Have You Ever Wondered Why Paving Always Feels “Last Minute” in Spring?
Every year, commercial property managers across Metro Vancouver get stuck in the same cycle:
Spring hits → Asphalt looks worse than expected → Budget approvals drag → Contractors are fully booked.
But what if it didn’t have to be that way?
Have you ever thought about what would happen if you finalized your paving plan before the New Year, instead of scrambling in April or May?
November and December are the best months to plan and budget for next year’s paving work. Not spring. Not “when things calm down.”
The best time to start is right now.
And if you’re managing a commercial parking lot, office complex, industrial yard, or retail plaza in places like Burnaby, Richmond’s Ironwood, Surrey’s Fleetwood, Coquitlam Town Centre, or New Westminster’s Sapperton, this timing makes an even bigger difference.
Let’s walk through why Q4 planning can be the smartest strategy, and how it saves money, reduces stress, and keeps your operations running smoothly next year.
1. Year-End Is When Budgets Are Finalized Or Reallocated
Here’s something every property manager knows but rarely talks about: If you don’t submit a paving budget by the end of the year, you’ll be fighting for funding in Q1.
By November and December:
- Owners finalize annual budgets
- Corporate real estate teams review capital projects
- CFOs approve forecasts
- Multi-site businesses finalize priority spending
- Property managers determine next year’s maintenance cycles
Have you ever thought about how much easier approvals are when you bring a clear plan before the budget is locked?
Most companies work on a January–December fiscal year. If your paving proposal isn’t submitted by December, you’re automatically behind.
2. You Can Use Remaining Budget Before It Disappears (“Use It or Lose It”)
Many commercial properties, especially national retailers, industrial sites, and office parks. have year-end pressure to spend remaining funds before they reset.
If you’ve ever had leftover budget that vanished on January 1st, you know exactly what I mean.
This is what you should do:
Use Q4 to assess your asphalt and allocate leftover funds toward early-year maintenance.
This might include:
- Crack sealing
- Pothole patching
- Line repainting
- Small repairs
- Planning work for spring
Your 2024 budget can set up your 2025 savings. How do you feel about turning “lost” money into lower repair costs?
3. Q4 Is the Best Time to Inspect Your Parking Lot
Winter gets blamed for asphalt damage, but it also reveals problems perfectly.
Have you ever noticed freezing puddles forming in the same spot every year?
Or how certain ramps, entrances, or heavy-traffic zones always crack first?
November and December give you a unique chance to identify:
- Drainage issues
- Areas with poor slope
- Cracks that will widen in January
- Soft spots from traffic pressure
- Failing edges near drive aisles
- High-risk, high-liability walkways
Here’s what matters: If you wait until spring to notice the damage, it will be twice as expensive, and maybe even twice as urgent.
Winter is when the diagnosis happens. Spring is when the treatment happens.
4. Planning Now Means You Get Priority Scheduling in Spring
As you probably know, spring and summer paving schedules sell out fast.
Burnaby Blacktop’s commercial schedule typically fills weeks in advance, especially in high-demand areas like:
- Brentwood & Metrotown (Burnaby)
- Campbell Heights (Surrey)
- Bridgeport (Richmond)
- Annacis Island & Mitchell Island (Industrial zones)
- Coquitlam’s business districts
If you plan in spring… you’re already late.
But when you plan in November or December, you:
- Lock in preferred dates
- Avoid operational disruptions
- Beat the scramble
- Get your work done earlier
- Reduce downtime for tenants and customers
And honestly? It just feels better knowing you’re ahead of everyone else.
5. End-of-Year Planning Helps You Build a Multi-Year Strategy
Ever feel like every year is “the year the parking lot falls apart”?
Good news: It doesn’t have to be that way.
When you plan in Q4, you can build a clear, predictable maintenance schedule. A simple example:
- Year 1: Crack sealing + drainage corrections
- Year 2: Asphalt patching + line painting
- Year 3: Full resurfacing or overlay in priority areas
- Year 4: Fine-tune trouble spots, curbs, speed bumps
This kind of multi-year strategy:
- Prevents emergency repairs
- Reduces liability
- Spreads cost
- Impresses ownership
- Minimizes operational disruption
Have you ever thought about how much easier your job would be if paving weren’t a surprise every year?
6. You Make Better Decisions When You’re Not Rushing
This is the part no one talks about. When you plan in spring, you’re making decisions under pressure:
- Tenants complaining
- Potholes growing
- Operations disrupted
- Delivery trucks are struggling in damaged areas
- Contractors booked solid
But when you plan in late fall? You’re calm. You’re proactive. You’re thinking long-term, strategically, and clearly.
And honestly, you get better pricing, better proposals, and better project quality when everyone involved has time.
7. Burnaby Blacktop Helps You Build a Smart, Year-End Plan
Here’s what we do for commercial properties across Metro Vancouver:
- Inspect your site before winter hits
- Identify issues that will worsen over the next few months
- Provide a detailed, prioritized repair list
- Outline what must be addressed in early spring
- Build a realistic budget for next year
- Secure early project spots on our schedule
Our goal is simple: No surprises, no emergencies, no wasted dollars, just smart planning.
Whether you manage a busy retail strip in Coquitlam, an industrial yard on Annacis Island, or a high-traffic lot in Brentwood, we’ll help you get ahead before the year ends.
So… What’s Your Next Step?
You can wait until spring and hope for the best… or you can use November and December to build a smart, predictable, money-saving plan.
What feels better to you? If you’re ready to end the cycle of last-minute paving stress:
Request Your Year-End Commercial Paving Assessment.
Let’s build your 2025 paving plan now, while you still have the time, budget, and flexibility to do it right.