Warranties and Guarantees

What the warranty covers

The short version: if the driveway fails because of how we built it, we come back and fix it at no cost to you.

Compaction failure

If the base or the surface was not compacted properly and the driveway settles or deforms because of it, that is on us.

Separation at joints and seams

Paving runs that pull apart because the joint was not tacked or rolled correctly.

Premature surface failure

Ravelling or delamination in the first year that comes from how the material was laid rather than how it has been used.

Drainage we designed

If we regraded or installed drainage and water is not going where we said it would, we come back.

Workmanship on repairs

Patches that come loose or crack around the perimeter because of how they were cut and compacted.

What it does not cover

We would rather set this out clearly now than argue about it later. None of the following is a defect in our work, and no honest paving warranty covers them.

Normal asphalt ageing

Asphalt oxidises, fades to grey and develops hairline cracking. That is the material behaving normally, not a defect. Sealcoating slows it down.

Damage from vehicles

Power steering scuffs from turning wheels while stopped, depressions from parking in the same spot, gouges from jack stands, kickstands or trailer jacks, and anything left by a vehicle heavier than a normal passenger car.

Plow and shovel damage

A blade catching an edge or a high spot. Marking your edges before winter is the practical defence.

Ground movement we did not cause

Frost heave on a base we did not build, tree roots, sinkholes and settlement from utility work or excavation by others.

Chemical and fuel damage

Petrol, oil, diesel and de-icing chemicals break asphalt down. Clean spills quickly.

Work by others

Anything cut into, patched or altered by another contractor after we finished.

Why one year and not ten

You will see paving companies advertise five and ten year warranties. Read what they actually cover and you will usually find the exclusions swallow the promise. A ten year warranty that excludes cracking, settling, ground movement and normal wear covers almost nothing that ever goes wrong with a driveway.

Workmanship problems show up early. If a base was not compacted properly or a joint was not rolled, you will see it in the first freeze-thaw cycle, not in year eight. A year covers a full New England winter, which is the real test. After that, what you are looking at is maintenance rather than defect, and we would rather be honest about that than sell a number.

Making a claim

Call the office. Tell us what you are seeing and roughly when it started, and send a photo if you can. We come out and look at it, and if it is our work we fix it. There is no form, no claim number and no third-party administrator, because there are not enough of us for that to be necessary.

How to make the driveway last

New asphalt stays soft for several weeks. Keep vehicles off for the first 24 to 48 hours, then avoid parking in exactly the same spot every night, do not turn your wheels while stopped, and keep anything with a point load off the surface. Seal it after the first year, then every two to three years after that, and fill cracks wider than about a quarter inch before they let water into the base.

None of that is upselling. Those four habits do more for the life of a driveway than any warranty does.