Whether you’re a business owner, developer, or city manager planning for a town or city, odds are better than even that you are not working with a limitless budget. When you’re faced with a major project like planning and installing a new parking lot, how can you control costs without cutting corners and compromising quality? Paving design services from Unit Paving Inc that include permeable paving solutions have helped keep parking lot costs in line for many clients in the Carolinas. Here’s how we’ve helped.
Less Site Preparation
We believe in Value Engineering. We know that in order for that to happen, proper planning needs to take place first, regardless of the paving material used. However, permeable interlocking concrete pavers have a built-in advantage: they require less site preparation. Grading and compaction are less complex because there’s a limited need to plan for drainage systems. The reduced need for site prep also means a process that’s less time and labor-intensive, which in turn reduces costs further still.
Reduction or Elimination of Drainage Systems
Because of their impermeable nature, concrete and asphalt often require separate drainage systems to be installed, and can place increased stress on existing storm drains and sewers. Pollutants like motor oil and fertilizer runoff also collect on the surface of non-porous pavement, which contributes to pollution and can place a strain on municipal water treatment.
By contrast, PICP isn’t an impermeable and unbroken surface. The seams between the pavers encourage water absorption instead of runoff, which means less reliance on complex drainage systems. What’s more, the lower incidence of runoff also means less pollution — which also reduces stress on water treatment plants and the environment as a whole.
Easier Installation
In contrast with concrete and asphalt, both of which require a high volume of specialized equipment to transport, prepare, and install, PICP surfaces require very little by way of specialized equipment. Once the site is prepared, permeable pavers can be installed over the base layer by hand very rapidly. The pavers are also strong enough that foot traffic and vehicles can — and often do — work right atop the surfaces they’ve just laid while they’re working on the next section.
A wider variety of fill materials will also work with permeable pavers, including common fill dirt, gravel, sand, or even crushed glass. Combine this with the lower costs for labor and machinery and the savings add up fast.
Simpler Finish Saves Time and Money
The initial installation of a traditional paved surface isn’t the end of the job. Sealants, painted details, and other steps still need to be performed. And if you realize in mid-project that something needs to be changed, those changes are often as costly as they are complex. By contrast, a permeable surface can have lane markers, parking spaces, and more incorporated into the installation on the fly, either by use of specialized caps or the use of contrasting paver colors. Once the last paver is laid and the polymeric sand laid, the job is done.
Lower Long-Term Costs
While the initial savings realized from a paver installation are attractive, you still may be wondering if it’s worth it. So let’s look beyond the end of your project to what happens after. Any paved surface requires some kind of maintenance, but the kinds and degrees of maintenance required vary widely.
When you’re dealing with an impervious surface, you need to deal with cracks, expansion, and potholes. Any drainage systems you’ve installed will also require cleaning, maintenance, and eventual replacement. Permeable pavers require much less surface maintenance and a lot less supporting infrastructure that also needs to be maintained, so your ongoing costs will be much lower. What’s more, in the rare event that a paver needs to be replaced, it’s a repair that can be done quickly and easily by one person.
Still have questions? A free paving project consultation from Unit Paving Inc will give you answers. Contact us today to find out more!