Unit Paving Blog

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!

Running a city is challenging enough on its own. You’re trying to strike a delicate balance between keeping property taxes under control, preserving infrastructure, conserving green spaces, maintaining quality of life, and keeping your constituents happy. When the time comes for even a minor municipal paving project, it seems like that delicate balance can easily be turned on its ear. Unit Paving Inc has helped many towns and cities throughout the Carolinas plan and execute municipal paving projects using permeable interlocking pavers. Here are some of the planning considerations that have gone into our most successful projects.

Budgeting

Most municipalities aren’t flush with cash. Understanding, then controlling, costs is a vital part of any paving project, and we’ll help you to do that without cutting corners on paving materials or workmanship.

Design and Planning

Even the most careful budget falls apart if the project isn’t designed carefully, planned well, then managed to perfection. We leverage many years’ worth of experience in sustainable hardscape planning, supply chain management, logistics, and the many other facets of paving projects to ensure success.

Traffic Circulation

There’s no getting around the fact that even a well-planned and well-executed paving project will be disruptive. A traffic study is vital for anticipating use patterns and detours during the project, as well as the traffic impact once the project is completed.

Parking

Whether we’re creating a new public parking area or paving in an area that uses on-street parking, one important goal is to ensure there’s sufficient space to minimize inconvenience and disruption to daily life for residents, commuters, and shoppers.

Impact on Local Businesses

Local businesses shudder when they hear a paving project is underway. They anticipate noise, dust, and lost business. Proper planning and communication can keep your business community firing on all cylinders for the duration.

Environmental Impact and Regulations

There’s always a morass of local, state, and federal regulations to deal with. Many of these will have to do with the environmental impact of paving applications, whether you’re rehabilitating an existing paved surface or opening a new stretch of road. Unit Paving will help with the permitting and regulatory hassles that too often accompany paving projects.

Plan Review

Once the community and environmental impact of the project have been assessed and all the regulatory boxes checked, we’ll revisit our plans to ensure there are no changes needed and no potential surprises lurking within.

Public Comment

If your community requires a period of public comment, it’s best to do this once plans are close to their final form. By now, you’ll have the information you need to address citizens’ concerns over the impact on their community, the environment, and their day-to-day lives, which makes for a more productive conversation around the proposed project.

Construction

Now — finally — it’s time to get to work. Site prep and construction moves quickly; indeed, you’re likely to find it’s over much faster than you expected. Our goal is to bring any project in on time and on budget, without compromising quality. We take pride in how often we’ve done just that!

Maintenance

Just as important as the paving project itself is the follow up that comes after. Permeable pavers tend to be lower-maintenance than comparable asphalt and concrete surfaces, but they’re not maintenance-free. Unit Paving can consult with your local DPW to ensure the work we’ve done holds up for many years to come.

Communication

One thing that’s key to any project is keeping lines of communication open among the various stakeholders. We strive to keep this as easy as possible, and actively encourage you to contact us at any point with your questions or concerns. If you’re currently planning a municipal paving project, in fact, you should start by contacting Unit Paving today.

By definition, commercial paving projects are a delicate balancing act. Cash-strapped municipalities and businesses operating on thin margins need to find materials that can withstand unpredictable weather, high traffic volume, and heavy loads. The finished product, whether it’s a parking lot, a road, or just a driveway, needs to perform and last with minimal maintenance.

While many will opt for the same commercial paving solutions they’ve always used, some are looking for alternatives. They find them with Unit Paving. Let’s compare the relative strengths and weaknesses of common commercial paving materials.

Asphalt Pavement

Asphalt seems to be everywhere. It’s the most common commercial paving material because it’s easy to manufacture and transport, and relatively quick and cheap to install. On the plus side, it’s easy to repair, resists erosion, and has a bit of give that allows it to adapt to a variety of soil and weather conditions.

It also has significant drawbacks. Because its binding material is petroleum-based, it’s a finite resource. Because of its petroleum content and the heat island effect (asphalt absorbs and traps heat), it raises local temperatures, and is also harmful to the environment. Its installation is very labor-intensive and can be dangerous. It’s impervious, so it contributes to stormwater runoff and flooding. It’s soft, leaving it prone to potholes and cracks. And its petroleum component makes recycling difficult and expensive.

Concrete Pavement

Concrete tends to be more durable than asphalt. It’s also more versatile, since it can easily be shaped, colored, and textured to look like something else. The materials that make up the aggregate are easy to grind down and recycle or repurpose, and it’s reflective to help mitigate the heat island effect; these factors make it more environmentally-friendly than asphalt. Some forms of concrete are even designed to be pervious or porous to aid with runoff control.

However, even concrete has its disadvantages. Not as flexible as asphalt, it can be prone to erosion and cracking. Like asphalt, it also requires a lot of specialized equipment to install properly, which drives costs up relative to asphalt and permeable pavers. And because most concrete surfaces aren’t designed with sustainability in mind, they will — like their asphalt counterparts — place heavy demands on local drainage systems.

Permeable Pavers

Permeable pavers are extremely durable. On their own, they can be driven on by cars, trucks, and all manner of heavy equipment — they’re capable of handling more than 6800 PSI of ground pressure. Once filled they’re even stronger, offering more than 8000 PSI of compression strength. That’s more than adequate for any volume of commercial traffic.

They’re low-maintenance, being as easy to replace as they are to install. A smaller project can easily be handled by a single person, while a larger-scale project can be completed quickly by a smaller team than a concrete or asphalt pave would require. The fill material can be locally-sourced, and the pavers don’t require sealants. Because they absorb water rather than shedding it, they’re far more environmentally-friendly and will require far less drainage; that, in turn, cuts down on flood concerns, soil erosion, and depletion of natural resources.

For all the advantages (and they are legion), pavers do have some challenges. The amount of preparation in terms of backfilling, grading, and compacting is about the same. The cost is less than concrete, but may be slightly more than asphalt. And because they’re not as commonly used as concrete or asphalt, finding a qualified local installer can be challenging.

Challenging, but not impossible. If you require commercial paving in the Carolinas, Unit Paving Inc has the tools, expertise, and experience for commercial paving projects of all sizes. To find out how cost-effective a permeable paving solution can be for your business or municipality, contact Unit Paving to explore your options.