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EASTERN
Concrete Coating
Parking Deck Waterproofing
Restoration of existing parking structures is unavoidable and something that needs
to be done regularly. With the advent of the concrete repair industry, a majority of
maintenance and repair work is fairly straightforward. There are many readily
available resources from professional organizations and technical committees
outlining how parking structures can be kept in good condition to extend their
service life. Typical maintenance and repairs usually include various types of
concrete repair, sealing cracks, replacing sealants, applying concrete sealers and
maintaining traffic toppings. Although the unit costs for these work items are fairly
uniform among repair contractors, the total repair costs could vary depending on
specific site conditions and how the repair-phasing plan is developed.
There are at least five factors that can significantly affect the cost of restoration:
Available space for repairs
Optimizing operation income
Maintaining level of parking service
Life cycle cost analyses
Specific requirements for ingress and degress
BEFORE AND AFTER PARKING GARAGE CONCRETE PATCHING AND TRAFFIC COATING INSTALLATION. PHOTO
PROVIDED BY CHAMBERLIN ROOFING WATERPROOFING.
Available Space for Repair
When planning for repairs, an engineer must work closely with the property
manager or parking operator of the building to determine the number of parking
spaces that can be taken out of service at any time during repair construction.
Typically, most restoration contractors would like to have access to the entire
parking area, and it would be cheaper and simpler to do it that way. However, more
likely than not, this is impossible. The continued demand for parking spaces must
still be met and, to a certain extent, the stream of revenue from parking spaces
needs to be maintained. It is helpful to know early during the planning stage how many parking spaces can be taken out of service at any given time during repair
construction.
Based on our experience, a minimum of 100 parking spaces is required at any given
time in order for the repair construction schedule to flow well. Of course, the more
parking spaces available to the contractor during repair construction will result in
less phasing and shorter repair duration, thereby resulting in lower total repair
costs. In short, the number of available parking spaces during repair construction is
inversely proportionate to the total costs of repairing the parking facility.
It should be noted that concrete floor repairs generally involve more than one
parking level. In addition to the level that is being worked on, the level below the
repair area also needs to be taken out of service to protect vehicles and
pedestrians from falling debris. Consequently, although 100 parking spaces may be
taken out of service, the contractor may be able to work in an area of only 50 parking spaces.
The contractor’s superintendent must work closely with the building manager or
parking operator to transition from one phase to another so only the agreed upon
number of spaces are taken out of service.
LEVELING CONCRETE TO COMPLETE PATCHING REPAIR. PHOTO PROVIDED BY CHAMBERLIN ROOFING & WATERPROOFING.
Optimizing Operation Income
In downtown and urban environments, many parking facilities are attached to a
mixed-use high-rise building. In addition to monthly or yearly rental income for the
spaces, there is a significant income stream from transient hourly parkers. With
restoration construction, the transient parking will be reduced or even eliminated,
resulting in a considerable loss of revenue to the owner. Understanding the impact
of the loss of parking spaces and reduced revenue stream will allow for better
optimization of the repair budget.
Maintaining Level of Parking Service
Repair construction tends to be dusty, noisy and messy. To lessen the impact,
forward planning and communication are needed with the repair contractor, the
parking facility operator, tenants and patrons. Steps to mitigate noise and dust can
be written into the contract so the level of service is not compromised during repair
construction.
Having multiple construction phases can result in confusion and frustration to the
patrons if the re-routing signage is not clear and if the phasing schedule is not
communicated early to all involved parties. We recommend that a detailed phasing
plan be incorporated as part of the bidding documents, showing the number of
construction phases, each with the number of parking spaces to be taken out of
service, at what dates and for how long a duration. This allows for all stakeholders
to be aware of what can be expected in each repair phase. It is important that the
phasing plan be discussed at the pre-bid meeting, so the bidding contractors
understand the phasing plan for the project and this provides a level playing field
for contractors bidding the project.
It is apparent that the shorter the repair duration, the less impact there will be on
the operation and income stream of the facility. However, there are opposing
factors that need to be considered. A shorter duration will require that more
parking spaces be taken out of service for each phase. On the other hand, the more
phases you have, the lower the number of parking patrons that will be displaced for
each phase but at a higher total repair cost. The higher construction cost is due to
the additional overhead in mobilization costs for each phase, providing routing,
signage, barricades, etc.
In summary, a more complete phasing plan is needed for cost-effective pricing from
contractors. In addition to planning for the repair items, consideration should be given to parking stakeholders. Items should include layout of repair phasing, traffic
circulation patterns, direction and signage, and steps to maintain the expected level
of service including dust, noise and cleanliness control.
SEVERELY DETERIORATED CONCRETE AND RUSTED REBAR IN PARKING GARAGE. PHOTO PROVIDED BY CHAMBERLIN
ROOFING & WATERPROOFING.
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