Wednesday, August 24, 2016

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August 24, 2016 at 09:14PM

How A Madison Retail Plaza Repaving Brought New Business

WOLF_blog_commercial_northsideTowncenter_casestudy.jpgNorthside Towncenter is a 17-acre shopping and retail plaza located in Madison, Wisconsin.

With more than 20 retail tenants on site, and the prospect of adding a new high profile business, Willy Street Co-Op, to their list of tenants, the management team knew the parking lot required maintenance and they began to seek out a local company with the size and reputation to help them.

A new parking lot was important to ensure that their current tenants and customers alike could have a great experience at the retail shopping center.

“We certainly did our research on paving companies,” said David Bruns, President of Sherman Plaza, Inc., which owns and manages the property. “We wanted a locally-based asphalt paving company with the size, experience and reputation to handle a large-scale commercial asphalt parking lot installation.”

Finding the Right Commercial Asphalt Paving Contractor

But finding a reputable contractor was not just about size and experience, it was important to Bruns to find a commercial asphalt paving contractor they could trust from the initial sales and estimate through to the asphalt product used and the installation. With current tenants and open businesses on site, the ability to complete the paving job in a timely manner was essential, without causing great disruption to business as usual.

Karen, from Wolf Paving, worked diligently with the management team at Northside Towncenter to work out the details of the job and complete the job on schedule.

Asphalt Pavement Parking Lot Surprises

“With Wolf Paving, we really found a company we could trust, “ said Bruns. “It was great to work with Karen and to find a company with good local references. Even when there were some surprises along the way, we knew we could trust the team at Wolf to execute and complete the project on time. Don Bruns, property co-owner, also supported the Wolf Paving recommended solution.”

WOLF_blog_commercial_northside-towncenter-case-study.jpgThose surprises, as it turns out, were as a result of shifting soil under the old parking lot structure. The old parking lot was more than 15 years old and had a compromised surface in areas that allowed water to penetrate and reach the sub base. This caused the clay below to soften, reducing stability and compromising the integrity of the structure.

A Unique, New Stabilization Process

As a result, Wolf Paving had to make some adjustments in their foundation installation to account for further stabilization of the sub-base. The unique process included undercutting and the additional of geo-grid.

“In the middle of a project when unforeseen problems arise, we want to assure our customers that we can provide a solution that won’t blow the budget,” said Karen. “Instead of undercutting and digging 2 - 3 feet below the surface to repair the sub base, our team at Wolf Paving offered a cost savings alternative that boasts excellent results and durability.”

Using Geo-Grid to Support the Asphalt Sub-Base

The Wolf Paving solution to traditional undercutting is the use of geo-grid, which means the Wolf team only has to dig 12 – 16 inches below the surface to make repairs. The geo-grid is used as a bridge to provide support to the sub base without the added cost of filling in a large hole with costly aggregate. This saves considerable time and money and provides lasting results to improve the structurally integrity of an asphalt surface.

As a result of this advancement in asphalt parking lot repairs, additional support was added to ensure that the soft clay would no longer compromise the asphalt surface above and that the parking lot would provide years of durability.

“Wolf Paving provided great customer service and fair, honest pricing with great results,” said Bruns.

Interested in learning more about how Wolf Paving can help YOUR business?
Contact us today for a free paving estimate!

Wolf Paving offers professional paving services from Milwaukee to Madison, and everywhere in between, including all areas around: Sun Prairie, Oconomowoc and Waukesha. It’s never too early or too late to request a free paving estimate.

Call Wolf Paving today. For the Milwaukee area, call us at 262-965-2121. For the Madison area, call us at 608-249-7931.

Property Manager checklist


The post How A Madison Retail Plaza Repaving Brought New Business appeared first on http://www.wolfpaving.com/blog

Skills shortages hitting quality of construction work

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Job cuts would be ‘first nail in the coffin’ for construction

Cutting thousands of construction and housebuilding jobs would be the ‘first nail in the coffin’ for the industry, according to One Way.

An analysis by the construction and rail recruitment specialist outlined that a further loss of jobs would prove critical for the construction sector. This comes at a time when the National Housing Federation has said any slowdown in housebuilding would result in the loss of nearly 120,000 construction jobs over the next decade. The UK’s construction sector has also slipped into recession for the first time in four years, with many commentators suggesting the industry is in turmoil and that the government must do more to support housebuilding.

Paul Payne, Managing Director of One Way, agrees:

“The news that the construction industry has slipped back into recession after four years isn’t particularly optimistic and a loss of jobs on the scale that has been suggested would almost certainly be the first nail in the coffin for the sector. We simply can’t afford to lose any more professionals from both construction and housebuilding and the government needs to do considerably more to support these industries before it’s too late.”

“We all saw the potential impact of job losses in the steel industry and the scale of this for construction would be far greater. We need more professionals operating in the sector if we want it to recover, not less, and the potential impact of these cuts could be devastating if something isn’t done soon. We’ve been very vocal about how the government, employers and trade bodies need to do more to engage with youngsters and promote greater interest in construction, because at the current rate there will barely be an industry left in a few years’ time. Confidence is the only way to get through this difficult period and we need more investment and more projects to be given the green light. If we take a step back and allow programmes to be put on hold and jobs to be cut it could have a hugely damaging effect on the economy and on thousands of peoples’ lives. As Winston Churchill once said, ‘If you’re going through hell, keep going.’


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The Steel Fabrication Process

Nearly everything nowadays is made with steel. Your sinks are made with stainless steel, the building you’re sat in will have been created from steel structures and your car is made of steel. Steel is a strong and durable material that has a complex fabrication process, especially the development of modern steels which have a larger variety of shapes and sizes.

Steel fabrication is the process used to manufacture steel components, which can be assembled and joined together to form complete steel frames which we use in building structures or cars. Frames are generally built en-masse and are readily available from steel stockholders. In some cases the standard frames may not be the correct shape or size for the consumer and new shapes can be created via the steel fabrication process.

The first process for properly smelting steel was invented in 1856 by a British inventor named Henry Bessemer. There are 2 ways in which we can process steel fabrication. The first is the raw material approach which involves the correct materials being heated up, then melted down and mixed into steel. This is called the integrated route. The other process which is quicker and easier is done by using an electric arc furnace (EAF). This method involves putting recycled steel into a furnace and melting it down, once it is melted down it is then mixed with other materials crucial to the steel building process. Strong steel is the end result of this welding process, over a third of steel fabrication general takes place with the EAF method. Let’s go into more detail about the welding process.

Welding is a core actively within steel fabrication to prepare joints for connection with other steel components. The welding process involves using an electric arc to generate enough heat to melt the material in a joint. A separate material that helps the steel to maintain its strong properties is also melted and combines with the melted joint to form a molten weld pool. As welding progresses along the joint, the molten weld pool starts to solidify which fuses the materials which were also melted down into the steel joint. The welding may need several attempts or passes in order to form the correct shape.

Steel & Site are steel fabrication and steel stockholders in the Midlands. Our welders have years of experiences in steel fabrication and we can supply a wide range of RSJ Steel Beams created in our warehouses. Contact our Structural Steel Fabricators Midlands office on 01384 265 747 today for all enquires.


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Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Madison commercial asphalt parking lot removal, installation Case Study

WOLF_Blog_vanta-casestudy.jpgWolf Paving completed a commercial asphalt pavement parking lot removal and installation for three commercially leased buildings in Madison, Wisconsin, located off of Crossroads Drive, in the High Crossing Business Center on the Eastside of Madison. 

Vanta Commercial Properties requested the complete removal and repaving of building parking lots, but requested that their leased tenants could continue to use the buildings, without interruption, for the duration of the paving project.

Wolf Paving's Madison asphalt parking lot contractors completed the project on time and on budget. Learn more about this project, below.

Click here to view the full CASE STUDY of this project, including all of the project details from the paving crew!

Take look at this short video to see the Wolf Paving team in action!

Main Client Concerns:

  • Cost
  • No disruption to business tenants

Wolf Paving Solution:

To help clients work within their budgets, Wolf Paving believes that one of the most important considerations for any paving job is to provide flexible options for every part of a process.

When you receive a price quote from Wolf Paving, you can expect a la carte options for almost every process step, including:

  • Base stabilization methods
  • Types of aggregate
  • Grading procedures
  • Binder used
  • Surface thickness
  • Asphalt mix
  • Paving method

To ensure that business owners could continue work uninterrupted for the duration of the paving project, Wolf Paving completing each parking lot in two phases, allowing a portion of each parking lot to be used to for employee parking.

Commercial Asphalt Parking Lot Installation Final Results:

The final project looked excellent. The client had no complaints and was pleased that the job followed the proposed plan and budget, even with unforeseen undercutting requirements. The final drainage of the parking lot was also excellent.

Request an Asphalt Paving Estimate Now

Wolf Paving offers professional paving services from Milwaukee to Madison, and everywhere in between, including all areas around: Sun Prairie, Oconomowoc and Waukesha

It’s never too early or too late to request a free paving estimate. Call Wolf Paving today to get help from the most experienced parking lot contractors in Waukesha. For the Milwaukee area, call us at 262-965-2121. For the Madison area, call us at 608-249-7931.

Sealcoating and Crackfilling


The post Madison commercial asphalt parking lot removal, installation Case Study appeared first on http://www.wolfpaving.com/blog

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August 17, 2016 at 09:07AM

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

How to Budget for Asphalt Repaving for A Parking Lot or Playground

WOLF_blog_commercial-12_paving-crew-rake-closeup_.jpgRepaving the asphalt in your parking lot or playground is a significant project that can come with an even more significant price tag. 

Luckily, careful planning and preventative maintenance can keep both your asphalt pavement and your budget in good shape.

How often should you budget for a repaving project?

As a general rule, you should have room in your business or municipality budget for a major restoration of asphalt surfaces on your property every 10 years.

But don’t worry, this doesn’t mean that you have to do a total repaving project every 10 years – you may be able to maintain the surface that you already have, with help from your commericial asphalt-paving contractors.

Consider Your Asphalt Maintenance Options 

Before planning to replace your asphalt playground or parking lot, talk to your asphalt paving contractors about preventative maintenance that may be able to extend the life of your current surface.

Using our free maintenance checklist, you can determine the problems you are facing, and which asphalt-repaving options may work for you (and your budget).

Here are four asphalt pavement problems to look for, and the Wolf Paving recommended solution:

WOLF_1.pngCracks Larger Than ¼ Inch:

Large cracks in the surface of your asphalt playground or parking lot should be cleaned, repaired and filled to ensure that water is not able to seep in and compromise the sub-base. This will help extend the life of your asphalt.

WOLF_2.pngFaded Asphalt:

If your asphalt is faded, you may be able to get it looking like new again through the process of sealcoating. There are many benefits of sealcoating that go beyond making your asphalt look great. Sealcoating also makes your parking lot or playground easier to clean, and protects the paved surface from harsh Wisconsin weather and daily wear and tear. At Wolf Paving, we recommend a sealcoat service every two years.

WOLF_3.pngPotholes and Large Cracked Sections:

Spreading cracked areas and potholes are serious problems that could mean an expensive future repair or resurfacing project if they are not repaired right away. Try to fill potholes and cracked sections before the cold winter weather hits. These unsightly holes can allow water to penetrate the paved surface, which can then cause more cracking as temperatures freeze and thaw. Potholes and large cracked sections of your asphalt playground or parking lot can also impede snow removal, and create hazards for pedestrians.

WOLF_4.pngStains from Oil, Leaves or Debris:

Is your asphalt in good shape underneath, but still looking bad due to stains and dirt on top? Surface stain removal can be an easy do-it-yourself project, and street sweeping keeps larger surfaces looking great. Street sweepers are professional vehicles that use jets of water and specialized bristled brushes to remove dirt, debris and garbage from asphalt playground and parking lot surfaces. Making these repairs on small surface problems will help you to extend the life of your asphalt. Durable, flexible asphalt, whether porous or traditional, can have a lifespan of up to 20 years if maintained properly.

asphalt_surface_preparation.jpgConsider Your Asphalt Repaving Options

If you determine that asphalt repaving is needed, there are many options for the type of asphalt you can use. Take a look at this article, to see your many available options:

Also consider these important tips:

  • Porous Asphalt - This type of parking lot or playground surface allows water to drain through the asphalt and into a stone bed below, filtering back to the water table below. This paving solution is not only green, but also offers significant long-term cost savings. Many local governments charge developers or businesses storm-water impact fees for handling the water run-off from parking lots or playgrounds in the storm sewer system. Porous asphalt eliminates these both these impact fees, as well as the need to put in an expensive storm-water management solution, such as a retention pond.
  • Downtime - One other issue to consider with parking lot repaving projects is downtime. If your asphalt parking lot or playground is large or has more than one section, you can phase your repairs over 2 sections. This will ensure that your project will not interrupt your tenants or customers.

With 75 years of asphalt paving experience, from small playgrounds to huge parking lots, Wolf Paving is your local source for all of your asphalt paving needs.

For more information on Wolf Paving or to request a free estimate for your next paving project contact one of our two offices. If you live or work in the Milwaukee area, call us at262-965-2121. For the Madison area, call us at 608-249-7931.

Property Manager checklist


The post How to Budget for Asphalt Repaving for A Parking Lot or Playground appeared first on http://www.wolfpaving.com/blog

Monday, August 8, 2016

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August 08, 2016 at 03:59PM

Construction industry welcomes e-learning to help increase best practice in being a considerate constructor

Construction industry welcomes e-learning to help increase best practice in being a considerate Hub (Medium)constructor

Over 3600 courses undertaken so far by construction sites, companies and suppliers registered with Considerate Constructors Scheme

The Best Practice Hub – the construction industry’s online platform for sharing best practice – has launched a series of free e-learning courses designed to help raise standards across the industry.

Considerate Constructors Scheme-registered construction sites, companies and suppliers of all sizes can undertake the e-learning courses, designed to improve their knowledge of the Scheme, in order to meet and exceed the expectations of the Scheme’s Code of Considerate Practice.

The e-learning courses, which are eligible for CPD, were launched to all Best Practice Hub registered users during May, and have since then received a huge response, with over 3600 courses being taken by over 750 individuals across the sector.

Completing e-learning improves users’ understanding of the Scheme’s Monitors’ Checklist, as well as providing a range of ideas to help fully prepare for Monitors’ visits. There are six courses available, five of which relate directly to the Scheme’s Code of Considerate Practice: Care about Appearance; Respect the Community; Protect the Environment; Secure everyone’s Safety; Value their Workforce, and one which provides an introduction to the Scheme.

Considerate Constructors Scheme Chief Executive Edward Hardy said: “The Best Practice Hub’s e-learning courses provide a great resource for any site manager, contractor, supplier or client looking to improve their knowledge of the Scheme and meet and exceed the Scheme’s Code of Considerate Practice. These easily accessible and practical courses are also helping to achieve the ultimate aim of continually striving to raise standards, and improve the overall image of the industry.”


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Wednesday, August 3, 2016

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August 03, 2016 at 04:28PM

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August 03, 2016 at 04:28PM

Why Asphalt Paving is the Top Choice for Property Owners

WOLF_blog_commercial-paving_roller-truck-close-up-front.jpgWhether you own a property that houses your own business, or a rental property that others use, keeping your maintenance costs down is always a top priority. At the same time, keeping your parking lot and any other paved surfaces in good condition is important for both aesthetic and safety reasons.

With 75 years of experience, our team at Wolf Paving has expert commercial asphalt paving contractors to help you make informed decisions when it comes to pavement maintenance, aesthetics, cost and installation.

If you are facing a big paving project, here are the top 4 reasons to consider asphalt paving:

WOLF_1.png

Cost benefits:
Working with a Milwaukee asphalt-paving contractor has significant savings over using concrete or other paving materials.

  • With regular preventative maintenance, asphalt pavement has a long life that provides a great return on your initial investment.
  • A properly designed, installed and maintained asphalt parking lot will last from 15 – 20 years.
  • It’s possible that you might encounter a higher up-front cost, but the long lifespan of asphalt paving provides space in your budget for many years to come.

WOLF_2.pngLong lasting curb appeal:
With regular street sweeping and sealcoating, your asphalt parking lot or driveway will continue to look great as the years go by. Preventative maintenance, which includes regular sealcoating, gives asphalt a fresh, new look and added protection from UV rays, water penetration and topical spills, like oil. A well-maintained parking lot makes a good first impression and keeps your customers and/or tenants safe.

WOLF_3.png
Environmental benefits:

There are two key reasons why asphalt pavement is a great, environmentally friendly choice for your next paving job.

  • Asphalt can be recycled. In fact, about 90 million tons of used asphalt pavement is crushed and recycled to make into new asphalt each year in the United States. Waukesha asphalt paving contractor Wolf Paving is proud to recycle 100% of the asphalt it removes from job sites.
  • Porous asphalt paving, an alternative to traditional asphalt pavement, allows water to flow through it and into the water table below naturally, rather than running off and causing potential flooding or water pooling issues.

WOLF_4.pngLess inconvenient downtime: Professional asphalt paving contractors use an advanced installation process that can be completed much more quickly than a concrete project of the same size. If property owners choose asphalt paving, customers can use the new parking lot, driveway or walkways quickly. If your asphalt parking lot is large, it’s possible to phase your new project or repairs over a 1-2 day window, or even a 1-2 year window. This makes sure that your repairs will not interrupt the tenants or customers who use your lot.

So when it comes to paving options for property managers, it is clear that asphalt paving makes good sense and can help you check off your list of must-haves.

Here are some additional paving resources that you will find valuable:

Reliable and experienced asphalt paving contractors are a valuable partner for every property owner to have. Look for Madison asphalt paving contractors who are licensed, bonded and insured. A contractor with experience completing similar projects and who owns their own equipment will be more likely to give property owners an accurate quote.

Locally-owned and operated, Wolf Paving owns not only their own equipment, but their own material plants. This ensures that complex projects can be completed with customized solutions, and a budget that keeps your cash flow intact.

CLICK HERE: Request A Free Estimate Now for Your Next Paving Project

With 75 years of asphalt paving experience, from highways to driveways, we are your local source for all of your asphalt paving needs.

For more information on Wolf Paving or to request a free estimate for your next paving project contact one of our two offices. If you live or work in the Milwaukee area, call us at 262-965-2121. For the Madison area, call us at 608-249-7931.

Property Manager checklist


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New construction minister appointed

Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Bridge collapse causes rail chaos

Parts of a bridge have collapsed near Loughborough causing travel chaos on trains between the East Midlands and London.

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The bridge at Barrow Upon Soar collapsed during the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Trains between Loughborough  and Leicester have been unable to run.

Network Rail engineering teams have been working through the night and today to clear the debris but lines are not expected to reopen until tomorrow.


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