Concrete Parking Lot Building in Brookline MA - a lot that holds up to plows and salt

Often it can, since a concrete overlay can be placed right on top of an existing asphalt lot, and the trade has a guide for choosing, designing and building one. Whether it suits yours comes down to what's under that asphalt, because an overlay sits on the old lot and inherits its base. Ask about it before you plan a full rebuild.

It holds up well when the mix is chosen for winter before the pour, because freezing water and salt are what wear lots down here. Air-entrained concrete carries a network of tiny, evenly spread air bubbles that give freezing water room to expand, and a lower water-to-cement ratio, enough air and proper finishing and curing, which is keeping the slab damp while it gains strength, help the surface resist salt scaling, the flaking you see on old lots. Keep the joint seals in repair so salty meltwater can't soak in around the joints, and give new concrete time to air-dry before the first salt goes down.

You start by telling us what will park and drive on it, how many vehicles and how many you expect down the road, because a concrete trade group recommends the owner supply the expected loads. In the setup it recommends, a civil engineer sets the concrete strength, joints and drainage, and a geotechnical engineer, the one who studies the soil, recommends the thickness based on how well the ground supports the slab. We work it out with them before anything is ordered.

Beyond the city's erosion, stormwater and site plan reviews covered above, a site over 1 acre where stormwater can run off to a river, stream or other water of the United States needs coverage under the EPA's Construction General Permit. If the lot serves a place open to the public, such as a store, a restaurant or an apartment building, the state Architectural Access Board's rules apply to it too. I check what applies with the building office before we book the job.

The price comes down to the lot's size, how thick it has to be for the vehicles on it, what has to come out first and how much drainage it needs. Going over sound asphalt can cost less than a full tear-out, while engineering, city plans and trees that have to come out add to it, and a lot built right can be economical over its life because it gives many years of service with little upkeep. I give you a written figure after I've seen the lot.

You can't park on it until the concrete has cured enough to take the weight, and cars always wait longer than feet do. The design, engineering and any city review happen while you still have your old lot, so the time you're actually without parking is the tear-out, the pour and the cure. If you need part of the lot open, we can talk about building it in sections.