By Paige Perkins

f you own or manage storage facilities, you are well aware of the many things that go into budgeting, including roofing, landscaping, exterior maintenance, and security systems, just to name a few. Yet asphalt and concrete repairs often end up at the bottom of the list. Many people simply put them off, hoping the problems will magically go away.

Unfortunately, there isn’t an asphalt fairy fixing parking lots while we sleep. The longer pavement issues go without repair, or if they are repaired incorrectly, the more money owners end up wasting. Small issues become larger problems, which ultimately lead to more expensive repairs down the road. This can wreak havoc on yearly budgets.

Something I see countless times as a national account executive at The Pavement Group is facilities teams and owners completing permanent spot repairs year after year until they eventually decide to mill and pave the entire lot. Without a plan, you are essentially throwing money out the window. Those permanent patches that were installed along the way often get milled up and sent back to the plant to be recycled into new asphalt for your next self-storage paving project.

That’s why having a five-year plan is so important. Ask yourself:

• What is the goal for the property over the next five years?
• How much budget will be allocated to pavement maintenance?
• Are you planning to sell the property?
• Are there safety hazards that need immediate attention?

Sharing the answers to these questions with your paving contractor will help them develop a structured plan that is best for your property.

You wouldn’t start a business without a five-year plan. You wouldn’t try to lose weight without a plan. So why do so many owners manage one of their most valuable assets in a reactive way?

Let’s be honest: The most expensive asphalt repair is rarely the large paving project owners plan for—it’s the emergency repair that happens when pavement fails years earlier than expected.

There are five important things self-storage facility owners may not know about their asphalt.

Many people believe that if you simply crack fill and sealcoat a parking lot with cracking it will solve the problem. What many don’t realize is that once asphalt reaches the point of alligator cracking, the pavement structure has already failed.

Crack filling alligator or spider web cracking is like putting a bandage on a broken bone. It simply doesn’t address the real problem. Even if you seal the larger cracks and apply sealcoat, there will still be numerous intrusion points for water. Water will continue to work its way beneath the surface and break down the asphalt. As many contractors say, this approach is essentially “putting lipstick on a pig.”

A reliable contractor would not recommend this as a long-term solution for pavement that has already reached this stage of deterioration. However, budget limitations are a reality for many property owners. In those cases, contractors have a job to clearly explain that this type of work would be only cosmetic in nature, would not extend the structural life of the pavement, and should not be viewed as a repair. When clients fully understand those limitations, some may still choose this approach as a short-term appearance improvement while planning for more substantial repairs in the future.

When repairing a pothole, focusing only on the visible damage can create problems. If surrounding cracks are left untreated, water can still infiltrate the pavement structure around the new patch. Over time, this weakens the area and can lead to early patch failure. Water is asphalt’s biggest enemy. It weakens the subgrade and accelerates deterioration.

While expanding the repair area may cost slightly more upfront, it often leads to a much longer lifespan for the repair. It can also reduce future mobilization costs for crews that would otherwise need to return the following year. Additionally, there’s rarely a cheaper time to buy asphalt than today! Fixing the problem correctly the first time is often the most cost-effective solution.

At storage facilities and many other commercial properties, the pavement around dumpster areas is often severely cracked. This happens because garbage trucks place significant stress on the pavement. These trucks are extremely heavy and frequently sit in the same location for extended periods while trash is collected. The combination of heavy weight, repeated traffic, and stationary loading creates concentrated wear.

For this reason, it is often recommended to convert asphalt to concrete in dumpster areas, at least where truck wheels typically sit during service. Concrete handles heavy loads much better in these high-stress locations.

The same principle applies to other areas with frequent heavy traffic or tight turning movements. In these areas, additional asphalt depth or conversion to concrete can significantly improve longevity.

Storage facilities typically have narrow drive aisles between buildings. During sealcoating, contractors often spray material across open pavement areas. However, if contractors spray too close to unit doors or buildings, a gust of wind can easily blow sealcoat onto doors, siding, gutters, and other surfaces. If this has happened to you in the past, you already know it can become a major cleanup issue.

For this reason, it is often best to squeegee sealcoat near buildings instead of spraying it. While squeegeeing is typically more expensive and takes longer, it greatly reduces the risk of overspray and damage.

Asking contractors about this during the bidding process can save significant headaches later.

Many storage facilities are relatively flat and may lack adequate drainage. Some properties include swales or slight pavement inverts to help direct water toward catch basins, but not all facilities have these features.

Sometimes a specific area of pavement collects standing water. Property owners often request that a contractor regrade a small patch to redirect the water. Unfortunately, this is not always possible.

True regrading typically requires work down to the subgrade level. In addition, the edges of the repair must tie into the surrounding pavement. Because of this, there is very little ability to adjust slope within a small repair area.

While improvements may sometimes be possible when asphalt is removed and replaced over larger sections of the lot, properties with persistent drainage issues often benefit from consulting a civil engineer to develop a long-term solution. An engineer can provide guidance on options such as adding storm structures, adjusting grading for proper sheet drainage, or redesigning drainage patterns. It is also important to remember that drainage solutions must be carefully designed. Water cannot simply be redirected off your property onto neighboring properties, and doing so can create additional issues and potential liability.

Some storage facilities offer outdoor parking stalls located on gravel surfaces. These areas can present unique challenges when trying to define and maintain stall layouts.

Over the years we have seen several different approaches:

• Rope and washers to outline stalls,
• Concrete wheel stops installed above grade,
• Flexible poles installed with rope between them, and
• Partially buried wheel stops painted for visibility.

One solution that has worked surprisingly well is striping directly on the gravel surface. While this is not typically recommended for high-traffic areas, storage parking stalls often experience very little movement. Vehicles such as boats, RVs, and cars may remain parked for months or even years at a time. Because traffic across the stall lines is minimal, the paint tends to last longer than expected.

In addition, brick pavers can be installed in the gravel at the front of each stall, buried so that only the top surface is visible. The stall number can then be painted directly on the brick. This provides long-term visibility for stall numbers. Facility managers can easily touch up striping to the stall lines if needed using a push-behind paint machine. Even if repainting by a trusted contractor is needed every two to three years, the cost is minimal.

Your pavement is the first thing people see when they enter your property. Research shows that people often form an opinion within the first seven seconds of seeing something. If the parking lot is in poor condition, the user experience is already affected before tenants even reach their unit.

Self-storage facilities also experience frequent move-ins and move-outs. If tenants encounter potholes, standing water, or trip hazards, the experience becomes frustrating and potentially unsafe.

Poor pavement conditions also increase liability exposure. A lawsuit from a trip-and-fall incident can cost far more than routine pavement maintenance.

Maintaining your parking lot improves safety, enhances brand perception, and helps retain tenants for years to come.

Yes, you really can save significant money by having a plan! At The Pavement Group, this is something we focus on every day.

For facility managers responsible for regional or national portfolios, it can be extremely difficult to evaluate hundreds of properties and determine where pavement budgets should be prioritized. Too often, decisions are based on who complains the loudest or which site raises the biggest concern.

When a contractor like The Pavement Group can assess an entire portfolio, document pavement conditions with GPS-tracked photos, and assign PASER ratings to each property, owners gain clear visibility into the condition of their pavement and can develop a strategic plan for repairs and maintenance. This allows owners to prioritize properties with the greatest safety risks and the most urgent repair needs.

By allocating maintenance dollars strategically and focusing on the worst areas first, owners can build long-term maintenance plans that stretch budgets much further.

Many of the storage facility owners I work with are taking a very practical approach when budgets are tight. The first priority is always addressing safety concerns and potential liabilities, such as potholes, trip hazards, major cracking, and areas where water is creating dangerous conditions. Once those issues are resolved, many owners shift their focus to curb appeal, starting improvements at the front of the property and gradually working their way toward the back.

From a contractor’s perspective, this approach can feel a little backwards. Typically, we try to avoid planning projects this way because heavy trucks may end up driving over newly installed asphalt while completing additional work deeper in the property in later phases. However, storage facilities sometimes operate differently than other commercial properties. Many owners prioritize improving the front of the property first, creating an immediate “wow factor” for customers as soon as they arrive. Even if the work progresses in phases over several years, starting at the front entrance allows the property to present itself well from day one while longer-term improvements continue throughout the site.

Pavement may not always be the first thing property owners think about when managing a facility, but it plays a major role in safety, functionality, and the overall perception of the property. With a thoughtful plan and a proactive approach, storage facility owners can protect their investment, improve the experience for their tenants, and avoid the costly surprises that often come with reactive maintenance.