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NVM Paving & Concrete, Inc.

Northern Virginia Paving Company

Commercial Property Parking Lots

Why Property Managers Should Hire a Snow Removal Company

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Any property manager would do well to invest in a snow removal company during winter. When too much snow builds up directly outside the business or in the parking lot, people will have trouble entering your business. It will be incredibly unsafe, and you may be liable for any injuries or damage. Luckily, there are plenty of options in your area to ensure all your customers and clients remain safe.

It Will Improve Your Property

 A build-up of snow can significantly damage your property. The landscaping will certainly take a hit, and you will probably need to invest heavily once spring comes around to make grass and flowers grow. Snow can also damage the building’s exterior and damage the parking lot’s asphalt. If you try to remove the snow yourself, it is possible you will do more harm than good by scraping at the asphalt. The professionals know how to be cautious, so you can expect the snow to be gone without any negative side effects.

Professionals Have the Proper Tools

 You may think you can save money by removing snow on your own. However, you will quickly learn you need a lot of different tools to adequately remove snow. In many cases, a simple snow shovel will not be enough. A professional snow removal company already has all the tools necessary to make your property picture-perfect once again.

They Will Finish the Job Promptly

You already have so much to do for your business and property. Removing snow is another hassle, and you will need to arrive at the property well before it opens to clear the snow. When you hire professionals, you ensure the job gets completed before the doors have to open. This allows you to sleep in a little longer with peace of mind.

NVM Paving & Concrete offers efficient snow removal so that you have one less thing on your plate. Call us today at 301-355-2079 if you are tired of having too much snow around your property.

Pavement Maintenance Planning for Property Managers

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Installing a paved surface requires a pretty hefty investment — of money and time. The process involves planning, excavation, several steps of laying pavement, curing, sealcoating, striping, and more, resulting in a product any property manager would be proud to show off to one-time and recurring visitors alike.

property pavement maintenance

It makes sense that property managers would want to protect that investment, then, especially since paved surfaces are the face of the properties they manage. Visitors form basic opinions of businesses based on how parking lots and walkway function, after all. That makes regular asphalt pavement maintenance an absolute must.

Why Pavement Maintenance Planning is Crucial

Potholes, cracks, ice, difficult traffic patterns, improper lining, and other problems create negative vibes, meaning avoiding them wherever possible is a sure way to keep tenants, employees, visitors, and clients coming back to your business park.

In addition to aesthetics, there are safety components to consider:

  • Potholes and cracks are tripping or tire hazards, and they only get bigger and worse the longer they go unrepaired.
  • Improper parking lot lining creates dangerous walkways or bad traffic flows, resulting in unsafe pedestrian traffic and possible traffic accidents.
  • A lack of appropriate signage could create ADA-compliance and safety issues for disabled drivers or visitors.
  • Snow and ice removal are imperative if you want to keep your parking lots and paved walkways safe for both on-foot and driving travelers. This is also a must to protect your pavement from erosion and other damage.

Ensuring your property’s paved surfaces are properly maintained is crucial to keeping them safe, easy-to-traverse, compliant with state and national accessibility laws, and functioning at its best. Setting up regular, routine maintenance services means you never have to worry about those paved surfaces again.

property managers pavement maintenance

Planning for Routine Paving Maintenance

The great thing about paving maintenance is that it can be set up to be out of sight, out of mind. A good paving partner will have all the resources to keep your property’s driveways, parking lots, and paved walkways looking like-new for as long as possible — and all on an agreed-upon schedule without you needing to micromanage the process.

More importantly, all those paved surfaces will be safe for visitors as they walk and drive, and adhere to governmental accessibility regulations, too.

Here’s how a routine paving maintenance plan positively impacts your property:

  • Potholes and cracks are repaired as soon as they appear, mitigating safety risks and keeping your paved surfaces looking sharp.
  • Proper parking lot lining creates safe parking spaces, walkways, and traffic flows, minimizing possible accidents and ensuring patron safety.
  • Appropriate signage guarantees ADA compliance and safety for disabled drivers or visitors.
  • Snow and ice removal offerings help avoid erosion and other environmental damage.
  • Regular sealcoating keeps your property’s paved surfaces strong and protected against everyday wear and tear and environmental elements.
  • Pavement investments last as long as possible.
property pavement maintenance planning

Call with Questions and Concerns

If you have questions or concerns about how a pavement maintenance program would serve your property, call NVM Paving & Concrete. Our team of experts would be happy to walk you through our services, the processes involved, and risks and rewards to make certain you’re getting everything you need to protect your property.

Drainage Catch Basins and Their Impacts on Parking Lot Pavements

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Everyone knows that water and paved roadways, parking lots, or other drive or walkways aren’t meant to go together. Modern paved surfaces are created with slopes and drains, helping to collect water, shuttle it away from travel zones, and drain it into storm drains — also called “catch basins” — through large grates. This keeps pavements clear of water-related obstructions and their appearances in tip-top shape.

Catch basin drain

If you’ve ever wondered what catch basins are, how they work, and how they impact parking lot pavements, you’re in luck. Read on for a quick guide to catch basins’ role and importance in preserving and maintaining your paved surfaces.

Commercial parking lot drainage

What Is a Catch Basin?

A catch basin or storm drain can typically be found along a road or parking lot curb to help redirect water and control runoff from heavy rains. The basins often empty into your city’s drainage system, keeping water from pooling on asphalt pavements and avoiding potentially hazardous conditions.

Some of the pitfalls of improper drainage include:

  • Flooding during heavy rains or snow melt
  • Ice buildup during cold months
  • Unsafe walking or driving conditions
  • Cracking or potholing
  • Other signs and symptoms of erosion

Catch basins are planned and built into the framework of new paved surfaces, including sloping to direct the water flow toward drains and proper underground drainage to move liquids away from the pavement. They can also be built into curbs, or created alongside paved surfaces and covered with grates to ensure pedestrian and vehicle safety. No one wants to fall into a big, concrete hole filled with water, after all.

Your expert paving partner should determine the type of catch basin used in your business’ paved surfaces. The most important thing is that proper drainage is installed and that it continues to work at its best to keep your paved surfaces safe. That’s where proper maintenance comes in.

What Happens When Your Catch Basin Requires Repairs?

Catch basins that are not working properly showcase that inefficiency in several ways, including visible standing water and ice buildups. Several culprits could be behind this improper functioning, including factors as simple as dead leaves or other debris clogging the drain.

It’s imperative that you call your trusted paving partner the moment you notice a catch basin is not working at its best. As with most things, catching warning signs early ensures that you can fix relatively small problems before they become massive issues, thereby reducing the need for extensive — and expensive — future repairs.

Have your paving team regularly come out and inspect your catch basins to ensure optimal function when you need it most. This will help your company avoid parking lot flooding during the first spring rains or ice buildup when the snows start to fall, for example. It will also ensure that your firm provides a safe, walkable, and drivable surface for all its employees and customers.

Drainage Catch basin repair

Call an Expert Paver to Answer Your Drainage Catch Basin Questions

If you are interested in learning more about catch basins and how they can create a positive impact on your parking lot or other paved surfaces, give your local paving expert a call. NVM Paving & Concrete is happy to answer your questions, come scope out your project, and provide a free, no-obligation quote.

Why Your Business Needs a Wheelchair Ramp

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Although modern commercial and industrial construction projects often are required to include handicap accessibility ramps, some older buildings may not have them installed. If you own a facility which does not currently have a ramp, you’d be well served to get one as soon as possible. Adding a ramp makes your building more accessible, which makes it more profitable.

It’s the Right Thing to Do

This may seem like it goes without saying, but having an accessibility ramp at your facility is simply put the kind thing to do. Even if codes don’t require your facility to provide access to all, doing so ensures somebody will not be denied access solely because of a disability they have.

It’s Not Just for Those in Wheelchairs

While ramps are obviously of great assistance for those in wheelchairs, they aren’t the only people who will benefit from installing one. An individual who does not require a chair but has difficulty walking also may prefer a ramp. Parents pushing their children in strollers will appreciate easier access, and deliveries will be easier. If your company does loading during the day, a ramp makes it easier to roll items in and out and any company that receives large packages will make their delivery professional happy by providing a ramp.

They Make Your Facility Safer

In hazardous conditions, having a ramp instead of a staircase can provide safe passage for on-site employees. When the stairs get icy or slick from rain, the more gradual access of a ramp allows for safe walking. Safer entry means reduced risk of injury and the headaches they cause for you.

They’re Good for Business

On a basic level, if someone can’t access a building then they can’t utilize any company based in it. By not having a ramp you limit the pool of potential clients. This devalues the property and hurts the bottom line of any company operating out of it. By increasing access, you also increase potential profits.

To get a high quality wheelchair ramp, you can trust NVM Paving & Concrete. Contact us today by filling out our contact form to get started on the construction of your facility’s new ramp.

How Often You Should Sealcoat Your Asphalt Parking Lot?

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Commercial Parking lot

Every year the US produces $30 billion of asphalt.

Asphalt provides a durable, long lasting and reusable surface. There is no surprise that it is one of the most popular materials for commercial parking lots in the US.

To get the best out of your lot, you need to keep on top of maintenance.

Failing to seal your business parking lot or other pavement can leave it open to weathering, but sealing too frequently can cause issues of its own. So, how often should you seal your driveway?

Read on as we answer that question and provide essential maintenance tips to keep your pavement in top condition.

How Often Should You Seal Your Asphalt?

Sealcoating places an impermeable coating over your asphalt to protect it from wear and weathering. A correctly applied seal can more than double the lifespan of the pavement.

Resealing provides protection and gives a dark black color to the material, making it appear brand-new.

For the best protection, you want to reseal once every two to four years. Doing so too frequently can cause the coats to begin to peel, removing the protection it provides.

Correctly sealcoating will cover and fill any hairlines cracks in your asphalt and can fill cracks up to 1/8 inch. Any larger blemishes will need to be dealt with separately.

Commercial Property maintenance and sealing

Essential Maintenance

As well as making sure that your asphalt is sealed, there are a number of other maintenance tasks you should be performing.

Cracks, potholes and even punctures in the surface will expose your asphalt to water damage.

As soon as you see a problem emerging, fill these with an asphalt filler. Don’t put this off. Even a small crack can grow into a serious problem.

Standing water will work its way down any fractures in your asphalt. Make sure to clear any standing water, and keep your drains clear of debris to stop it forming in the first place.

Seasonal Protection

Summer and winter both bring weather that can have an effect on asphalt.

Direct heat from the sun during the summer can soften the binder in your asphalt. Avoid parking in the same place every day, or using hand tools on the asphalt during the hot months.

Winter brings new challenges to asphalt maintenance. Snow can cause temperature changes to your surface, causing wear. Make sure you clear snow before it builds up. It may be tempting to try and melt the snow, but salt and harsh chemicals can also damage the surface over time.

winter & seasonal effects on asphalt
summer & seasonal effects on asphalt

A Beautiful Parking Lot for Years to Come

Next time someone asks “how often should you seal your asphalt,” you know the answer.

If you keep on top of sealing the surface and perform the other basic maintenance tasks, your business won’t need to replace the pavement for a very long time.

At NVM Paving and Concrete, we offer a number of asphalt services and can keep on top of your maintenance for you. Contact us to find out exactly what we can do to save your business money on asphalt maintenance.

3 Tips to Enhancing Commercial Property Value

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First impressions are important for business owners, and they start with your property. Whether you’re looking for new business or a potential buyer, improving your commercial property’s appearance and value can be done quickly with a bit of exterior maintenance. Refining and repairing your building’s exterior, parking lot and driveway is a small investment that can produce significant returns. Start enhancing your property value with the tips below.

Clean Up Your Parking Lot

The parking lot is effectively the first engagement that clients will have with your business’s physical location. Thus, it makes sense to keep its appearance touched up on a regular basis. Keeping the lot’s parking stripes looking clean and new by having them repainted every so often shows a good attention to detail, and it’s also helpful and convenient to visitors when the parking lot is clearly sectioned. Make sure the signs are clean and legible as well. A good street sweeping service also goes a long way.

Asphalt Repairs to Welcome Visitors

An old asphalt lot develops cracks and potholes over the years. Not only can it be unsightly, it can also be a nuisance or even a hazard to navigate over potholes in the parking lot. Both of these will cut into your curb appeal and property value, so look for paving contractors to schedule repairs when the need arises. Also, a fresh application of sealcoat can restore the lifespan of asphalt lots over 5 years old.

Restore Your Exterior

Whatever the state of your building’s interior, if the exterior looks shabby, people will assume that the inside does as well. Don’t let exterior wear give clients the wrong idea. Small and simple repairs add up to highlight selling points, including:

  • Reapplying paint to exterior surfaces
  • Filling in holes and cracks
  • Repairing or replacing loose shingles
  • Keeping landscaping healthy and good-looking

Count on local professionals to help you check off your list and restore property value. Contact NVM Paving & Concrete today by sending an email to markb@nvmpaving.info or completing a contact form to get a free estimate for your next project.

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