

We have just a few more questions for you to answer this time before you decide which asphalt contractor wins the bid.

• Did they explain industry terms well, are they comfortable with you asking questions and collecting details?
• Which company wins based on the results to these interview questions?
• What is the overall cost of the project and is there a payment schedule they offer?
• How long will the job take to complete?
• Do they have a guarantee and if so, what are the parameters to it?
• Is there a need to work with other professionals on this project and if so who is responsible? (i.e. electricians)

Ultimately, is this someone you want to do business with? When hiring EastCoat Pavement Services for your parking lot project, you can feel confident in our years of experience. We are happy to serve our CT companies. As asphalt contractors, we are beginning to prepare for our paving season, you should too! Contact EastCoat Pavement today to begin preparing your lot this spring!