What is the best way to surface a car park or shared drive?
For most community and small commercial car parks, concrete block paving on a properly sized sub-base is a strong option, especially where cars turn tightly between bays. Asphalt is the other common choice. Block paving can be lifted and relaid locally when a pipe or cable must be reached, and parking bays can be marked with contrasting blocks instead of paint.
Asphalt covers large, simple areas efficiently, but repairs remain visible and the surface is usually marked with paint that fades. The comparison depends on area, traffic, budget and how often services will need access. We look at it in more depth in our article on block paving or asphalt for a car park. If the community prefers a green look on overflow parking, grass grids are possible, and permeable paving and grass grids explains when they work.
Which blocks and layouts suit communal parking?
Shaped interlocking blocks, such as the double-T, and rectangular blocks in herringbone are the two layouts we use most on parking areas. Both resist the sideways forces of cars turning into and out of bays. Contrasting colours can mark the bays, pedestrian routes and no-parking zones permanently.
- Double-T in a single colour: robust, economical to lay over large areas.
- Herringbone in rectangular blocks: a more residential look for urbanisation entrances.
- Contrasting lines of blocks: permanent bay markings that do not wear off.
- Kerbs and edge courses around planters and islands: keep the paving restrained where cars turn.
- Grass grids or permeable blocks on overflow bays: where drainage and use make them suitable.
Concrete paving blocks are made to UNE-EN 1338 with the Spanish complement UNE 127338, and concrete kerbs to UNE-EN 1340 with UNE 127340. For areas where vans and delivery lorries also drive, the base and block are specified more heavily, as on our industrial yards page.
How does the community of owners approve the work?
Through the owners' meeting. In Spanish communities of owners the Horizontal Property Law (Ley 49/1960) applies, and work on common elements needs a resolution under the majority rules of article 17. The community administrator, who usually manages the quotes and the agenda, confirms which majority a given job requires.
To make the vote easier, our quote sets out the scope in plain terms: the area to be paved, what will be removed, how drainage is handled, how access will be kept during the works and how waste is dealt with. Owners who live abroad can read the quote in English before voting by proxy. The process is explained step by step in our guide for communities of owners, and the questions administrators usually ask are collected in our article on what communities ask before paving common areas.
How do residents keep access while the car park is rebuilt?
By dividing the work into phases agreed with the administrator in advance. Each phase closes only part of the car park, while the rest stays open with a marked route. Residents are told which spaces are affected and when, and temporary parking arrangements are agreed where needed.
- Survey the area with the administrator and identify bays, routes, ramps and drains.
- Split the area into phases that keep the entrance and as many bays as possible open.
- Agree a notice to residents with the phases and the affected spaces.
- Fence off the active phase, excavate, build the base, set edges and lay the blocks.
- Reopen the finished phase before closing the next one.
- Send photo updates to the administrator, who can share them with owners.
Our article on how we run a job on paving in daily use describes in more detail how phasing works in practice, including deliveries and keeping the site clean. It also covers how residents are kept informed and how the finished phases are handed back.
What about communal roof terraces and podium car parks?
Paving over a roof slab, a podium deck or the roof of an underground garage is a different technical problem from paving on the ground, because the waterproofing, the drainage of the deck and the allowable load of the structure come first. A communal Spanish rooftop or deck therefore starts with the structure, not with the choice of block.
We do not assess structures or design waterproofing. Where a deck or roof is involved, the community should obtain a technical report from a qualified professional, and we then execute the paving to that specification. Terraces used only by pedestrians are covered by our paved terraces service on the terraces and pools site.
What happens with drainage, manholes and services?
Large paved areas collect a lot of water, so the falls, channels and gullies are planned for the whole car park before the first phase starts. Manholes, inspection chambers and service covers stay accessible; the blocks are cut around them or laid into recessed covers so the surface looks continuous.
Covers and the trenches around them are the classic weak points in older community car parks, often because a service trench was refilled without proper compaction. Where that is the cause of sinking in an existing car park, the repair is described on our guide to manholes and trenches. Planning falls and channels is covered in our guide to falls and drains on driveways.
What affects the cost of a community car park?
Area, phasing, access and what has to be removed are the main drivers. Phased work in an occupied car park takes longer than an empty site, and an old asphalt or concrete surface adds breaking out and waste. Drainage, kerbs around islands and bay markings in contrasting blocks also add to the work.
Our price site gives the figures: block paving cost per square metre, including the note on larger areas, and how to compare quotes fairly when the community has received several. Send us a photo and the approximate m² – free, no-obligation quote, and tell us whether the administrator should receive the quote directly.
Frequently asked questions
Is block paving or asphalt better for a community car park?
It depends on area, traffic and priorities. Block paving can be lifted locally for services and allows permanent bay markings in contrasting blocks, while asphalt covers large simple areas efficiently but shows repairs. We compare both in our article on block paving or asphalt for a car park.
What majority does the community need to approve the paving?
Work on common elements needs a resolution of the owners' meeting under article 17 of the Horizontal Property Law. The exact majority depends on the type of work and should be confirmed with the community administrator, who prepares the agenda.
Can owners who live abroad see the quote before the meeting?
Yes. We can provide the quote in English and in Spanish, so the administrator can circulate it to all owners before the meeting. Owners abroad can then decide how to vote by proxy with the full scope in front of them.
Will residents lose access to their parking spaces?
Only part of the car park is closed at any time. The work is divided into phases agreed with the administrator, each phase is reopened before the next begins, and residents are told in advance which spaces are affected.
Can parking bays be marked without paint?
Yes. Lines of blocks in a contrasting colour can be laid into the surface to mark bays, walkways and no-parking areas. They do not wear off like paint, and they can be lifted and relaid if the layout ever needs adjusting.
Can you pave over a podium deck or garage roof?
Only once the waterproofing, deck drainage and structural capacity have been confirmed by a qualified professional. We do not assess structures. When the specification is ready, we can execute the paving over the deck according to it.
Are grass grids suitable for community overflow parking?
They can be, where the ground drains well and the bays are used occasionally rather than daily. Grids need a prepared base and regular grass care. For bays in constant use, solid or permeable blocks are usually more practical.
What happens to the manholes in the car park?
They remain accessible. We cut the blocks around them or use recessed covers filled with paving so the surface looks continuous. The area around each cover is compacted carefully, since poorly compacted trenches are a common cause of sinking.
Do you deal directly with the administrator?
Yes, if the community wishes. We can send quotes, phasing plans and photo updates to the administrator, who passes them on to owners. Contact with a single person keeps decisions clear during the works.
Can you pave the parking area of a small business or hotel?
Yes. The same approach applies to the car parks of shops, offices, hotels and restaurants. Where delivery lorries also use the area, the base and block are specified for heavier traffic, as described on our industrial yards page.