For the most part, the asphalt paving contractors who operate in Fairfax, Loudon, and Prince William Counties are legitimate business enterprises. But in asphalt paving, like other home improvement businesses, there are unscrupulous contractors who take advantage of a homeowner’s lack of knowledge to squeeze more profit out of a project. The net result is a subpar job that doesn’t deliver what the homeowner bought, or thought they were buying.
Having been in the asphalt paving business in Northern Virginia for over 30 years, Standard Paving has seen all the scams. In fact, many of our customers come to us to correct or redo paving projects because they were victims of scams or unprofessional paving installations. It doesn’t matter where you live in Northern Virginia, McLean, Fairfax, Haymarket, or even our hometown of Manassas, scammers are at work.
So, to help educate homeowners, we are starting a series on common scams to look out for in an asphalt driveway project, repaving, or sealcoating job.
The Number 1 Asphalt Driveway Scam
The most common scam is not a crime. Technically, it’s not even a misrepresentation. This scam relies on the reasonable expectations of the homeowner and their lack of knowledge of the paving process. When the homeowner asks how thick the driveway will be and the contractor responds with “we’ll use 3 inches of asphalt,” the homeowner expects his drive will be 3 inches deep. It won’t be. It will be something significantly less even though the contractor will use the equivalent of 3 inches of asphalt.
When you order a glass of tea in a restaurant, and they bring you a glass that is half full, technically you got just what your ordered, a glass with some tea in it. It’s not what you expected, but it is what you ordered. The biggest asphalt driveway scam works pretty much the same way.
When asphalt is installed it goes from a dump truck into a self-leveling paver and then applied to the subbase. Once the paver has finished its job, a roller goes over the drive compacting the asphalt. Modern rollers not only provide the weight but also vibrate to ensure total compaction. To achieve a three inch thickness on the drive, you need to use more than 3 inches of asphalt because of the compaction.
The scammer will use his promised 3 inches and the end product will be a driveway that is 2 to 2 ¼ inches thick. Because he’s not using the amount of material that a professional would use, he can either take the much bigger profit margin, or charge a bargain basement price in order to get the job.
Always insist that your contract specify thickness “after compaction.”
If you have questions or are thinking about an asphalt project for your own home, contact us now and let’s chat.
