Concrete parking lot building in Pasadena CA - a lot that drains well and holds up
Cracked, sinking or puddled parking? We build concrete lots on a packed base with planned drainage, so the pavement stays flat and sheds water.
What does it take to build a concrete parking lot in Pasadena?
Built Right Pasadena Concrete builds concrete parking lots in Pasadena, CA, which means preparing the ground, then forming, pouring and finishing a concrete pavement on your site. Built with methods meant for parking lots rather than streets, a concrete lot can give many years of service with little upkeep.
Most lot calls start with an old surface that's cracked, sinking or holding water, or with a property owner who needs spaces they don't have yet. The price mostly turns on the lot's size, how much digging and base work the ground needs, where the water has to go and whether you pick regular or pervious concrete. The schedule turns on permits, any city plan review and curing, the wait while the slab gains strength before it can take cars. If the job also includes light poles, signs or a low wall, those need concrete footings, and that goes into the plan too. Your own figure comes in the written estimate. We're licensed and fully insured, and in California the state licensing board's concrete contractor license covers forming, pouring and finishing pavement and flatwork, meaning flat jobs like lots, driveways and walks, so ask anyone you're considering whether they hold it.
How do you know your parking lot needs new concrete?
Most lots tell you they're failing long before they break apart. These are the things owners usually notice first, and what each one tends to mean for the ground under the pavement.
Cracks that keep spreading across the lot usually mean the base underneath has shifted or washed out.
Water standing in the same low spots after rain means the lot wasn't graded to drain, or has sunk.
Sunken areas near drains or along the curb often point to soft soil or water working under the pavement.
A surface that's chipping, dusty or flaking usually comes from a weak top, often from a pour in midday heat.
Slab edges that lift or drop into trip points mean the panels are moving on their own.
Old asphalt breaking into potholes after years of patching tells you the base has given up and needs rebuilding.
Call (626) 345-7318 once water starts pooling or cracks open wider, because both mean water is reaching the ground underneath, and the base gets softer every rainy season.
What happens when you call us about a parking lot in Pasadena?
Here's how a lot job runs with us, from your first call to the walk-through at the end, and where the city's permits and plan review fit into the schedule.
Call or send the form
Call (626) 345-7318, email office@pasadenaconcretecontractor.com or use the form, and we'll get back to you to set a time to see the lot. Tell us whether it's a new lot or a repaving, so I know what to look at.
I measure and walk the lot
I come out myself, measure, count the spaces and ask how you'll use the lot, because size and space count shape what the city will ask for, even on a repaving. Then you get a written estimate that spells out what I'd do and why, so you see what the price covers before you decide.
We settle permits and plans
Before we start, we work out who's pulling each permit, put that in writing and handle the paperwork on the ones we pull, and any work in the public right of way is permitted and inspected through the city's Public Works permitting office. The city says plans complex enough to need full review take approximately two to four weeks, while simple projects within its over-the-counter limits can be reviewed in as little as 5 to 10 minutes, so that review often sets the start date.
We prep, pour and finish
Our crew digs out and packs the ground, sets the forms, pours, finishes and cuts the joints, and I'm on site to run the job. When it's done, I walk the lot with you and go over how long it needs to cure before cars go on it.
Get a written estimate for your parking lot
We reply within one business day to set a time. Then I come out, measure the lot, ask how you'll use it and give you a free written estimate on site, with no obligation.
- Call
- (626) 345-7318
- Hours
- Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM
Base, joints and surface choices for a concrete lot
The part of a lot you'll never see does the most work. We dig out and pack the subgrade, the soil the slab sits on, and the base above it, and we check where the water runs so it leaves the lot. When the budget gets tight, people want to cut the base before the finish, and that's the one I'll argue to keep, because a slab on loose dirt settles with it.
Thickness, steel and joints depend on the traffic, and I set those at the estimate. Rebar, the steel inside the slab, helps hold the concrete together if it cracks, and control joints, the straight lines we cut into the surface, give the slab a place to crack where we choose. We cut them on time, add a broom finish so tires and shoes grip, and skip midday pours that leave a weak, dusty top.
Most lots get regular concrete, but pervious concrete, which has open gaps that let rain soak through, is traditionally used in parking areas and light-traffic pavements. If you're leaning that way, I'll go over the cleaning it needs to keep draining. On regular concrete, an older industry guide says wear from leaked fuel, lubricants and the elements is often the main upkeep concern on lightly loaded lots.
Parking lot questions from Pasadena property owners
How do I know if my Pasadena parking lot needs a stormwater plan?
Pasadena requires a stormwater plan, which the city calls an LID Plan, for a parking lot with 5,000 square feet or more of hard surface that water can't soak into, or with 25 or more parking spaces. The plan covers the controls that keep runoff from carrying pollution, and they have to be in before the project is complete, so on a bigger lot we plan for them from the first visit. The city's low impact development page is where to check how it applies to your site.
What else does Pasadena require for a parking lot with a stormwater plan?
A lot with a stormwater plan also needs a signed Master Covenant Agreement with an operations and maintenance plan attached, which is notarized and recorded with the County Recorder's Office once it's approved. If the plan relies on water soaking into the ground, a soils investigation on the site has to prove that works, with a report on how fast water soaks in, how deep the groundwater sits and what the soil is made of. These are Pasadena's rules, so a lot in one of the cities around it, where we also work, goes by that city's own requirements.
Does repaving an existing parking lot in Pasadena need a stormwater plan?
It can, because the same plan applies when work on an already developed lot creates, adds or replaces 5,000 square feet or more of hard surface. That means a large repaving job can bring the plan in even though the lot is already there, which is why I measure before anything else.
What upkeep does a pervious concrete parking lot need?
A pervious lot needs scheduled cleaning, because dirt and debris clog the open gaps that let water drain through. National industry guidance says owners who choose it should plan for that cleaning, such as vacuum sweeping and pressure washing.
How much does it cost to build a concrete parking lot in Pasadena?
It depends on your lot, and you'll get your own figure in the written estimate once I've measured it. Size, the digging and base work, drainage, regular versus pervious concrete and whether a stormwater plan or soils report is part of the job all move the price. The base is the last place I'd save money, for the reason above.
What causes a new concrete parking lot to crack?
Most early cracks come from a base that was raked level instead of dug out and packed, water running under the slab, a pour in midday heat, or joints cut late or skipped. Concrete still cracks some as it shrinks, so we cut the joints on time to keep those cracks in lines we chose.
Other concrete work that comes with a lot
Concrete footings
Light poles, signs, walls and carports around a new lot each need solid concrete footings underneath, and we can pour those as part of the same job.
Foundation raising
If the building beside your lot has settled, or the old paving tipped water toward its walls, foundation raising is worth looking at before we pour.
Book a walk-through of your parking lot
Call (626) 345-7318, email office@pasadenaconcretecontractor.com or use the form, and have the square footage, space count and any existing paving handy, since those numbers tell us early whether the city's stormwater plan is part of your job.
Mon–Fri: 8 AM–11 PM, Sat–Sun: 6 AM–10 PM