Your parking lot is an important aspect of your business. You need to ensure that it is safe for people to park and walk in at all times. That’s why you must have a reliable contractor who will do the job that you paid him to do. Don’t hesitate to set expectations in order to have a successful project. Here are ways to set expectations with parking lot contractors.
Design Optimization
Your parking lot is a place where people will park cars, drive, and walk. However, it should not be designed haphazardly. It’s essential to work with parking lot contractors to consider aspects of traffic flow and car capacity in reducing the risk of accidents. There are accidents in parking lots that happen all the time, especially when people have a blind spot when trying to pull out. Think about all of these factors to keep employees and visitors safe at all times. As mentioned, parking lots aren’t just places to drive, as people have to actually walk to and from their cars. Ensure there are enough safe walking paths so pedestrians and drivers have enough space to maneuver where and how they need to.
Materials
Your typical parking lot can be made from concrete or asphalt, but asphalt is often the most popular for many reasons. According to Forbes, asphalt can last up to 30 years if maintained. In addition to lasting 30 years, your asphalt can quickly be installed and repaired. When you have a busy business with cars coming rapidly all the time, being able to quickly repair problems in your parking lot is essential. Make sure any contractor you use has experience with asphalt and maintaining it at its optimal level.
Maintenance Discussion
When you bring on parking lot contractors, make sure they understand the level of maintenance you expect. If you run a business in which you care about curb appeal and branding an image, you understand that. Your parking lot is a part of that. During this time, discuss your ongoing maintenance needs for your parking lot. Talk about the price and the likelihood of when you may need repairs to the parking lot, striping, resurfacing, or adding additional spaces. You may want your contractor on hand to regularly review the parking lot. After all, if you’re busy maintaining your regular business duties, you may not review the entire parking lot every day when you come in. Therefore, you may want the contractor to do an overview occasionally. If this is the case, make sure that you decide how often that will happen.
Completion Deadline
Be realistic about deadlines when working with parking lot contractors. Asphalt can quickly be laid down and doesn’t take too long to dry. You still want to have enough time in case something needs to be redone. The asphalt needs time to dry before you move cars on it. The parking lot contractors should have enough time to do the necessary striping signage and anything else needed to make your parking lot look special.
Contract Review
A contract review is essential for any project in your parking lot update. Both parties should go over the contract and note any issues they may have. In addition to discussing clear payment terms, there should also be a way to handle any dispute resolution. Discuss everything like materials used, labor cost, warranties, insurance, etc. That way, the communication with the contractor is very clear regarding the professionalism they should have. Once both parties have reviewed the contract, they can sign it, get a copy, and go about the project.
As you can see, working with parking lot contractors is as important a project as any other aspect of business. A quality parking lot contractor does work that can affect the safety of anyone who is driving or walking in the parking lot. That’s why our company has been successful and has worked for 40 years with satisfied clients. We provide cost-effective solutions and deliver on time. If you need a professional who is ready to be transparent and live up to high standards, contact us today at Ford Asphalt Company to discuss more. We look forward to hearing from you and working with you in the near future!