Warranty · workmanship and materials
Our warranty, defect by defect.
Our asphalt work is warranted against workmanship and material defects, for the term stated in your quote. Here, case by case, is what that covers, what isn’t a defect, and what happens when you call us.
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On this page
Pavabris’s warranty covers what depends on our work: the base, the compacted asphalt thickness, the compaction, the slopes and the transitions, and the conformity of the materials laid. Its term and conditions are in your quote before you accept it. It does not cover what happens to the driveway after paving that has nothing to do with the work, such as a steel plough blade or a heavy truck during the thaw.
- Covered: dips, ruts or cracks caused by the base, the thickness or the compaction; water that ponds because of a badly set slope; a transition that comes loose.
- Not covered: mechanical damage, heavy loads, fluids, roots, work done by others on the driveway.
- Normal in the first year: tire marks, a softer surface in hot weather, repairs darker than the surrounding asphalt.
- On top of that: the Civil Code of Québec (art. 2120) makes the contractor liable for poor workmanship discovered within a year of the work being accepted.
What the warranty covers, case by case
| What you notice | Covered? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A dip that holds water, in a new area | Yes | Insufficient base or compaction at that spot |
| A rut in a car’s wheel path | Yes | Asphalt thickness or compaction |
| Water running toward the garage instead of the street | Yes | Badly set slope |
| An edge crumbling without being hit | Yes | Insufficient stone support at the side |
| A transition at the sidewalk or garage coming loose | Yes | Poorly executed joint |
| A crack coming through a resurfacing in an area we declared sound | Yes | Base diagnosis |
| A crack coming up from an area we flagged and you chose not to redo | No | Existing defect, noted in the quote |
| Gouges from a steel blade scraping the surface | No | Mechanical damage |
| Ruts from a moving truck, a dumpster or a concrete truck | No | Heavy load, especially during the thaw |
| A stain or softened surface from gas, oil or antifreeze | No | Fluids dissolve bitumen |
| Heaving caused by a tree root | No | A cause outside the work |
| Anchor holes drilled by someone else | No | Work done by others |
A fine shrinkage crack that appears after several winters is part of the normal ageing of any asphalt in Québec: it is hot-sealed for $250–400 below 200 linear feet by our asphalt repair service.
A quote that states the warranty term and conditions, after a free visit
What is normal in the first year
New asphalt stays softer until its bitumen has cured. These signs are not defects:
- Tire marks, mostly where a car turned its wheels while stopped in hot weather. Most fade over time, according to the Wisconsin Asphalt Pavement Association.
- A dent from a kickstand or jack set down without plywood.
- A more open texture along edges rolled by hand, and a slightly different finish at the transitions.
- A repair that is blacker than the asphalt next to it, which greys within a few seasons.
- A bitumen smell on the first hot days.
What protects you before the warranty even matters
The best warranty is a driveway built to numbers you can check. Our quote spells them out: excavation depth, MG-20 stone and its compacted thickness, compacted asphalt thickness, slope, how the transitions are handled. These benchmarks are explained on our asphalt driveway paving page, and our guide on how to choose a paving contractor shows how to compare them from one quote to the next.
What also happens on every job:
- We probe before we propose. If the base no longer carries the load, we won’t sell you a resurfacing.
- The price on the quote is the price on the invoice. An unforeseen condition, such as a buried stump or concrete slab, is explained to you and approved before any extra work.
- We tell you the day before if rain forces us to move the job.
- We leave a clean site and the care instructions.
If a defect appears
- Take a photo of the defect, close up and from a distance, with the date.
- Use the request form with your address and a description of the issue.
- We come and look and tell you whether it is covered, and why.
- We repair it with hot mix as soon as the season allows: a clean cut, the base recompacted if needed, sealed joints.
Don’t let a dip or an open crack go through the winter: water freezing in it widens the defect and can make the repair bigger.
Making your driveway last after the warranty
- Keep heavy trucks off the driveway during the thaw, from March to May.
- Ask your snow-removal contractor for a rubber blade or shoes, and edge markers set away from the edges.
- Extend downspouts that empty onto the asphalt.
- Seal cracks as soon as they are wider than 3 mm.
- A sealcoat every 2 to 4 years when the surface greys, never before 6 months. Details are in is asphalt sealing worth it?
- A Tempo shelter? Permanent anchors drilled once avoid new holes in the driveway every fall. Tempo shelter installation: single $199, double $299 before taxes; $329 and $449 with spring removal. See our prices and prices published elsewhere.
Frequently asked questions
Do you offer a warranty on asphalt paving?
Yes. Our work is warranted against workmanship and material defects, for the term and under the conditions stated in your quote, which you receive before accepting the work.
Are cracks covered by the warranty?
A crack, dip or rut caused by the base, the thickness or the compaction is. Shrinkage cracks that appear over the winters, as on any asphalt, are maintenance and are hot-sealed.
What damage does the warranty not cover?
Mechanical damage (steel blades, tracks), heavy loads such as a moving truck during the thaw, vehicle fluids, tree roots and work done by others on the driveway.
Are tire marks on a new driveway a defect?
No. New asphalt stays soft in hot weather during its first year, and a car turning its wheels while stopped leaves marks. Most fade over time.
Who do I call if a defect appears?
Use our request form with your address and a description of the issue. We come and look, tell you whether it is covered and why, then repair it with hot mix as soon as the season allows.
Does the law also protect a paving customer?
Yes. The Civil Code of Québec (art. 2120) makes the contractor liable, for one year, for poor workmanship that existed when the work was accepted or that is discovered within the following year. Our warranty comes on top of that protection.
Sources
- Civil Code of Québec, art. 2120 (warranty against poor workmanship).
- Wisconsin Asphalt Pavement Association, driveway care guide (tire marks, plywood under kickstands, fluids).
- Québec transport ministry, En période de dégel, roulez léger (2026).
- U.S. Geological Survey and Henry technical sheets (sealer frequency and minimum asphalt age).
2026 prices in detail: sources and calculator.
Go further.
How many years does an asphalt driveway last in Quebec?
Built right, an asphalt driveway lasts 15 to 20 years or more in Quebec. The 6 benchmarks to demand, how to read the damage, and the cost per year of each fix.
Read
Your asphalt driveway and winter: what to do in October, in January and at the thaw
What to do for your asphalt driveway before the snow, during winter and at the thaw: cracks to close before the freeze, markers, de-icers, the plough blade, Tempo shelters and heavy trucks in spring.
Read
How to choose a paving contractor: three checks, seven numbers, four warning signs.
Before hiring a paver: check the business in the registry, the RBQ 2.7 licence and insurance, compare quotes on seven numbers, spot the door-to-door seller and know your 10 days to cancel.
ReadBefore the freeze, not next spring.
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