A concrete parking lot has to carry cars all day, delivery trucks now and then, and whatever the weather brings, for a long time. We build them for commercial property across Marietta: the retail and restaurant frontage around Marietta Square, offices, clinics, schools and the smaller lots tucked behind them. The work is a structural slab first and a surface second. That means the right thickness for the traffic it will actually see, proper reinforcement, control joints cut where the concrete wants to crack, and a finished grade that moves water off the lot instead of across it. Get those right and the striping is the easy part.
Every site starts with the ground under it. Cobb County is hilly, with 199 feet of local relief within a few miles, though it varies from block to block. The dominant soil is well-drained Gwinnett, and that changes across the county too. So we grade and test each site on its own before a single form goes up. With about 59 inches of rain a year, drainage gets planned before the pour, not patched after it. We handle the permit, prepare the subgrade, and place and finish the slab in sections, which can keep part of a working lot open where the layout allows. Then we cut the joints and let it cure properly. Call for a free estimate.
Three things set the number: how much the ground has to move, how thick the slab needs to be, and what goes inside it. Cobb County has 199 ft of local relief within a few miles, so a flat lot on one street can sit beside a steep one on the next. We grade and test every site before quoting. Our estimate covers excavation, compacted gravel base, forms, rebar, the pour, finishing, curing and hauling away what we dig out.
A driveway fails from the bottom up. Cracked and sunken drives usually trace back to a thin base, missing reinforcement, or water getting under the edges. We cut to firm subgrade, compact crushed stone in lifts, set rebar on chairs so it sits mid-slab instead of on the dirt, and thicken the apron where the drive meets the street. With about 59 inches of rain a year, we pitch every surface away from the house and saw control joints the same day.
Garage, basement, shop and commercial floors take a different finish than outdoor work. Under the slab we lay a vapor barrier over compacted base, because moisture wicking up through concrete is what lifts flooring glued down later and leaves white bloom on bare floors. We power trowel to a hard, tight surface, then cut joints where cracks would otherwise pick their own line. After that it gets sealed, polished, or left ready for tile or epoxy.
The median home here was built in 1986, so plenty of slabs have had decades to settle, heave or spall. We start by finding out why it failed: a washed-out base, roots, a downspout dumping onto the edge, or no reinforcement at all. Hairline shrinkage cracks can be routed and sealed. Sunken sections can sometimes be lifted. Where the base is gone, patching only hides the problem for a season, so we cut out the section and pour it back properly.
We treat a parking lot as a structural slab that has to carry weight and move water, not as an oversized patio. Cobb County is hilly, with about 199 feet of local relief within a few miles, and the ground can change from one block to the next. So every site gets graded and tested on its own before a single form goes down. Gwinnett soil is the dominant type here, and it drains well, but it varies across the county. We would rather learn that from a test than from a cracked bay a year later.
Rain is the other thing we plan around. This area sees about 59 inches of it a year, and a lot sitting on a slope has to send all of that somewhere useful. It cannot pool at the entrance. We set the fall of the surface, the joint layout and the reinforcement to fit the traffic the lot will actually carry, whether that means delivery trucks behind retail frontage near Marietta Square or a row of commuter cars outside an office. We handle the permit as part of the job. Call for a free estimate.
Most parking lots we pour start as a plain slab with a broom finish, because that texture gives tires and shoes something to hold onto in the rain, and Marietta sees about 59 inches of it a year. From there, the choices come down to strength and use. A lot that carries cars only can run a thinner section than one taking delivery trucks or a dumpster pad. Reinforcement comes as rebar, welded wire, or fiber mixed into the concrete, and each has its place. Curbs, wheel stops, striping layout and accessible ramps get decided at the same time, since they change where the joints fall.
Decorative work has a place on a commercial property, but a small one. Stamped or colored concrete reads well at an entrance walk or a seating area outside a restaurant. It wears poorly under turning tires, so we keep it where people walk. On most sites, drainage matters more than finish. Cobb County is hilly, and a lot that slopes the wrong way sends water toward the building or leaves it standing where people park. We grade and test every site before we settle on a mix, a thickness or a reinforcement plan, because the right option depends on what the ground underneath is doing.
Two parking lots of the same size can land far apart on price. What drives the number is the ground under the slab, how the trucks get to it, and what the lot has to carry once it is open. Here is what we look at on a site visit, and what you can check yourself before we come out.
| What changes the price | Which way | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Old asphalt or concrete still in place | costs more | It has to be broken out and hauled off, and the base under it checked before anything new goes down. |
| Slope across the lot | costs more | Cobb County is hilly, and a parking surface needs a steady, gentle fall. More cut and fill means more machine time. |
| Soft or wet spots in the base | costs more | When testing finds weak ground, we dig it out and replace it with compacted stone. |
| Room for a ready-mix truck to reach the pour | costs less | If the truck can back up to the forms, no pump or extra labor is needed to move the concrete. |
| Delivery trucks, dumpsters or heavy vehicles | costs more | Heavier loads call for a thicker slab and more reinforcement than a lot used only by cars. |
| Where the water goes | costs more if drains are needed | With about 59 inches of rain a year, water has to leave the surface. Catch basins and trench drains add work. |
| Keeping the business open during work | costs more | Pouring in sections so customers can still park means more mobilizations and more joints to form. |
When you compare bids, set them side by side on the details: slab thickness, the type and spacing of reinforcement, base depth, joint layout, drainage, and whether demolition and hauling are included. A low number often leaves one of those out. We write every item into our estimate, and we handle the permit.
Size is rarely the only thing that decides it. Grading, drainage, new curb cuts and how much ground gets disturbed all play into whether a lot needs a permit, and a small lot with a steep grade change can need more paperwork than a flat one twice its size. We look at the property, work out what applies, and handle the permit ourselves so construction starts on solid footing.
It depends on the lot, and a real number beats a guess. Square footage matters, but so do slab thickness, the base under it, the reinforcement, drainage and how much grading the site needs first. Cobb County is hilly, with 199 feet of local relief within a few miles, so two lots with the same footprint can need very different site work. That difference shows up in the price. Call for a free estimate on your lot.
Yes. Reinforcement is sized to the job, not pulled from a default. A parking lot that takes delivery trucks needs different steel than a patio or a residential driveway, and we match mesh gauge, spacing and placement to the loads the slab will actually carry. Where mesh alone is not enough, we pair it with rebar. The goal is a surface that stays flat and holds together under steady traffic.
The wall decides it. Height, what it holds back, and what sits above it (a parking area, a building, a slope) all change what the permit covers and whether engineering drawings come with it. Cobb County is hilly, and a level slab on a sloped site often needs a wall at its edge. We handle the permit and build the wall to the plan it was approved under.
We work across metro Atlanta, on commercial and residential projects alike. A lot in Kennesaw gets the same crew, the same site testing and the same scope of work as one a few blocks from Marietta Square. Every property is graded and tested on its own before we start, so the work follows the site, not the address. Not sure whether your property falls inside our area? Call and ask.
Yes, in most cases. A foundation is structural, and structural concrete usually goes through permitting and inspection. We handle the permit. Before any forms go up, we test the soil on your site. Gwinnett soil is the dominant type in Cobb County and drains well, but it varies across the county, so we check what is actually under your footprint rather than assume.