Our Services
Parking Structure Restoration
Parking structures take more punishment than almost anything else we work on. They sit outdoors, they carry moving loads, they get salt and de-icer dragged across them all winter, and the top deck takes the weather on one face while the level below takes whatever gets through. Nearly everything that fails on a parking structure fails because of water, and nearly every repair on this site turns up in a garage sooner or later.
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Top deck restoration
The top deck is where the damage starts and where the money is. It is the only level exposed directly to sun, snow and freeze-thaw, it takes the de-icing chemicals first, and whatever gets through it ends up on the levels below. Restoring a top deck usually means some combination of removing failed concrete and rebuilding it, repairing post-tension cable where corrosion has reached it, resealing the joints, and putting down a traffic coating that will take tires and plows. Done properly it resets the clock on the structure. This is the work ORC is built around.
What an assessment covers
Before anything gets bid we walk the structure and establish what is actually happening: where water is getting in, how far the corrosion has gone, whether the reinforcing or the post-tension system is involved, and which repairs are urgent as against which can be scheduled. Sometimes we bid from our own assessment and sometimes from an engineer’s specification. Either way the point is the same, which is to repair what has failed and protect what has not, rather than resurfacing over a problem that comes straight back.
The repairs a garage usually needs
A parking structure project is almost always a package rather than a single service. Structural repair where the concrete has broken down, post-tension or barrier cable repair where the steel is involved, injection for cracks and voids, expansion joints rebuilt, sealants replaced, and a coating over the top to keep the next round of water out. We self-perform all of it, which means one crew, one schedule, and nobody pointing at somebody else when a detail lands between two trades.
Working around an occupied structure
Almost every garage we restore stays in use while we are in it. That means phasing deck by deck or bay by bay, keeping access open, staging materials where they are not in the way, and scheduling the loud and disruptive parts around the building’s own hours. Coating work in particular is weather and moisture driven and often runs overnight, when the deck is dry and empty. Coordinating that with property managers and tenants is as much a part of the job as the concrete.
Our certifications
ORC’s owner and members of our crew have been certified through the Post-Tensioning Institute for more than 25 years, which is longer than ORC has been in business. Members of our crew are certified at Level 1 and Level 2. Level 2 is the higher of the two, and certain jobs require a Level 2 certified employee on site. We are also members of the International Concrete Repair Institute.
Post-Tensioning Institute
Certified at Level 1 and Level 2
International Concrete Repair Institute
Member
Questions we get asked
What is the one thing owners defer that they should not?
Sealants. Water and chloride intrusion are the biggest enemies a concrete structure has, and sealants are the first thing standing between the two. Sealants are the oil change, and the oil change is what gets deferred. The repair that follows costs more than the maintenance would have.
What does it cost to restore a top deck?
There is no honest range we can give you, and anybody who quotes one before seeing the deck is guessing. The top deck is where the snow sits and where the water intrusion starts, so the work is usually protective coatings, concrete repairs and mitigating water and chloride intrusion. What moves the number is quantity, phasing, and how much has been neglected. Two decks of the same size can be completely different projects. If you own a post-tensioned garage, be more vigilant with it than you would with an ordinary one.
Can you work on a garage that stays open?
Yes, and most of the ones we restore do. It comes down to phasing. We are sensitive to the fact that our customers have to keep operating, so we partner with them on traffic control and phasing to keep the structure moving. Hotels, casinos and anywhere that depends on visitors are the hardest to schedule around, and they are also where it matters most, because shutting a parking area down can cost the owner more than the repair does.
Related services
Certified Post-Tension Repair
Our repair technicians are trained, educated, and certified in post tension repair and replacement specifically. ORC specializes in repairs of unbonded monostrand as well as antiquated button head cables. We also repair and replace barrier cables.
Learn MoreConcrete Coatings and Waterproofing
Significantly extend the life of your structure’s high traffic concrete surfaces with industry leading waterproofing and protective coatings.
Learn MoreExpansion Joints
We install expansion joints in all types of concrete and steel structures such as parking structures and stadiums. Expansion joints are critically placed in structures to accommodate anticipated movement while preventing water intrusion.
Learn More