You may have seen it on the news, or read it in the financial reports, or even noticed it when you made a trip into the lumber store for that DIY project: The cost of construction materials in America are on the rise.
Unfortunately, this increase in the pricing index does not exclude the asphalt industry, which saw a jump of 9.2% between August of 2017 and August of 2018. The industry continues to acclimate and adapt to these changes by staying on top of technology, making the best use of recycled materials, and monitoring labor costs.
But, what can you, as a property owner, do to mitigate the rising costs on your end? Well, we’ll tell you.
Maintenance. Maintenance. Maintenance.
We know, we know. It’s the nagging mantra of car mechanics, HVAC technicians, and paving professionals everywhere. It’s the song we sing the loudest. The one that bears repeating again and again and again until you’re tired of hearing it and we’re plenty tired of saying it. You just cannot escape the reality that proper maintenance goes the farthest toward keeping your costs down when it comes to your paved surfaces.
Proper maintenance can mean the difference between your parking lot crumbling to pieces after only 10 years or staying beautiful for 25. It doesn’t take a professional mathematician to deduce that periodic maintenance will end up costing you much less than having to replace your asphalt or concrete surfaces twice as often.
If you’d like to know more about the pavement life cycle, we have a great article on our website with all the info, complete with bar charts and even a video. Check it out! https://www.blackdiamondpaving.com/resources/the-pavement-life-cycle/
Lecture over.
Use Your Resources Wisely
And by “resources,” we mean us. We know you’re busy managing all the ins and outs of your own job and may not wish to pick up an extra degree in paving. That’s fine with us. We are paving geeks—the type to eagerly pick up a trade magazine and read about the latest and greatest in our corner of the world. We have insider info that we call on continuously to benefit YOU and your bottom line.
Not only can we help you assess the needs of your property and the best options within your budget, we even help communicate the particulars of the job to your residents. We manage things seamlessly so you can spend your valuable time in all the other ways important to your business. Time is money, after all.
Consider Concrete
Asphalt is considerably cheaper than concrete when it comes to project install prices. However, there is a myriad of additional facets to consider, such as length of life, aesthetics, ability to resurface, and maintenance needs. Given that the price of concrete has not seen as steep of a rise in raw material costs, it may be worth considering.
Interested in the great asphalt vs. concrete debate? Well, wouldn’t you know…we’ve got an article on that, too. [Or we might, if it’s approved yet, Jeff…?]
Don’t Put Off the Inevitable
When you’re facing a big project or re-do of your surfaces it may be tempting to wait it out and put it off for another day, month, or year. Sadly, that’s akin to seeing that your kitchen sink is overflowing, turning around and walking out of the room, hoping it will fix itself. A deteriorating surface only gets worse as time goes on. The rising costs of asphalt materials gives you another checkmark in the DO IT NOW column. Experts predict, due to market trends and various tariffs, the costs are likely to continue to rise. Now may not only be the best time, it may also be the cheapest time to tackle those big projects.
At Black Diamond Paving & Concrete you can be sure we’ll keep an eye on the rising costs and continue to do what we do best. We take great pride in giving our customers the straight story about their options without ever overselling projects. That adds up to the best cost savings around, an honest assessment of your needs, and solutions that keep your budget in mind.
