The parking lot is the first part of your business new customers or clients will see, so it needs to create a positive impression. Designing and constructing the space properly will make the front of your store or office more attractive and accessible. The following guide outlines the main points that will help you achieve these goals and make your workplace more inviting. 

Prepare for Pavement Wear

Early parking lot designs don’t always factor in potential issues like traffic flow, which vehicles will enter the lot, or potential drainage problems that could affect the pavement. Thinking ahead about what types of vehicles that will be visiting your business—whether they’re passenger cars, loading trucks, or emergency vehicles—will help you determine how thick the pavement should be to avoid premature damage or sunken spots.

Additionally, surface and subsurface drainage must be carefully designed and installed to prevent water accumulation that can cause the top layer to split and invite further moisture damage. This step is especially important as the weather cools down due to the increased risk of frost and ice, which expand and contract, rupturing the pavement.  

Maximize Parking Capacity

When planning the parking lot stalls, you want to make the most of your available space. First, organize areas into rectangular spaces and have the parking spaces’ long sides run parallel to the longer sides of the rectangle. Ideally, you should start the lines of the stalls at the perimeter and work your way in. Also, leave the spots nearest to the facility available for handicapped parking; these spaces may need to be larger than the others to accommodate specialized vans and people unloading walkers or wheelchairs. 

Another way to maximize parking capacity is to consider the angle of the stalls. Sixty-degree angles are the most common because they are easy for customers to enter and exit quickly. However, if your visitors are likely to stay for a longer time, this might not be as important. In these instances, 90-degree stalls are more useful. They also allow you to add more spots to the lot. If the lot is small, add stalls at 45 degrees; although these spots are tighter than their 60- or 90-degree counterparts, you can fit more of them into the lot. 

Getting the best parking lot design starts with hiring the right paving contractor. Since 1989, Lyons & Hohl Paving has provided quality residential, industrial, and commercial paving to Pennsylvania’s Lancaster, Berks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties. They customize each project from the beginning to find the right balance of durability and economy. Visit their website to learn more about their process, and call (717) 355-9219 to begin discussing your project.