Concrete parking lot building in Los Angeles CA - a lot sized to the traffic it carries
Planning a new lot or rebuilding a cracked, sinking one? We pave it on even, packed ground, with thicker concrete where trucks drive.
What goes into building a concrete parking lot?
Concrete parking lot building in Los Angeles is forming, pouring and finishing concrete pavement over ground that's been dug out, evened and packed, so the lot holds up under the cars and trucks that use it.
Most calls start with a lot that's cracked, sinking where trucks turn or holding water after rain, or with a property that needs paving before tenants or customers show up. The price moves with the size of the lot, how thick the concrete has to be for what drives on it, how much old paving has to come out and how much work the ground needs before we pour, while the schedule turns mostly on city review and the weather on pour days. I'll walk the lot with you and put the numbers for your own job in the estimate.
How we handle concrete parking lot building
Before anything else, I ask what will use the lot and where the trucks will drive, so heavier concrete goes only in those lanes and you're not paying for thick pavement under parked sedans. Then we check the subgrade, the soil the slab sits on, because it has to be even all the way across, and a soft or different patch gets dealt with before we pave over it. We dig out, pack the base and grade the lot so water runs off it and away from buildings, then set forms and pour early enough in the day that heat doesn't leave a weak, dusty top. We give it a broom finish, a light ridged texture that gives tires and shoes grip, and cut control joints, shallow grooves that give the concrete a straight place to crack, before cracks can pick their own spots. If the budget gets tight, I'd rather spend it underneath than on the surface, because a nice finish on a poor base cracks just like a plain one.
A lot usually comes with other concrete work around it. Light poles, a block wall along the property line or a carport stand on concrete footings, the buried concrete that carries their weight, and those are easier to pour before the lot goes in. If a building beside the lot has settled, foundation raising brings it back to level first, so we set the lot's grades against a building that's back where it belongs.
Cars and pickups only
This suits a lot for a small office, a church or an apartment building where nothing heavier than a pickup parks, because one standard thickness across the whole lot does the job. We still ask whether a trash truck or a moving van comes in now and then.
Delivery and light truck traffic
If vans, box trucks or trash trucks drive in, we plan thicker lanes along their path and keep the parking stalls standard. That puts your money where the weight actually goes.
Concrete parking lot building and city review in Los Angeles
In Los Angeles, building and grading permits for a lot go through plan check at the city's Department of Building and Safety, and the staff there decide whether your permit also needs a stormwater clearance, known as LID. How much paving you're adding or replacing, and whether we're rebuilding the old lot on the same lines, shapes that review, so I measure both at the estimate. When the job needs a permit, we figure out which office covers your address and handle the application and inspections for you.
We're based in Los Angeles and work across the city and many of the cities around it, and the lots we get called to look a lot alike from place to place. Most are older paving behind shops, offices and apartment buildings, broken up where delivery trucks turn and low where water sits after rain. We see the same kind of lots on jobs in East Los Angeles and Alhambra, and the fix starts in the same place, finding out why the old pavement failed before we pour new. We also plan the accessible spaces and the path to the door early, because California's disability access commission reports that accessible parking and routes come up in a large share of formal complaints.
Concrete paving work up close
Why call us for parking lots
The owner estimates and leads the crew
I come out to look at the lot and give the estimate myself, and I'm the one leading the crew when we do the work. What you tell me about your trucks and your drainage doesn't get lost between a salesman and a crew.
Thirteen years of flatwork since 2013
I learned concrete from my dad, hauling and mixing before I ever finished a slab, and started this business in 2013. We're best known for flatwork, the slabs that sit on the ground like lots, driveways and walks, done right underneath where nobody looks.
Fully licensed and insured, ask us
California's contractor license board has a concrete class that covers forming, pouring and finishing pavement like a parking lot, so it's fair to ask anyone you're talking to how they're licensed. We're fully licensed and insured, and I'll answer that question at the estimate.
When you're ready, send us the details of your lot or call (213) 329-1820, and I'll come take a look.
(213) 329-1820Get an on-site estimate for your parking lot
We reply within one business day to set a time, and then I come out, walk the lot and give you the estimate on site. It's free, and there's no obligation to go ahead.
Parking lot questions from Los Angeles owners
How do I choose the right thickness for a concrete parking lot?
Choose it from the vehicles the lot will carry. Concrete industry guidance says 4 inches of concrete with no steel in it is usually enough for cars and pickups only, while light trucks may call for 5 or 6 inches. The same guidance notes that marking truck lanes on the plans lets one lot use different thicknesses, which can save a lot of money on big projects.
What does Los Angeles require for parking lot paving?
The city's paving rule calls for hard, durable paving on every parking area and driveway, and for concrete that means at least three inches of portland cement paving, with more for heavier traffic. If a project creates or replaces 5,000 square feet or more of hard surface across the site, the city's stormwater development standards apply too. We check your lot against both before we plan the pour.
Does rebuilding an old parking lot in Los Angeles count as redevelopment?
Usually not, if the rebuild stays within the old lot. The city treats it as routine maintenance when it disturbs no added area and keeps the original grade and alignment, which means the same drainage pattern, slope and elevation. Widening the lot or changing how water runs off it can change that, so we measure the existing lot before we change anything.
Is porous concrete a good choice for a parking lot in Los Angeles?
It can be, but weigh the upkeep first. The city's paving rules list porous concrete and permeable pavers among the materials allowed for parking areas, and state road-design guidance names maintainability as a major concern with pervious pavement. If any part of the lot is a fire lane, the Fire Department has to approve an alternative paving product there.
How much does a concrete parking lot cost in Los Angeles?
The cost comes down to the lot's size, the thickness your vehicles need, how much old paving comes out and how much the ground needs before we pour. A plain broom finish costs less than decorative work, and that's the place to save, not the base. I'll give you a figure for your own lot after I've walked it.
How long does a concrete parking lot last before it needs repairs?
Concrete industry guidance says the first round of restoration, fixing isolated worn or broken spots, typically comes at 10 to 15 years. That kind of repair is the least costly first response and disrupts the lot the least, so it's worth setting money aside for it early. A lot built on an even, packed base usually gives those repairs less to do.
Plan your new parking lot, base and all
Call (213) 329-1820 with the lot's rough size and what drives on it, and the first conversation covers most of the planning.
