Crack Seal and Sealcoat in Oceanside, CA
Property: Vista Hidden Meadows, Oceanside, California
Project: Crack seal and sealcoat
Dates: June 2017
Many of the projects we undertake here at Black Diamond Paving & Concrete are with clients we’ve known and worked with for years. We’re proud of our ability to foster relationships that stand the test of time! But it’s equally exciting when we get the chance to show off our stuff with new clients—to demonstrate our unique and comprehensive way of solving their pavement and concrete issues.
Our recent crack seal and sealcoat project at the Vista Hidden Meadows HOA in Oceanside, California was no exception. When Black Diamond Senior Project Consultant Alex Sarandinaki reconnected with Property Manager Jill Thalen at this year’s CACM show, he was able to chat with her more in depth about how different our process is from other vendors. Jill appreciated hearing about the additional value our team brings to the table and gave us a chance to show her, in person, exactly what we can do.
Alex headed to Vista Hidden Meadows to walk the property. He wanted to gauge the pavement’s age and its stage within the pavement lifecycle, and to get a sense for how it had been maintained in the past. We feel it’s important to understand when and how often the community has historically performed asphalt maintenance work—too seldom, and the pavement can fall into disrepair and develop major underlying issues. Too frequently, and the HOA could be pouring money down the drain on superficial fixes to a more comprehensive problem.
In the case of Vista Hidden Meadows, the property was in rather good condition for its age. After walking the property and consulting with Jill about the Board’s expectations, we found that, at this stage, they just needed to keep up with their surface treatment. We proposed a red curb sand blast at the main entrance, a crack seal, and a two coat application of sealcoat.
For this project, logistics was important. The property has a fire gate, which is used as a temporary egress and ingress for the residents. We could have easily performed the work in two days, but given the layout of the community, the impact would have been a tremendous burden on the residents.
It was evident that, in years past, previous contractors had gotten around this by splitting the roads down the middle and sealing one half at a time. This isn’t always best practice—not only does it present a safety hazard while the crews are working, but the center of the road essentially gets four coats of seal. Over time, this causes the aesthetics of the pavement to decrease, as both sides of the road do not wear consistently.
Instead, we provided the Board with a three day option and a site plan depicting how we would perform the project. We detailed how we would make the whole process as painless as possible for them and the residents. As with every project we undertake, we posted several notices before work began and ensured all the residents knew what was to occur and how it would impact them. Jill was impressed with this aspect of the project and stated, “it was awesome. There was no impact at all and it ran very smoothly.”
On a scale of 1 to 10, Jill gave us a “10 you rock!” and said she would definitely work with us again. We’re thrilled to hear it, because we’d love to work with her again, as well!
