Service 05
Crack & Pothole Repair in Greater Boston
About this service
Every asphalt failure starts as a crack. Water gets in, freezes, opens it wider, and a few New England winters later you have a pothole and a base that has been washing out from underneath the whole time.
We fill cracks with hot rubberised material that moves with the pavement, and we cut potholes out full depth to solid base instead of shovelling cold patch into a hole. One costs more on the day and stops happening. The other comes back every spring.
Timing
How long it takes, and when you get your surface back
This is the question we get more than any other, so here it is up front instead of buried in a phone call.
- On site A few hours Most residential repairs are a half day.
- Drive on a crack fill 30 to 60 minutes Hot rubber sets fast once it cools.
- Drive on a patch Same day Hot mix patches take a few hours to cool enough to carry traffic.
What you are seeing
Signs this is the service you need
Asphalt fails in a predictable order. Any one of these is enough to call.
-
A crack you can fit a coin in
That is the width where water starts going straight into the base. It is also still cheap to fix.
-
A hole that keeps returning
A pothole in the same spot every spring means the base under it is gone. Cold patch will never hold there.
-
Sunken area around a drain
Settlement near a catch basin means material has washed out below. It needs cutting out, not filling.
-
Cracks along the edge
Edge cracking with no shoulder support spreads inward fast. Caught early it is a fill, left alone it is a section.
What's included
Everything in the scope
- Cracks routed and cleaned so the material bonds to clean edges
- Hot rubberised crack filler that flexes with temperature
- Potholes saw-cut square to solid base
- Failed base material removed and replaced, not covered
- Hot mix patching compacted in lifts
- Edges sealed so water cannot get back in at the seam
Why us for this
Three things worth knowing
-
Full depth, not cold patch
A shovel of cold patch is a repair that lasts until the next thaw. Cutting square to solid base is the one that holds.
-
Cheapest stage to fix anything
A crack filled this year is a fraction of the section it becomes in three years. This is the work that saves you the rebuild.
-
Fast turnaround
Most crack and pothole work is a half day, and you are driving on it the same day.
Send a photo. We will tell you what it needs.
Free written estimate, and 10% off your first paving or sealcoating job.
How it works
From your call to the finished surface
- 01
We map the failures
We walk the surface, mark every crack and hole, and separate what is surface from what is base.
- 02
Prep the edges
Cracks routed and blown clean, potholes saw-cut square. Material bonds to clean edges, not to dirt.
- 03
Fill and compact
Hot rubber into the cracks, hot mix into the cuts, compacted in lifts.
- 04
Seal the seams
Perimeter of every patch sealed so water cannot get back in where the new meets the old.
Around here
Fix it before the first hard freeze
The worst thing you can do with an open crack in Massachusetts is let it go into November. Water sits in it, freezes dozens of times over the winter, and each cycle prises it a little wider and washes a little more base out. A crack filled in October is a small job. The same crack in April is a patch, and in a few years it is a section of driveway. Autumn is the highest-value repair window we have here.
Questions
Crack & Pothole Repair, answered
-
Why does my pothole keep coming back?
Because the base under it has failed and cold patch only fills the hole in the surface. Water keeps reaching the base, keeps washing material out, and the hole reopens. Cutting it out square to solid base and rebuilding is what stops it.
-
How soon can I drive over a repair?
Crack fills take 30 to 60 minutes to set. Hot mix patches take a few hours to cool enough to carry traffic. Either way you are driving on it the same day.
-
Is it worth filling small cracks?
It is the best money you can spend on asphalt. A crack wide enough for a coin is already letting water into the base. Filled now it is a small job, ignored it becomes a patch and then a section.
-
Can you match the colour of my existing driveway?
A fresh repair is darker than the surface around it and will lighten over the following months. If matching matters to you, sealcoating the whole surface after the repairs is what evens it out.
-
When is the best time of year for repairs?
Before the first hard freeze. Autumn repairs stop the winter freeze-thaw cycle from turning a crack into a hole, which is exactly how most driveways in this state fall apart.
-
Do you do small repair jobs, or only big ones?
We do both. Plenty of our work is a half day of crack filling on a driveway in Waltham or Peabody. Call or text a photo of the damage and we will tell you what it needs.
Also worth a look
Services that usually come with this one
- 04
Sealcoating
A protective coat that keeps water, salt and UV out of asphalt that is still in good shape. View service - 03
Asphalt Resurfacing
A new surface over a base that is still sound, for a fraction of a full rebuild. View service - 02
Parking Lot Paving & Repair
Commercial lots paved, patched and restriped, scheduled around the hours you are open. View service
Free estimate
Send us the surface. We will come measure it.
Tell us what you have and we will schedule a visit to measure it and put a written number in your hands. Nothing is quoted before we see the surface, because square footage and the state of the base are what decide the job.
- We measure on site, then write the scope down
- One-year workmanship warranty on completed work
- 10% off your first paving or sealcoating job
Rather do it now?
