All Forum Posts by: Supada L.

Sure, it is nice to keep everything in perfect order, but you'll lose out as a landlord fixing this stuff.   A cheaper way would be to break out a few errant sections and do repair concrete work.  And that would not be $5000.  

I tend to do the bigger investments only when I sell a property.  Without enough information, it seems to be a basic rental house with the one car garage port.  

@Supada L. My response to fixing the driveway; that is something that absolutely needs to be done. I would look into asphalt that is usually a cheaper option and lasts. The bigger concern I had with your comment is the PM has turned your cash flow negative due to minor repairs. Are you getting notified when a repair is requested? I also would put in every lease agreement that there is a $100 deposit every time a specialty contractor is called. This makes your tenant think twice about calling and requesting very minor things.

My comment is that gravel may be a cheaper option, but gravel tracks and it will get on shoes etc and will track into the house and get all over the floors.....   I personally would not put in a gravel drive in a urban/suburban rental  just for this reason. 

Demo the driveway and put in gravel, or get a better bid. I did a brand new driveway and sidewalk for about 2.2K, didn't need to demo though but your bid looks very expensive. You need to get 3-4 bids though. The tenant can't complain if it's gravel, and there's no liability, just spend 300 dollars every 7 years putting on more gravel, that's it. 

@Supada L. Won’t your insurance cover this expense ?

@Supada L.

That's a great point and important to consider when deciding which route to take. High heat will most likely cause it to soften. I'm based in PA and typically do not have to worry about the asphalt tracking. Definitely worth mentioning to your PM if they get quoted for an asphalt driveway.

@Supada L.

Since it is a rental property, you should think of the longevity of any work you will have done. With concrete driveways, it's possible for the concrete to shift or sink if the base isn't laid properly. Removing it and replacing with asphalt is a better alternative as replacing the concrete will probably lead to similar repairs over time. Asphalt is more cost-effective and requires less maintenance in the long run.

@Supada L. I used to do residential concrete myself. Mostly driveways and breezeways. $5500 is a good deal. Get a couple more bids, but the cheapest bid with concrete isn't always the cheapest route.