How to choose the best paving contractor.

The 9 questions to ask any paving contractor

Ask them of every contractor you meet. A professional answers all nine in the quote. Check off the ones you got a real answer to.

0 / 9 checked

1. What does the price include, step by step? Why it matters: Excavation and removal, base, asphalt, drainage, finishing and cleanup: each step planned. A step missing from the quote comes back later as an extra.
2. Do you carry liability insurance? Why it matters: Proof of insurance on request. A loaded truck on your property is something that needs to be covered.
3. Does the quote state the measured surface area? Why it matters: A figure in sq. ft., not “a driveway”. Without the area, two quotes cannot be compared.
4. How thick is the crushed stone, and how is it compacted? Why it matters: Type (MG-20 / 0-¾), thickness, mechanical compaction in layers. The foundation is what decides the lifespan.
5. How thick is the compacted asphalt? Why it matters: “Laid” is not “compacted”: asphalt loses volume under the roller. Insist on the figure after compaction.
6. How do you handle drainage? Why it matters: Slopes, tie-ins with the garage and the street, where the water goes. A driveway without a slope holds water, and that water freezes.
7. Is the price firm? Why it matters: Which conditions trigger an extra, and who approves it. The answer must be in the quote.
8. Is the warranty in the quote? Why it matters: Term, what it covers, what it excludes, on the quote. A verbal warranty does not exist.
9. Who is on site the day of the work? Why it matters: A reachable person in charge, not only a subcontractor. You need to know who to talk to if something is off.

We answer all 9 in every quote.

That is the principle behind our commitment: everything that matters is clear before you sign.

Read our commitment

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The 5 red flags

Every summer, homeowners across Greater Montreal pay for paving that doesn’t make it through the winter. None of these signs proves anything on its own, but together, they should make you slow down.

• The door-to-door pitch with “leftover asphalt from the job next door”: hot asphalt does not keep, and the “special” price hides a missing base.
• Cash payment demanded, no invoice: no recourse, no warranty, no record.
• No way to reach the company after the work: you will not know who to call in April.
• No quote, or a one-line quote: the extras show up at the end.
• Pressure to sign the same day: a professional lets you compare.

The seven lines that must be there

A one-line quote (“Driveway paving: $X”) protects you from nothing. Here is what a complete quote writes, item by item. Ours contains them all.

1. Surface area A figure in sq ft, not “a driveway”. Without the area, two quotes cannot be compared.
2. Excavation and removal What is removed, to what depth, and where the debris goes.
3. Foundation Type of stone (MG-20 / 0-¾), thickness, mechanical compaction in layers.
4. Asphalt Thickness after compaction, hot asphalt, laid with a paver and compacted with a roller.
5. Drainage Slopes, transitions with the garage, the sidewalk and the street: where the water goes.
6. Finishing and cleanup Edges, transitions, debris removal, site cleaned before leaving.
7. Warranty What it covers, what it excludes, its term: in the quote, not just over the phone.
8. What makes the price vary Our 7-point commitment