FAQs

Most likely, yes. Contact your local municipality to see if any permits are needed. You are required to make sure all permits are in place before work begins. We can’t start your project without them. If you can’t obtain a permit because of unavoidable scheduling conflicts, we can obtain it for you, for a fee.

Take a copy of your EBY proposal and any associated drawings or plans to your local municipal office. You will also need to bring a form of payment.

Some municipalities issue permits on the spot. Others may take longer. We recommend you submit your permit application(s) as soon as possible.

If there are no special notes on a permit, we don’t need a copy of it. But if there are, we’d like to receive a copy or at least see the permit when we come to work on your project. You are required to post all permits in a clearly visible location on your property.

We will schedule all of the necessary inspections for you. Just be sure to obtain any required permits first. We can’t begin work without them.

Inform the township that EBY Paving is your contractor. Our COI is already on file with the Ferguson Township Engineering Department of Public Works.

You may need multiple permits. A zoning permit is needed if you are modifying the size of your existing driveway. A street excavation permit may be needed if work is to be done in the public right-of-way. You’re required to make sure all necessary permits are in place before work begins. Note: EBY will secure the street occupancy permit that is required to park work vehicles on the street during construction. If you can’t obtain a permit because of unavoidable scheduling conflicts, we can obtain it for you, for a fee.

It is best to keep vehicles off of your new pavement for 48 hours after completion.

It may take 12 to 24 months for your new pavement to fully harden or cure. During this time period, your new pavement will soften and harden as temperatures rise and fall. On warmer days, you must be VERY careful not to scuff your driveway. For more information on tire scuffing, review the Tire Scuffs FAQs below.

Irregular textures can appear where the necessary handwork was done in conjunction with machine paving.

No, but these materials can damage concrete (e.g., sidewalks, curbs, garage floors).

If you want to store stationary vehicles or equipment on your driveway, distribute the weight by placing plywood under all points-of-surface contact.

When topsoil is placed level with the surface of the new pavement, it bonds to the new pavement edge. As it settles, the topsoil pulls the pavement edge down with it, causing hairline cracks to form. To fix this problem, you should remove enough topsoil to make the remaining topsoil measure about 1” inch below the pavement surface. Over time, the lawn will fill in this height differential. Once the cracks are clean and dry, you may seal them with an outdoor, flexible silicone sealer. For more information on pavement edges, review the Pavement Edges FAQs below.

Bubbles occur when weeds push their way up through pavement. Although we use weed killer during the surface preparation phase for any vegetation we notice in the area to be paved, it’s still possible for certain types of weeds to pop up through pavement. These bubbles can appear for up to one year after installation. If a bubble pops up on your EBY paving project, call us and we’ll send out one of our team members to repair the problem at no cost.

Seal coating is not required, but it does add value. It enhances the beauty of pavement, increases its life, and reduces maintenance costs. Seal coating slows cracking caused by oxidation of the asphalt cement binder in pavement, which in turn prevents water damage. Additionally, it resists the harmful effects of petroleum or other chemical spills.

Most manufacturers of sealer recommend waiting at least 6 to 12 months after new pavement is installed.

The two most common types of sealer are coal-tar-based and asphalt-based. We encourage you to weigh the pros and cons of each and select the one that best suits your needs. If you intend to do the seal coating yourself, a variety of options are available at most home improvement stores.

The amount of sealer needed depends on the type of sealer and the current condition of your pavement. New pavement that hasn’t been sealed tends to use more sealer than older pavement that was sealed before. Also, coarse surfaces require more sealer than smooth ones. We recommend that you follow the coverage calculation directions on the product label. It’s a good idea to buy more than you think you you’ll need, just in case. Unopened pails of sealer can be easily returned.

We encourage you to weigh the pros and cons of each application method and select the one that best suits your needs.

No. Sealer that is applied too often tends to crack and flake. Slippery surfaces may also result from over-sealing.

Seal coating makes pavement smoother because the sealer fills the natural voids in the pavement. But pavement is not usually slippery unless the slope is steep or the pavement has been over-sealed. If you have concerns about traction, consider using a sealer that has sand in it.

Improper turning of your vehicle causes tire scuffs. This problem is caused by sudden or concentrated tire rotation when a vehicle is in a stationary or slow-moving mode. Stationary 90° to 180° turns and sharp turning maneuvers can cause substantial scuffing.

Scuffing is typically superficial, affecting only the top 1/16” to 3/16” of the pavement surface, and usually fades in a year or two. As pavement ages, the asphalt binder near the surface becomes harder. It takes about two years for asphalt pavement to fully cure and resist all tire scuffing. While tire scuffing may look prominent on brand-new pavement, within a few years you’d have a hard time finding the scuffed areas.

Scuffing occurs most often during hot, humid weather, when the surface temperature of pavement can reach a range of 140° to 160° F. Under these conditions, the asphalt binder becomes soft and pliable, increasing the likelihood of scuffing.

Understanding what contributes to this problem and taking care to avoid it will go a long way to minimizing it or preventing it completely. One thing causes tire scuffs: sudden or concentrated tire rotation when a vehicle is in a stationary or slow-moving mode. Make larger, sweeping turns or multiple-point turns, making sure the vehicle is moving when you turn the wheels. Never turn your wheels when a vehicle is stationary or moving very slowly.

For best results, back up the edges of your pavement with stone or topsoil. The pavement edge is the weakest point of the pavement structure, and backing up both supports and strengthens it.

Yes. Just call us. We’ll be happy to give you an estimate for the stone work or refer you to a landscape contractor for topsoil placement.

We recommend 2RC stone. This stone has a wide gradation of stone sizes, allowing for good compaction. Good compaction is important because it keeps the stone in place in most weather conditions.

We can help you determine this, or you can use the following general calculation: 1 ton of compacted 2RC stone will cover 18 square yards at 1 inch thick. Be sure to have your stone delivered and stockpiled at a centralized point. You’ll be moving your stone from the stockpile as it is needed, so have a sturdy wheelbarrow handy. Note that 1 ton of stone is equivalent to about 8 to 10 full wheelbarrows.

Place the stone so that it slopes away from the edges of the pavement, allowing water to drain off and away from the pavement surface. Grade the stone using a shovel and garden rake. To achieve the desired slope, make sure the stone shoulder is 2 to 4 feet wide, thick along the pavement edge and feathering out to almost nothing. To prevent stone from washing away during a rainstorm, be sure to compact it thoroughly. Keep in mind that as you compact the stone, it will compress. As a rule of thumb, 1.25 inches of loosely placed stone compresses to 1 inch when compacted. If your stone is completely dry when you’re ready to place it, wet it first for good compaction.

Compact the stone using a vibratory plate compactor. This kind of compactor is readily available at most equipment rental stores and is easy for the average homeowner to operate. DO NOT use a ride-on vibratory roller for this procedure, as it may tip and roll over, possibly causing serious injury or death.

You can use either screened or unscreened topsoil. Unscreened topsoil contains stones that must be raked out before you use it, but it’s less expensive than screened topsoil.

We can help you determine this, or you can use the following general calculation: 1 cubic yard of topsoil will cover 36 square yards at 1 inch thick. Be sure to have your topsoil delivered and stockpiled at a centralized point. You’ll be moving your topsoil from the stockpile as it is needed, so have a sturdy wheelbarrow handy. Note that 1 cubic yard of topsoil is equivalent to about 16 to 20 full wheelbarrows.

Place your topsoil so that it slopes away from the edges of the pavement, allowing water to drain off and away from the pavement surface. Grade the topsoil using a shovel and garden rake. Topsoil directly along the edge should be 1 inch lower than the pavement surface to allow for proper drainage.

It is critical that you establish grass where you placed the topsoil so that it doesn’t erode during rainstorms. Place your seed and straw on the topsoil and water regularly. If you have trouble establishing grass due to rain water run-off, consider installing an erosion control blanket.

Compaction is absolutely critical when cutting and filling materials. To be effective, it needs to happen in stages, which are commonly called lifts. Additionally, the proper compaction equipment must be used. Compaction ensures that the materials do not move once paving or other parts of the project are complete.

A big part of excavation, and construction in general, is controlling the flow of water. In order for a project to be successful, you need to be thinking about drainage from the outset. If not, then it may likely lead to costly repairs later.