Tarmac Companies – The Secret To Choosing The Right One

What Every Homeowner Should Know About Selecting A Tarmac Company

When thinking of constructing a new tarmac driveway or resurfacing an old one the last thing you are thinking about is tarmac repair. So you want to be sure you choose the right tarmac company. A company that will do it right the first time.

But how do you go about it especially as there are so many scams with many homeowners being conned by fly by night tarmac companies?

What you want to do is choose 3 or 4 contractors to get quotes from.

Here’s what to look for.

Reputation Of The Tarmac Driveway Company

You want a tarmac contractor who is reputable. Ideally your preferred contractor will be known within your community. And hopefully he will be resident there as well.

Do a bit of research and check out the following:

• Is the contractor listed in the phone book?
• Does he have fixed premises you can visit or does he move around?
• Has he been in business for long and is he well established? Does his truck have a business logo or address on the side? Or is it unmarked?
• Does this driveway contractor have completed jobs nearby you can inspect? Is he willing to give you references, both names and phone numbers you can call on as well as visit? It’s no good him giving you names and addresses of people living a couple of hundred miles away. You want to be able to hop in your car and go see his work.
• Ask for references. And make sure you call them. Don’t assume that because he gave you their names it must mean they will give him a great reference – always, always check. You will be amazed how often a potential contractor will try and bluff you.
• Is your potential driveway contractor insured just in case anything goes wrong?
• If your local authority requires him to be licensed check that he is.
• What sort of warranty or guarantee does your tarmac driveway contractor offer.

Once you have decided on a selection of three or four tarmac contractors to get quotes from you now need to make sure they are all quoting on the same thing. This is called the scope of works.

Tarmac Driveway Scope Of Works

This is simply a description, and measurement, of everything that needs to be done to take your driveway from where it is now to the finished tarmac driveway product.

If you are constructing a brand new driveway the scope of works will typically consist of:

• Removing any vegetation and topsoil.
• Excavating any unsuitable material like clay.
• After the unsuitable material has been removed consolidating the bottom of the excavation
• Installation of some form of edging along the sides of the driveway.
• Gravel layer of at least four inches thick compacted to an even surface finish.
• A prime coat of bitumen emulsion to provide a bond between the compacted gravel and the hot mix asphalt that will go on top.
• A minimum of a 1 inch thick layer of hot tarmac for the surface layer compacted to a smooth finish and is free draining.

The gravel layer and hot tarmac are the major parts of your tarmac driveway cost. So it is important to ensure all the potential contractors are quoting on the same thickness and area to be covered. You want to be able to compare apples with apples!

Once you have all the quotes in you then need to compare them and decide which one you will go with.

Tarmac Driveway Quote – Decision Time

When deciding which quote to go with there are several things you need to look at:

1. The Price. Check to see all the quotes are based on exactly the same scope of works. Obviously price is not everything; however, too low a price in comparison to the other quotes should raise a red flag. There may be a perfectly reasonable explanation but make sure you investigate any glaring differences.
2. Is the tarmac contractor offering any sort of guarantee – 6 months, 12 months or nothing? If there is a problem you want to know the contractor will be around to sort it out.
3. How long is the contractor planning on taking to complete the job? You don’t want some contractor taking a month to do a week’s worth of work. Compare the quotes. And investigate any major differences between them.
4. Payment Terms – check these carefully. Many tarmac paving contractors expect an advance payment. This should be secured with a suitable bond. In any case a reputable contractor should be able to construct a driveway without an advance payment. The decision rests with you. Just make sure you don’t the mistake of paying everything upfront.

Tarmac Driveway Paving Contract

When you have made your decision you need to enter in to a formal contract with the tarmac contractor of your choice. This protects both you and your contractor.

Ii is in your interest to make sure the contract includes:

• The start date and end date for the driveway construction or resurfacing.
• The quality of the finished product being the responsibility of the contractor.
• The thickness of the gravel layer to be provided as well as the area to be covered.
• The compacted thickness of the hot tarmac as well as the total area to be covered.
• The specification for the hot mix tarmac to be used.
• Responsibility for effective drainage being the responsibility of the contractor.
• The length of the warranty or guarantee period

And if you can

• Put in a clause that allows you to withhold 10% retention of the value of the work until the end of the guarantee period. This gives your contractor something to look forward to and a reason to respond to any of your concerns!

A Tarmac Driveway To Be Proud Of

There is no need to be confused by the number of different tarmac companies out there. Follow these guidelines and you should end up with a great driveway that will last you anything from 25 to 30 years. Tarmac repair will no longer be a major concern.

You will need to look after it however.