Your asphalt driveway is one of the most important aspects of your home. However, chances are you don’t focus much on it until you notice a problem. With time, your driveway may begin to show signs of age. It may no longer be as aesthetically pleasing as it was before. Or, it may look worn down and not reflect your living standard. 

Whatever the reason, you think it’s time to let go of the old one and bring in some changes. At first, this decision looks simple: you decide to hire an expert and let them do the work. However, you are now bogged down by the age-old dilemma of repairing your driveway or replacing it anew. 

Not every driveway problem can be solved by a repair. Conversely, not all asphalt issues need a complete replacement. To find the perfect solution, you’ll have to consider a myriad of factors that let you know if a repair or a replacement is in order. 

When to Go for a Repair?

A repair is an ideal solution if your driveway is less than 10 years old and showing signs of wear. An asphalt driveway lasts for around 15 years, so you must get a repair for anything younger than that. Also, if the color has faded, there’s no need to worry. It can easily be fixed by patching any cracks and then adding a sealant. 

Small cracks and sunken areas can also be patched. Another repairable issue is a pothole. However, if you have multiple potholes and cracks on over 50% of the driveway, a repair won’t do you any good. 

When to Go for a Replacement?

As stated above, a complete replacement is in order if you see multiple potholes. These gather water and lead to more damage in the near future. Another issue to look out for is a series of alligator or spiderweb cracks. These are interconnected and affect the whole pavement.  

Replacement is also required if your asphalt driveway is over 20 years old or has drainage issues. Also, if you’re planning to sell your house, it’s better you replace the driveway. It will not only make your house look better but also increase its resale value. 

Finalizing Your Decision

Before making a decision, look at what your asphalt driveway is telling you. Compare it with the signs we’ve mentioned above. If you’re confused, it’s better to consult a professional. When you’re done, get a contractor for regular maintenance and improving your property’s asphalt. This will reduce unnecessary expenses in the future and increase your driveway’s lifespan. 

Man, it’s been 20 years – 20 great years of helping various stakeholders to complete projects in the world of heavy industrial work!

Along the way, we’ve learned quite a bit about how this business works and compiled a lot of the right resources to help local governments, businesses or other clients to set up their projects in the right ways.

Here’s some of what we’ve thought about as we look back on 20 years of excellent service in heavy construction, in our coverage areas in Georgia and Florida.

Desire for Turnkey Solutions

When someone comes with a set of engineered drawings or some other type of plan, they’re looking for a way to get comprehensive help with the entire scope of the project. They’re not looking to farm out piece after piece to different types of offices and try to cobble together some kind of working collaboration that way. Sometimes a little bit of the specialization has to be done, but in general, having a company offering turnkey solutions for heavy industrial is important. It’s something we’ve invested in as we’ve grown and increased our capacity to partner with clients to get the job done right.

Excavating Logistics and More

Another thing we’ve learned through experience is that utility location and compliance with local utility standards is only part of those important logistics around excavation. Compliance with local government ordinance is another part, but there’s even more to it than that.

People who have never been involved in a heavy industrial project might think that you can “just dig a hole somewhere,” but they are profoundly wrong. There are key complex requirements and guidelines in place for these types of heavy projects. Because of the way that we develop land as a society, all of these rules and regulations are critically important when it comes to implementing an excavation correctly. Do you have an E&S plan? What’s that?

By making sure that every project moves forward on a sure foundation (in terms of planning details) we set our clients up for success in what can be a challenging field.

Project Management: The Ins and Outs and What Have Yous

Then also, project management is the consideration of time and scope, and a type of approach that covers the waterfront when it comes to obstacles and problems that projects could encounter. That’s why performance bonds were created – to make sure that as things changed, project implementations wouldn’t change with them.

So as we move forward, we provide that type of contract security that saves clients from various nightmare situations, where what was supposed to happen didn’t happen, happened partially, happened poorly, or happened too late.

Here’s to 20 more years!

What’s involved in the heavy projects that we take on in Georgia and Florida and around the local area?

Well, in some ways, these are not like other kinds of contractor projects. It’s not as simple as building a small concrete form, or putting some brickwork in place. Most of the projects that we do are heavy projects on an industrial scale, and they have their own logistics and requirements.

Engineering Plans

Before any work gets done, many of these projects are painstakingly detailed on paper. If we’re working with a state or local government, or a utilities firm or some other institutional client, it’s likely that they’ve already spent thousands of dollars on engineering work, with blueprints that show every aspect of the project from a technical standpoint.

Then it’s our job to help make these plans a reality. Plans are only as good as their application to the real world. Hiring a firm that doesn’t know how to adhere to an engineering plan is a recipe for disaster.

Dealing with Stakeholders

As mentioned, we do quite a bit of work with state and local government offices. We also work with developers and transportation agencies, just to name a few. That means there will likely be different partnerships involved. One of these clients may have secured a grant for some of the work, or all of the work. A government office may be relying on a private business as a facilitator. On the other hand, the government office may be working in collaboration with a private office like a utility provider.

All of this has to be hashed out in a way that makes sense to keep these projects on track and being implemented in the ways that everyone intended.

Other Logistics

Then there are those other boilerplate logistics in putting a heavy job like this together. These involve scheduling around any public access issues or other contingencies, and getting the materials to the site on time. They involve looking at temperature and humidity as components of a project’s overall result.

That’s why so many of our customers come to Griffin Contracting for their project needs. They recognize our authority in heavy project implementation and the resources that we have to work with other stakeholders to put plans into action. It’s one thing to draw up a plan, even an engineering concept plan or something more detailed. It’s something else to make it real in the real world. Work with us to “make it so.”

At Griffin Contracting, we help with many types of large projects involving new construction and infrastructure maintenance.

Along the way, we’ve learned a lot about what affects these kinds of projects, and how to make sure that things run smoothly. Many of these jobs are enormous ‘organisms’ or in other words, complex systems with their own design components and particular needs. It’s not just a question of “picking a day to get something done” – the scope and the timeline need to be effectively managed in order to achieve the best result, or even, in many cases, a decent result.

This is ultimately true in pouring concrete, which is a major part of what we do for many clients.

Good concrete jobs will lead to long-term safety and utility for local residents and visitors but again, this rests on a variety of important factors.

Pouring Concrete and Temperature

The temperature of the local climate is one of the things that our concrete crews always keep an eye on. That’s because temperature is such an important factor in pouring concrete. As soon as a temperature dips below a particular point, it is not safe to do these projects without possibly compromising quality.

Frozen ground can cause concrete projects to crack later as the ground thaws. That’s an enormous failure from a design and engineering standpoint. However, another problem is also sadly more common than it should be.

Professionals call this problem spalling. It happens when colder temperatures create issues with differences between the top layer and bottom layers of the concrete. Later, you get a sort of flaking on top, and it creates an uneven surface. First of all, it looks terrible, and secondly, it leads to inferior results over time.

Humidity

Humidity can also cause certain kinds of cracking. In this case, if there’s too much evaporation from poured concrete, cracking happens as a result of those differences in moisture.

So as we look at temperature, we also look at humidity and the overall weather context.

Wind

Lots of small-time contractors understand the impact of both temperature and humidity, but they might not think about the impact of high wind speeds.

Too much wind or intense air speeds near the top layer can also cause concrete to crack. That means if you have a good day, but it’s extremely windy, you may want to assess the project accordingly.

Traffic

Obviously, traffic around the site also has an impact. Not vehicle traffic so much, but pedestrian traffic and the movement of people and animals around the space. That might sound basic, but some companies ignore this kind of thing at their peril.

We are involved in creating those quality conditions for getting value out of projects that we do for municipal and private sector stakeholders. Take an approach to a job that involves top-quality, and you get what you pay for out of your investment in new building or maintenance.

The average business owner invests a lot of money in an attempt to grow and expand the base of their operation. If you have recently purchased a piece of commercial land to construct a new hub for your small business, then you need to make sure this building is accessible. In some cases, the commercial land a business owner purchases might not have an access road.

Finding a way to build a road that is both reliable and safe is more challenging than you probably realize. Constructing a road build from both gravel and dirt is a great way to save money without putting the condition of the road in jeopardy. Here are some things you should keep in mind when having a gravel road constructed.

Finding Professional Help is Vital

Constructing a gravel road from scratch can be a difficult and time-consuming process. If you don’t have the experience needed or the right equipment to finish the job, keeping your project on schedule will be impossible. This is why you need to work with the right professionals to get your gravel road constructed. At Griffin Contracting, you can get a great deal on the excavation services and site work you need.

If you attempt to take on this complex job alone, the chances of mistakes occurring will increase substantially. The money you save by doing this job alone is not worth the aggravation and long-term cost of a DIY road construction project. Instead of biting off more than you can chew, you need to leave this work to the team at Griffin Contracting.

Understand How The New Road Will Be Used

Before you can start to iron out the details of your gravel road design, you need to gather some pertinent information. One of the main things you need to know before constructing a gravel road is how it will be used. For instance, if your new road will be used by heavy trucks and machinery, then you need to limit the number of curves and switchbacks it has.

Since larger trucks and pieces of heavy equipment lack maneuverability, you need to make your road as straight as possible. You also need to make sure that the dirt and rock used to make the foundation can handle the weight from these vehicles.

Ensure Proper Road Drainage

When buying a piece of commercial land, a business owner will consider important factors like location and the natural slope of the parcel in question. If you expect that your new road will be exposed to lots of rainwater, you have to make sure it drains properly. Things like ditches, culvers and freestanding drains are great additions to a gravel road. With these elements in place, you don’t have to worry about flooding and washing issues.

Are you trying to complete a commercial land development project? If so, it’s time to find out about the services offered by the professionals at Griffin Contracting.

Choosing the right investments is a crucial part of building wealth. Ideally, you want to invest in things that are always in high-demand. Undeveloped pieces of commercial land are a great investment that can provide you with a great return. However, you need to be careful when selecting pieces of commercial land to buy. Investing in a piece of land that needs a lot of work can lead to you losing a lot of money.

Making a list of things to look for as you survey potential commercial land investments is a good idea. With this list, you can make sure all of your bases are covered before making this important decision. Below are some factors to consider before buying a piece of commercial land.

Consider The Grading Work a Potential Land Purchase Needs

There is over $6 trillion worth of commercial real estate located in the United States. If you are in the market for a piece of commercial land to develop later on, then you will probably have a number of options in your local area. Taking the time to go out and get a firsthand look at a piece of commercial land is important. Doing this allows you to get a feel for just how uneven a parcel of land is.

In most cases, commercial land parcels with uneven spots and ridges will be much cheaper. The reason why this type of land is priced so much cheaper is due to the work it will take to even out the parcel and put a commercial building on the lot. However, if you work with an experienced company like, you can get your land graded quickly and correctly. Our team will work hard to help you develop your commercial land into a long-term stream of revenue.

Choosing the Right Location

Finding the right piece of commercial land to invest in will be much easier if you enlist the help of real estate professionals. If you are attempting to buy land in an area you aren’t familiar with, these real estate professionals can lend you a hand. One of the main things you need to let a real estate agent know is that you are only interested in buying commercial land in certain locations.

If you want to flip your land investment for a profit, you need to purchase parcels that are located in developed metropolitan areas. While land in these locations will cost more, they also have a better chance of appreciating in value.

Get Familiar With Local Zoning Laws

Another consideration you need to make before buying a piece of commercial land is local zoning laws. If you know what type of businesses you will go after when trying to sell this parcel, you need to make sure the land in question is zone properly. For instance, if you are trying to attract industrial businesses, you need to make sure the parcel is zoned for industrial spaces. Knowing these details can help you make sound investments that will pay off in the future.

Are you trying to develop a piece of commercial land? If so, Griffin Contracting Inc. can help you out.

The demolition of commercial buildings comes with certain unique expenses. Costs averages range depending on your location, but there are ways to project roughly how much you will spend to have your building demolished and its materials discarded. To accurately estimate the cost of your commercial demolition project, you will need to consider a few factors.

The Building’s Size

It stands to reason that the larger the building, the more it will cost to have it demolished. The building’s square footage determines many of the costs associated with demolition. You should calculate your building’s square footage to determine the beginning estimated costs of tearing it down.

If you do not have the building’s blueprints, you will need to measure the space yourself. Calculate square footage by multiplying the length and the width of your building together. If the structure is not a simple shape, such as a rectangle, then break it down into measurable shapes and simply add the values together.

Nationally, averages costs per square footage for demolition range from $4-$10 per square foot. Once you have determined a rough estimate of your initial tear down, you can begin planning for other aspects involved in the process.

Inspection For Hazardous Materials

Regardless of your building’s age, you should have it professionally inspected for hazardous materials before demolition. Properties built before the 1980s may contain asbestos or other harmful construction materials that will need to be removed and disposed of properly.

Asbestos can be found in a building’s insulation, millboard, floor tiles, ceiling tiles, steam pipes, and around furnaces and boilers, among other places. Professionally certified asbestos inspectors can determine if your building consists of any hazardous materials. Costs to remove asbestos can range from $2-$5 per square foot for removal and disposal.

Demolition And Removal Costs

You will need to secure all necessary permits and alert utility companies before you begin demolition of your commercial building. Permit costs will need to be factored into your expenses before you schedule demolition. Once you have everything in place, you should hire a reputable licensed, and insured contracting company to perform the building’s destruction.

Many contractors will include debris and material disposal as part of their demolition estimate, but you should always confirm this is the case prior to moving forward. Disposal costs vary depending on the types of debris, local fees, and distance to the disposal center. An experienced contractor can estimate disposal based on the kinds of waste the demolition will produce.

Did you know that at Griffin, we offer on-demand labor services for your heavy industrial projects? It’s a little-known aspect of our operations, but just like we provide excellence in heavy equipment and logistics help, we also help clients to staff projects when an extra set of hands counts.

As we’ve worked with municipal stakeholders and others to accomplish heavy work projects, we found out how labor becomes an essential piece of the puzzle, and that led us to develop our Griffin Labor department where organizations and companies can outsource the resources that they need to succeed.

Timelines and Logistics

With projects involving asphalt and milled materials, or various types of paving work, for example, time is of the essence. There’s also a calculated physical burden and capacity in terms of moving materials from one place to another. If all of this isn’t well coordinated, the project suffers. When time isn’t on your side, the project can be stressful. There are all sorts of unknowns that crop up, and some confusion can result.

So with that in mind, having the skilled labor that’s needed on hand is a key part of the equation. To be confident, stakeholders have to know that there are people on the ground ready to make these projects happen. That’s particularly important when planners have suggested a specific timeline for the renovation of some space or roadway, whether that’s because of coordinating projects with others like utility companies, seasonal changes or anything else. Coordinated projects is a good example: in complex staging, everyone might be able to save money and resources, but if labor is the bottleneck, it might be hard to keep to the agreed schedule.

On-Demand Labor

Public works departments and corporate construction and heavy industrial offices are staffed very deliberately. Leadership typically doesn’t keep extra people sitting around so that they have capacity for new large project.

But instead of suffering from short staffing situations, our customers can get a practical solution in hand without a big up-front investment. Our on-demand labor has the skills and experience to support projects the right way to keep everything running smoothly all of the way through the end of a contract.

For more, take a look at the web site. Call us and ask about how Griffin Labor can be deployed to wherever you are trying to handle a big project and get it done on time. We’ll help consult on how this works, considering your bid process, your in-house equipment, and everything else that applies to your particular puzzle. It’s another way that we support our partners in an uncertain world.

In the past year, there has been a 43% increase in the number of commercial leases. This means that more and more business owners are looking for and buying or renting commercial spaces. If you are a savvy investor looking for a new opportunity, then investing in land to develop as a commercial property is a good idea.

Once you start looking, you may be surprised at the amount of raw land for sale in your area. Allowing a third-party to inspect a piece of land before signing off on it is a must. This can help you avoid a case of buyer’s remorse at a later date. Read below to find out more about the benefits of developing a piece of raw land.

Great Potential For Appreciation

Making money on a new investment can be difficult. If you want to last in the investment industry, you need to develop a knack for finding good ideas to put money into. When trying to vet a potential investment, most entrepreneurs will consider the potential it has to appreciate over time. Being able to buy a piece of land at a low price point and sell it at a high one can help you build your real estate empire in no time.

Successfully developing a piece of raw land will be difficult. However, if you find the right supplier of topsoil, fill dirt and crushed concrete, this process will get a lot easier. The team at Griffin Contracting works hard to provide turnkey solutions for builders and developers. They can also help you with your material supply needs via an affiliated company known as Griffin Materials.

A Less Competitive Market

The world of real estate investments is a highly-competitive one. Newcomers to these types of investments typically have a hard time finding affordable real estate in their local areas. If you are looking for a lucrative investment that has a low competition rate, then investing in raw land is a wise move.

Many investors are searching for properties that are already established. The only way to make your raw land investment lucrative is by developing properties on it. If you get a great deal on a piece of raw land, you should have no problem building structures. Working with a real estate agent that specializes in commercial land is crucial when trying to find the right properties to invest in.

Generate Income By Offering Seller Financing

Traditional lenders are usually hesitant to provide loans to people trying to buy raw pieces of land. If you own the land, you can offer potential buyers financing. Charging interest on the loan you provide to a buyer will help you make money over time. If you make it easy for a buyer to invest in your piece of raw land, you can reap lots of financial benefits in the future.

Griffin Contracting is Here to Help

Do you need site prep or earth moving services? If so, contact Griffing Contracting to find out how we can help.

Concrete is used more than any other man-made material in the entire world. From foundations to walls and virtually everything in between, the durable material is used and recognized across the globe. 

By mixing cement and water (which are the basic components of concrete), the substance will become harder and get stronger as it continues to age. Some situations are well known by concrete contractors and concrete companies across the world, which can force this stable substance to fall apart and deteriorate. 

Eventually, even concrete will require repairs. Keep reading to learn when it is time to make this investment. 

The Appearance of Cracks

Regardless of the structure, cracks are never a good sign. Depending on where you have noticed the problem, the source of the cracks can be many things. For example, if you notice cracks in your concrete driveway, it could be because of soil that is expanding and contracting under it, which is common for areas that get a lot of rain. However, if there are cracks in your basement floor or walls, it could be a sign of more serious foundation problems. 

An Uneven Appearance 

When concrete is laid, it will be done so horizontally (i.e., a parking lot or driveway) or vertically (i.e., for walls), the surface will be smoothed and spread evenly to ensure a uniform appearance. If any type of change occurs from this original, uniform appearance, it is a sign that your concrete requires attention right away. While there are some situations where poor installation methods and workmanship could cause the issues, there is also a possibility that the damage will get worse and that crumbling. Extensive breakage will occur if it is not fixed quickly. 

Water Pooling

Most concrete structures, especially the ones that are located outside, are designed to ensure natural drainage. If you start to notice that water has collected and is pooled on concrete surfaces after it rains, it may be a sign that the drainage system is not functioning correctly. While this may not seem like that big of a deal, it can cause serious wear and tear and a lot of damage if water pools too often. 

Many concrete slabs have been treated using waterproofing materials, which will fade in overall efficacy as time passes. If this happens, the best thing you can do is to contact an industrial concrete repair service to evaluate the situation and make the needed repairs. 

Contact the Professionals for Help

There are more than a few factors that will indicate if there is a problem and if repairs are needed when it comes to concrete. Knowing the signs of a problem makes it possible to call for repairs and keep the issue from getting worse. Professional concrete workers can also provide various other services, including new concrete installation, when needed. Being informed and knowing the top signs of a problem is the best way to avoid serious concrete issues.