Parking Structure Maintenance Guide

Parking Structure Maintenance Guide

Concrete, known for its strength and durability, is by far the most popular construction material for parking garages. However, over time, even this mighty material can be prone to damage and destruction. Regular assessment and upkeep of your parking structure are necessary for maintaining both appearance and structural integrity over the long term. This blog will delve into the significance of routine parking maintenance and how it ensures the longevity of your parking structures.

Why Routine Maintenance is Important

Your parking garage undergoes continuous use and daily exposure to the elements. Under these circumstances, even the sturdiest construction materials will deteriorate over time. As with all large-scale pavement and concrete assets, routine preventative maintenance is the key to the longevity and structural integrity of a parking garage. Routine parking maintenance helps you avoid unnecessary damage and unforeseen costs. Preventative services can help prolong the functionality of a garage over an extended period, limiting damage, keeping cash flow steady, and costs down. With accurate cost and timeline projections, routine maintenance will minimize disruption to both you and your customers or tenants.

Managing Large Scale Projects

Potential structural defects can include wall and column deterioration, malfunctioning extension joints, broken tendons, cracks in beams and joists, and more. Such defects can become a major liability. It’s important to note that large-scale structural improvements and other big projects require a more hands-on management approach than routine repairs and preventative measures. When working with a paving partner, make sure they have a comprehensive system for handling these more intensive projects to help you identify necessary improvements and engineering flaws, as well as review structural defects, and come up with a plan for tackling them.

Services required in a large-scale scope of work can include any number of different repairs and procedures, from the structural to the protective and cosmetic, including post tension and deck repairs, or pavement markings and coating brackets.

Pre-Construction Preparation

Even before breaking ground on your project, there’s a lot to be done behind the scenes. The first priority should be to work with you, the client, to determine the scope of work, timeline, budget, and other logistical and operational concerns. How many phases does your project have, and how long will each phase take? Is permitting required? What will the operational impact be for you, and your customers and tenants? Look for a paving partner who works on your behalf to assess and organize all the details, big and small, so you don’t have to.

Once the scope of work and site logistics have been arranged, your paving partner should begin liaising with their network of trusted contractors and suppliers to order materials, create cost projections, and outline guidelines for the work site. Once all work orders and agreements between the client, location, and partners are confirmed, the paving and build crews can get to work.

The Maintenance Cycle

We recommend having your parking structure assessed at least every two to three years. If it’s been longer than that, chances are some structural issues will go unnoticed. Necessary repairs and signs of structural damage can include, but are not limited to:

Wall & Column Repairs: Signs of deterioration are structural cracks in the concrete, spalling or chipping, defection of the structure, or corrosion appearing on the column/wall surface. Depending on the severity of the damage, epoxy injection may be sufficient, but other instances might require a re-pour.

Expansion Joint: Deck expansion joints provide room for the concrete structure to flex independently under heavy loads. Malfunctioning expansion joints can restrict the necessary movement in the slabs or allow water to enter the structure.

Post-Tension Repairs: Post-tension repairs are required to restore strength and integrity to the structure. Visible signs that a structure needs post-tension repairs are broken tendons that are coming out of the structure, excessive deflection, cracking that runs parallel to the post-tension strands, and diagonal shear cracks in beams and joists.

Deck Repairs: Deck repairs are needed when the cast surface of the concrete is compromised. Typically, the damaged section is removed, and concrete is reapplied into the void.

Benefits of Routine Parking Maintenance

Routine parking maintenance not only helps in the early detection and repair of minor issues but also ensures the long-term health of your parking structure. Here are some benefits:

Enhanced Safety: Regular maintenance reduces the risk of accidents caused by structural failures, ensuring a safe environment for users.

Cost Savings: Addressing minor issues through routine maintenance prevents them from escalating into major, costly repairs.

Extended Lifespan: Proactive maintenance extends the life of your parking structure, providing a better return on investment.

Aesthetic Appeal: Routine upkeep maintains the visual appeal of your parking structure, creating a positive impression for users.

Regulatory Compliance: Regular assessments and maintenance ensure compliance with local safety and building codes, avoiding potential fines and legal issues.

Getting the Job Done

From consultation, strategic planning, value engineering, and project management to comprehensive contracting, we help our clients by managing the entire process from inception to final delivery. Unlike other paving services, Rose Paving’s team of true experts tailors a solution that specifically meets your needs, timeline, and budget. We provide step-by-step updates and support along the way, ensuring that the project stays on track and on budget.

Rose Paving saves you money and time by managing every step of the process in-house: that includes having a licensed professional engineer on staff, a rarity across the industry. Whereas other paving companies will need a third-party engineering firm, which can cost anywhere from $30,000 to $100,000 extra, our on-staff engineer can provide more accurate and cost-efficient assessments of our plans for each client, no matter how big or small the job.

What We Provide

Rose Paving provides a full range of preventative maintenance services to help you stay on top of basic repairs and cosmetic fixes. Continuous everyday use and everything that comes with it–water penetration, UV rays, oil and gas spills, and more–can quickly deteriorate your parking garage, giving you less return on investment. While the protective measures of even one maintenance service can be invaluable to your asset, we recommend a combination of strategies to maximize improvement and durability.

Contact Us for a Free Project Estimate

Don’t wait until minor issues become major problems. Ensure the longevity and safety of your parking structures with routine parking maintenance. Contact Rose Paving today to get a free project estimate and learn more about our comprehensive maintenance services. Visit Rose Paving to get started.