facilities
Free Visual Guide & Checklist for Parking Garage Inspections
ST. LOUIS, MO – Maintaining multi-million-dollar campus parking garages can be a daunting task for building owners and facility managers. To make identifying and tracking problem areas within parking structures easier, St. Louis-based Western Specialty Contractors offers an online Visual Guide & Checklist for parking garage inspections.
Available for free download, building owners and facility managers now have available a visual reference for easily identifying and tracking damage to a parking structure’s main components, including the concrete slabs and beams, support columns, walls, drainage, and expansion and control joints.
“Our easy-to-use guide takes the guesswork out of identifying damage and hazards within parking structures so that a routine maintenance program can be established and the structure can be kept in a safe condition for users,” says Carter Pogue, Western Specialty Contractors, sales/project manager.
The guide includes a list of simple questions and check boxes to help facility managers identify damage to each component of a parking structure and includes detailed photos of damage such as rust and water stains, exposed rebar, efflorescence, and spalling and cracking so facility managers know exactly what to look for.
All types of parking structures — the three most common types being double tee precast, conventional and post-tensioned — are subject to deterioration from environmental stressors, wear-and-tear and deicers tracked in during the winter months.
An ineffective maintenance routine on a parking structure can quickly lead to costly repairs and restorations that can be disruptive to tenants and cause unexpected costs and safety concerns.
"The damaging and compounding cycle of water infiltration and wear-and-tear to a parking structure never improves on its own, and the longer that warning signs are ignored, the more serious and costlier the repairs can become," says Pogue.
A concrete maintenance and restoration specialist is recommended to confirm problem areas and hazards within the garage and recommend a repair plan and maintenance schedule that will:
- Delay or avoid costly restoration,
- decrease liabilities,
- retain ideal parking volume and rates,
- adhere to local permitting guidelines, and
- maintain the property's value.
Download the visual guide and checklist here.
About Western Specialty Contractors
Family-owned and operated for more than 100 years, Western Specialty Contractors offers a nationwide network of expertise that building owners, engineers, architects and property managers can count on to develop cost-effective, corrective measures that can add years of useful life to a variety of structures including industrial, commercial, healthcare, historic, educational and government buildings, parking structures, and sports stadiums. Western is headquartered in St. Louis, MO, with 30 branch offices nationwide.