Concrete parking lot building in Wesley Chapel FL - a slab laid out for your trucks

Usually yes, if you plan to keep the property for years, because concrete is very durable and lasts longer even though it costs a good deal more up front. It also takes longer to install and its repairs are more involved, so build extra time into your plans. In a lot that carries mostly cars, most of the wear comes from leaked oil and fuel, rain and poor drainage, so plan your upkeep around those.

Yes, and the design usually comes out cheaper and lasts better when traffic controls keep trucks out of the areas meant for cars. That way the heavy-duty pavement goes only where trucks actually run, and the car areas don't have to be built for loads they'll never see. A set delivery route, curbs or signs can do that job.

It's usually a poor fit wherever trucks run or spills can happen, because permeable pavement lets rain soak through but isn't as strong as regular asphalt and isn't meant for heavy traffic or extreme loads. It also doesn't belong where fuel, oil or hazardous materials are loaded, stored or likely to leak. Pervious concrete generally costs more than regular concrete, and how much more varies with the region, the use, the size of the job and the mix.

You need an Environmental Resource Permit from the Southwest Florida Water Management District before building if the work affects wetlands, changes how surface water flows or could add to water pollution. A paved lot changes where rain goes, so tell me about any wetlands, ditches or drainage near the site when we talk. New applications go through the District's online ePermitting system, and when your job needs a permit, we pull it and handle the paperwork so you don't have to.

Uneven settling of the packed layer under the slab is a big one, because concrete cracks more easily when the ground beneath it gives way in one spot. That matters here, since much of central Florida sits on limestone that water dissolves, and a map of Pasco County sinkholes shows the reported events if you want to look. Concrete still shrinks a little as it sets, which is why the joints we talked about decide where those hairline cracks show up.

Yes, concrete poured in hot weather lasts about as well as concrete poured in mild weather, as long as the mix is strong enough and curing keeps the surface from drying out. On hot days we start early so we're finishing before the sun gets to the slab, and we keep the new surface damp while it cures. It's a fair question to ask any crew you're thinking of hiring.