When You're in Business, Remember That First Impressions Begin Outside
If you're in business, you know that first impressions are everything. When you operate a stand-alone restaurant or other store, you need to understand where those first impressions occur, and it's often before they actually get into the building itself. You cannot risk creating a disgruntled customer before they even see what you've got to offer and must make sure that they can access the property, park their vehicle and stroll to your front door with the smile still on their face. So, if you're planning the design and layout of your operation, how can you make sure that your parking area is fit for the purpose and ready for an onslaught of new customers?
Paved Is the Way to Go
More often than not, you will need to pave the surface of your parking area. You may try to save some money by levelling it off with gravel, but this can be vulnerable to those Australian rainstorms. Before you know it, it will be filled with potholes which will subsequently fill up with water. Not only will this create obstacles for your customers to avoid, but it may also make their cars dirty. Pave the car park and make sure that you outline each parking space carefully to avoid confusion.
Keep off the Grass
You also want to keep those cars from damaging the impeccably-manicured landscape around the perimeter. If you're not careful, somebody could misjudge the stopping distance due to inattention and run over your flowering acacias. To do this, you need to install concrete kerbing. You can have your contractor design and install it specifically for you. Each kerb will have the same dimensions and be suitable for the purpose and they will be able to deal with all kinds of weather conditions without losing their integrity.
Gentle Reminders
You may also want to install wheel stops at the front of the parking space, so that nobody damages their car against a kerb. This will also provide even more consistency to your parking layout.
Additional Requirements
Of course, you won't be able to install kerbs around the entire perimeter, as apart from the vehicle entry point (of course) your building will need to have access for people with disabilities. You will need to get special ramps that conform with stringent regulations.
Amending Your Plans
Get some details from concrete contractors in your area, so that you can include kerbs, wheel stops and ramps in your budget equation.
