Concrete parking lot building in Delray Beach FL - a lot laid out for how cars use it

The cost of a concrete lot comes down to its size, how much old paving and soft dirt has to come out, how thick the slab has to be for your traffic, and the drainage work. I measure on site and give you the estimate in writing, so you can see what you're paying for before anything starts.

Pervious concrete fits a lot with light traffic and only the odd heavy vehicle, because it lets water soak through but tends to be weaker than regular pavement. Where cars turn often, regular concrete is the better choice, since pervious can shift, crack or flake at the surface there. Florida extension guidance adds that a pervious system should drain completely within 24 to 72 hours and sit at least 2 feet above the seasonal high water table, and poorly drained soil can make that hard.

Some cracking is expected in any concrete pavement, and control joints, the planned lines cut into the slab, decide where those cracks form, how wide they get and how they look. When joints are cut late or skipped, the cracks pick their own spots, so we lay the joints out before we pour. A base that was only raked level instead of dug out and packed causes the worse kind, cracks from settling.

Florida law requires each accessible space to be at least 12 feet wide, with an access aisle at least 5 feet wide beside it. The aisle is striped diagonally as no parking and is part of the accessible route to the entrance, so we leave room for it in the layout from the start.

It can, so check with the offices before you set dates. The South Florida Water Management District requires an Environmental Resource Permit for development and construction work, and its list names site grading, so ask the district about your lot. In the city, most applications start with a pre-application meeting you book through eServices, the city's online system, and the city's Building Division helps with permit applications just north of the main City Hall entrance, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. When a permit is needed, we handle the filing and the inspections, and I'll tell you at the estimate if we need anything from you, like a survey or your parcel number.

Ask to see their county or state license and proof of liability and workers' comp insurance, which is what Palm Beach County advises. We're fully licensed and insured, and you're welcome to ask us for both. In Delray Beach, a contractor also has to register with the city and keep a current license on file before submitting a permit, and the county suggests holding the final payment until the permit is closed out.