How Paved Assets gave Sunrise Dental three pricing options on the same scope — so the practice could choose between fixing one lot, fixing the adjacent property, or doing both together at a combined-mobilization rate.
Project At a Glance
| Property | Sunrise Dental — 1801 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill NC 27514 |
|---|---|
| Property type | Healthcare / dental practice with adjacent property |
| Project scope | 2" mill-and-overlay repave |
| Sunrise Dental lot | ~5,008 sq ft |
| Adjacent property lot | ~5,178 sq ft |
| Combined area | ~10,200 sq ft |
| Asphalt mix | NCDOT S9.5B surface mix at 2" depth |
| Pricing structure | Three options: each lot separately or both combined |
The Challenge
Sunrise Dental sits at 1801 E Franklin Street in Chapel Hill — a busy practice on a busy street, with patients arriving on schedule throughout the day. The asphalt was past its useful life. Cracking ran across the lot. Spots near the building entrance had progressed to alligator cracking, with a pothole forming in one location. For a healthcare practice, a deteriorating parking lot is more than an aesthetic problem — it's a patient experience problem and a liability concern.
Two complications shaped the proposal:
- Two adjacent lots, two ownership decisions. The Sunrise Dental lot and the property next to it were separate ownership decisions, even though they functioned visually as one continuous asphalt surface. The practice owner needed to know what each lot would cost on its own and what they'd cost together.
- Operational continuity matters more than speed for a healthcare practice. Patients can't be turned away from appointments, and the practice can't simply close for a week. The work would need to be sequenced around operating hours.
Our Approach
1. Three pricing options, presented side by side
Rather than a single number for a single recommendation, we wrote the proposal with three options:
- Sunrise Dental lot only— 5,008 sq ft mill-and-overlay at 2". $24,999.63.
- Adjacent property only— 5,178 sq ft mill-and-overlay at 2". $25,472.13.
- Both lots combined— 10,200 sq ft mill-and-overlay at 2". $40,008.15.
The combined option was priced lower than the sum of the individual options — about $10,500 in mobilization and efficiency savings if both lots were done together. That structure put the decision back where it belonged: with the practice owner and the adjacent property's decision-maker, who could now see exactly what coordinating with the neighbor would save them.
2. Standard 2" mill-and-overlay spec
The lot's underlying base was sound; this was a surface-life-expired situation, not a structural failure. The right spec was a clean 2" mill of the existing asphalt, full surface cleaning, tack coat, and a 2" lift of NCDOT S9.5B surface mix compacted with vibratory rollers. We left an explicit note in the proposal: if undercuts proved necessary once we got below the surface, we'd issue a change order before doing additional work.
3. Sequencing built around the practice's operating schedule
For a healthcare practice, the right answer is usually to work in sections so the practice never fully loses access — patients still arrive for appointments, the front entrance stays usable, and the work feels like it's happening around the practice rather than to it.
Why It Mattered for a Dental Practice
- A professional first impression. Patients form opinions before they reach the front door. A freshly paved, freshly striped lot signals attention to detail and care for the patient experience. For a practice competing on quality, the parking lot is part of the brand.
- Liability reduced. A pothole in a healthcare practice's parking lot is a slip-and-trip claim waiting to happen. Repaving eliminates that exposure for the next 12–18 years.
- Optionality on the joint approach. Putting all three pricing options in writing meant the practice owner could approach the adjacent property with a number — "if we do this together, here's what we each save" — instead of an abstract suggestion.
- Minimal patient disruption during the work. Sequencing kept the practice operational throughout.
Project Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Property scope | Sunrise Dental + adjacent property at 1801 E Franklin St |
| Asphalt removed | ~10,200 sq ft @ 2" depth (combined) |
| Asphalt installed | NCDOT S9.5B surface mix at 2" depth |
| Compaction | Vibratory rollers, multi-pass |
| Surface preparation | Full mill, debris haul-off, tack coat to vertical edges |
| Pricing structure | Three independent quotes (each lot + combined) |
| Combined-mobilization savings | ~$10,500 vs. sum of individual quotes |
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should I expect a 2" mill-and-overlay to last on a small commercial lot?
Properly installed on a sound base — 2" of NCDOT S9.5B surface mix, fully compacted, applied over a clean milled surface with proper tack coat — a small commercial lot at this scope typically performs 12–18 years before another mill-and-overlay is justified. Routine sealcoating every 2–3 years and prompt crack filling will keep you toward the high end of that range.
My practice can't close. How disruptive is the work?
For a property the size of Sunrise Dental, the work itself takes 1–2 days. Sequencing it in sections — repave the back half while the front entrance stays open, then switch — keeps the practice operational throughout. Asphalt is drivable within 24 hours of paving in optimal conditions; striping is usually laid the morning after the asphalt has cured. Expect minor disruption on the day of work itself, none afterward.
Why offer two lots as one combined quote?
Mobilizing equipment to a site, hauling materials in, setting up traffic control, and breaking down at the end of the day are the same costs whether the lot is 5,000 sq ft or 10,000 sq ft. When two adjacent lots can be done in one mobilization — same crew, same day or two — the per-square-foot cost drops noticeably. At Sunrise Dental, the combined quote saved about $10,500 vs. doing each lot separately. That's real money for a small healthcare practice.
Do you handle the coordination with the neighboring property owner?
We can support that conversation by providing the written quote that lays out exactly what the joint approach saves, but the conversation between the two property owners is theirs to have. Once both parties agree, we coordinate scheduling and access from both properties.
