In 2020, the average parking structure cost about $25,000 per space to build or about $65 per square foot. Office buildings in Milwaukee are required to have one parking space “for each 500 sq. ft. of the first 2,000 sq. ft. of gross floor area; one for each 1,000 sq. of gross floor area in excess of 2,000 sq. ft.” (source)
That means that if your building is 50,000 square feet you’ll need at least 52 parking spaces and your new parking structure will cost about $1.3M by the time you complete the project. You certainly don’t want to have to redo anything.
The building code of Milwaukee has more than 2,000 words in it dedicated to parking and paved areas. Buried in those pages are some obscure requirements, such as:
- The surface of all lots, spaces and areas regulated in this section shall be maintained free of holes and ruts, which may accumulate standing water.
- All storm water which is generated from a newly paved or repaved area of more than 1,000 square feet…shall be disposed of within the lot lines through a sewer, permeable paving, natural absorption or combination thereof without discharging to adjacent private or public property not specifically designed for this purpose.
- Plans for the paving of a parking lot shall indicate existing and paved areas, distance of paved areas to lot lines, finished grade elevations, swales, buildings, wheel guards and barriers, curbs, curb cuts, location of drains and catch basins, size and arrangement of parking spaces and width of aisles and driveways.
You can future-proof your parking structure and avoid expensive mistakes on parking construction projects by consulting a maintenance expert before beginning work. Here are four things to consider.
Water Availability
Pressure washing companies charge extra to carry water in. For large parking structures this can be prohibitively expensive. You want to know much water capacity is needed to pressure wash your entire facility using your own water sources. Planning ahead for the right water supply will save a lot of money in the long run.
Wastewater Recovery
Do you know what the regulations are for wastewater recovery in your area, and how much water will need some place to go during and after a cleaning? If wastewater needs to be removed or stored and filtered before being released into the sewage system, you’ll need a plan for that. You’ll also want to have the most environmentally friendly features factored in from the beginning.
Concrete Sealing
Sealing your concrete can double its life and significantly reduce your repair costs. But not all concrete sealers are alike. The best ones cost more money and that cost is multiplied by the number of square feet in your garage. But that’s only one side of the equation. You don’t want to make a decision that will cost less up front only to see that savings wiped out by larger costs down the road. A top of the line, 100% solids, silane sealer should be on your short list of must-haves.
Striping and Pavement Marking
In addition to meeting the requirements of the building code, proper pavement markings need to be planned in advance. This will include vehicle parking, pedestrian walking spaces, directional driving arrows, entrance and exit signs, handicapped parking spaces, loading and unloading areas, and fire lane areas. In some instances, such as handicapped spaces and fire lanes, there must also be both marking on the pavement and on upright signs.
We are Milwaukee’s concrete experts. Call us for a consultation before you hire architects and contractors and we’ll make sure you know what you need to consider before breaking ground on your new parking structure.
