Fly-by-night paving

I've been in the asphalt paving business for 21 years now and something i often see are the results of "fly-by-night" or "gypsy" paving outfits. These guys are really easy to spot, they're the guys rollin' around with a small tracked paving box and a small roller and skid steer loader crammed on an eager beaver trailer being pulled by a tandem axle dump truck. Unlike all legitimate companies they go door to door offering their services,usually to the elderly. Please do not fall for anything they may say. They might offer you a deal that seems great but what you will get is a mess that will cost thousands to straighten up.
As far as that goes some of the more location based companies may try to steer the homeowner/business owner into a "good deal". Let me set things straight right now there's the right way to do this and the wrong way. No in betweens, no special circumstances. Here i will out line the basic rules and get pretty technical on the job from stripping grass to painting stripes and seal coating.

1. Asphalt,concrete,brick pavers,stone paving,or any other type of hard wear surface,will ONLY BE AS GOOD AS THE SURFACE THEY ARE APPLIED TO/ON. If your drive way or parking area is soft and muddy,or is full of pot holes or has standing water,without proper prep and set up your new paving job will in a very short time emulate what was there before. In other words your new job will only be as good as what it sits on.
2. The "asphalt-concrete"debate. This is another confusing issue for someone with no actual real world training. They both have pros and cons. I personally lean toward asphalt due to ease of repair and its easier on the eyes in bright sunlight,less wear on automotive tires,and water drainage issue. Don't be dismayed you may like concrete and it is a very durable dependable surface material if properly applied. Cost wise these two materials are usually competitive. Beware with concrete as few companies I've had experience with think that prep is very important. This is due to concrete will temporarily bridge poor subgrades. If you have ever seen concrete with a crack running the length or width of the drive where one side of the crack seems to be raised or lower than the other side ,then you have witnessed poor subgrade prep. Sadly you wont find very many concrete jobs where this has not happened. I'll explain why this happens later.
3. Brickpavers,cobblestone,stone paving are the most pleasing to the eye but please be sure you research the company that you hire to do these type jobs. These jobs require the same set-up systems as concrete or asphalt but they have inherent "issues" that are just a result in the material. Water drainage being the foremost. I will get deep into the whole real world problems here also.
4. I am offering this advice to any who want it. Ive seen guys selling hit and miss stuff but I think a man should get what he pays for.Bottom line. If anyone reading this has a question about their personal problems or what to do if you need repair,just leave a post. If you dont find any help on this blog my email address will be  posted . I will try to help you all i can.