Concrete parking lot building in Solon OH - a lot built for the traffic it carries
Potholes, puddles and a cracked old lot? We build a concrete lot sized for your cars and trucks, on a base that holds.
What goes into building a concrete parking lot?
Concrete parking lot building in Solon means tearing out the old surface, packing a solid base and pouring a slab designed for the cars and trucks that will use it, so the lot drains, stays level and stands up to the plow.
Most calls start with an asphalt lot full of potholes, a slab that's heaved and cracked, or water pooling in the stalls. The price moves with the size, the tear-out, the traffic and the ground under the site, because a lot that takes delivery trucks needs more than one that only parks cars. The schedule turns on the permit review, the weather and the cure before anyone parks, and my written estimate lists what's included so you can plan around it. We're based in Solon and work in Solon and the cities around it, and if the old lot is concrete, we can cut it out in sections so part of it stays open while we work.
How we handle concrete parking lot building
I start by walking the site and asking what will drive on it, because a lot for parked cars and a lot with daily box trucks are built differently, and I won't price it until I know. Our crew tears out the old surface, digs down to firm ground and packs the subgrade, the layer the slab sits on, so the lot doesn't settle with loose dirt. We check where the water runs so it heads to the drains and away from the building, then set forms and rebar, the steel that carries load and holds the slab together if it cracks. We pour in the cooler part of the day, give it a broom finish, a light texture that keeps tires and shoes from slipping when it's wet, and cut control joints, the planned seams, on time. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather cut a decorative edge than the base, because nobody sees the base on day one and it decides whether the lot stays flat. Before we leave, we talk through how the lot will be cleared of ice while it's young, since that shapes how the surface wears.
Reinforced lot with heavier truck areas
This suits most business and apartment lots, where cars park and a few trucks come through, because we build the drive lanes, dumpster pad and loading spot heavier than the stalls instead of paying for heavy slab everywhere. It's what I price first on most sites.
Pervious concrete
Pervious concrete lets rain soak through the surface instead of running off, and it can go most places regular pavement goes and is especially well suited to parking lots. It fits a site where handling water is the main problem, and I'll tell you at the estimate whether yours is a good match.
Building a concrete parking lot in Solon
Solon's Building Department issues most building permits in the city, and I won't guess whether your lot needs one, so we ask them before we start. You can call them about your own site too. When the city wants a permit, we file it and schedule the inspections, and since the department says review generally takes 7 to 10 business days depending on the project, we put that wait into your schedule. A lot that disturbs an acre or more of ground also falls under a statewide stormwater permit for construction, which we bring up at the estimate.
The lots we're asked about here are mostly office, shop, church and apartment lots, with traffic that runs from cars to delivery and plow trucks. We see the same mix on jobs in Twinsburg and Beachwood, and the design starts the same way, with what the lot has to carry.
Concrete paving work up close
Why call us for parking lot building
I write the estimate myself
I do the estimates myself, and our crew does the forming, pouring and finishing with me or our foreman running the job. When you have a question mid-job, you're talking to someone who measured your lot.
Licensed and insured for Solon work
We're licensed and insured. Solon has every contractor get a certificate of registration from its Chief Building Official, renewed each year, and show liability coverage of $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 in aggregate with the city named as an additional insured, so ask any bidder about their contractor registration before you sign.
Base and tear-out on paper
We've been in business since 2013, and every written estimate lists the tear-out and the base instead of adding them back later. I'd rather lose a job than bid it short, so the work you sign for is the work you get.
On a lot, the traffic and the base decide most of what happens later, so it starts with a walk of the site. Request an estimate, call (440) 560-8533 or email hi@solonconcrete.com, and have the address, the area to pave and the traffic you expect ready.
(440) 560-8533Get a written estimate for your parking lot
I'll get back to you within one business day to set a time to come out and measure the lot. The on-site estimate is free and comes with no obligation, and it's written out with everything it includes.
Questions about concrete lots in Solon
Does a concrete parking lot cost more than asphalt in Solon?
It may not be the cheapest bid up front, but an Ohio concrete industry group says concrete costs less over the lot's useful life once you count placement, yearly operating costs and upkeep and repair. That's their view, so compare total cost over time, not just the opening number. Your price turns on the area, the tear-out, the base and the traffic, and my written estimate lists each one.
When is the best time to pour a concrete parking lot?
Pour in mild weather, not in hot, dry stretches or late in the season, because both can keep the concrete from curing, the slow hardening that sets its strength, and leave the surface soft. Soft concrete wears down and soaks up water fast, which speeds freeze-thaw damage across the whole lot. We plan the pour around the forecast and the permit review, and we'd rather move the date than pour in bad conditions.
Can I salt a new concrete parking lot in its first winter?
You can, but salt on young concrete, which is still porous, wears the surface paste away faster, so it pays to plan another way to clear ice early on. Calcium chloride and magnesium chloride are among the harder salts on concrete, so ask whoever plows the lot what they spread. We go over that plan with you before we leave.
How do I compare bids for a concrete parking lot?
Ask each contractor whether the mix is air-entrained, with tiny air bubbles mixed in to limit freeze-thaw damage, the way most outdoor concrete is. Then look for the tear-out and the base written on the page, because those are the lines that get left off and added back later. Mine lists both.
What causes cracks in a concrete parking lot?
Most cracks come from a base that settled, water sitting on or under the slab, or joints cut late or skipped. Concrete shrinks as it hardens, and the joints give that shrinking a planned place to crack. A new lot can still crack, but on a packed base with joints cut on time, it usually cracks along the seams instead of across the stalls.
How do I keep the joints in a concrete parking lot from breaking down?
Keep the joint seals in repair, because a working seal greatly cuts how much salty water gets into the seam between slabs. When a seal fails, salty water soaks the concrete around the joint, and that's where the damage starts. A look each spring and resealing where needed is part of normal upkeep.
Plan your parking lot with Bedrock Solon Concrete
Call (440) 560-8533 or use the form, and if the lot also needs pole bases or a lifted walk, we'll price it on the same visit.
