Car wash and car service centre construction in Batumi

Car wash, car service centre or both

We start car wash construction in Batumi with the format. A self-service car wash consists of open bays under a canopy and a plant room for the equipment. A hand car wash works in enclosed bays. A car service centre brings together bays with lifts or pits, a parts store, tyre fitting and sometimes a paint booth. If all of this is on one plot, we separate the wet area from the repair area with a wall, so that spray mist from the wash doesn't reach the electrics and the paint shop.

We work out the number of bays from the traffic at peak hours, and leave room on the plot for a queue, so that cars don't wait in the street. We keep the entrance and exit apart and put the vacuum stations after the bays. We check what the plot's zone allows before the design, and the general procedure for business buildings is described on the page about commercial buildings. If the building is going to be let to an operator, we get their requirements for the bays before the concept sketch, and the lease with them can be handled by our manager for commercial property management.

Wastewater treatment and water recycling

Water from a bay carries away sand, dirt, oil and chemicals, and we don't let it into the ground or the storm drain. The wastewater first goes to a silt trap, where the heavy fraction settles, then to an oil separator, which holds back petroleum products, and only after that to the city sewer, under the water utility's technical conditions. We size the treatment system by the number of bays and the water used per car.

After filtration, a water recycling system returns most of the water to the pre-wash, and consumption from the mains drops noticeably. The final rinse usually uses clean or reverse osmosis water, otherwise streaks are left on the bodywork. Sludge from the silt trap and oil from the separator are removed regularly, so we leave access for a tanker to the manholes.

The car wash floor: falls, channels and protecting the metal

We lay the bay floor to a fall towards a channel drain along the bay and cover the channel with a grating that a car can drive over. Under the screed we lay waterproofing turned up onto the walls, otherwise water with chemicals will work its way into the base within a few seasons. The floor surface is hard-wearing and resistant to cleaning agents, and the bottom of the walls is protected with an upstand or tiles up to splash height.

Metal in a car wash stands in damp conditions with chemicals, so for the wet area we often recommend cast-in-place concrete or masonry; the choice is covered in our comparison of concrete vs steel frame. We keep steel for the canopy and the repair area, and its corrosion protection is described on the page about steel frames, while the fixings in the bays are stainless steel. The distribution boards go into a dry plant room.

Pits and lifts in a car service centre

An inspection pit costs less than a lift and doesn't need a tall hall, and for lorries and minibuses it is often more convenient, because a lift for a heavy vehicle is expensive. Near the sea we cast such a pit as a monolithic concrete tank with waterproofing, fit wheel guards along the edges, use extra-low voltage lighting inside and take the extraction from the bottom. A lift needs a slab for its anchors, with a thickness and strength set by its data sheet.

We fix the lift positions before the floor is poured: the slab is strengthened under the posts, and the cables to them run in ducts. Tyre fitting, tyre storage and the compressor room go into separate rooms, because the compressor is noisy and burning tyres give off a lot of acrid smoke.

Ventilation and exhaust extraction

At every bay in a car service centre where a car stands with its engine running, we fit a hose extractor that attaches to the exhaust pipe. General ventilation removes the rest and brings in fresh air, and we place the supply air intake well away from the extract outlet. In a car wash, ventilation fights mist: without it, condensation drips from the ceiling in winter. Air curtains go above the doors, so that heat doesn't escape from the bay while the door is open.

Fire safety in a car service centre

A car service centre holds oils, fuel in the cars' tanks, paints and tyres. A paint booth comes from the supplier with its own extraction and filters, and we prepare a separate room for it, while the oil store is separated from the bays by a masonry wall or a wall of non-combustible sandwich panels. The office, the staff room and the customer waiting area are separated from the bays, and each part has its own exit. The fire alarm, fire extinguishers by the bays and emergency lighting on escape routes are part of the design, and the requirements for them depend on the use and size of the building.

How much car wash construction costs in Batumi

A turnkey car service centre or car wash building costs from 1,380 to 1,800 ₾ per m². The price includes the frame, walls and roof, a door for each bay, a floor laid to falls with drains, extraction, wastewater treatment, a toilet and a staff room. Lifts and washing equipment are not included. We prepare the design ourselves, but it is a separate line in the estimate, and the fees for connecting water, sewerage and electricity are charged by the utility owners.

A self-service wash bay with a canopy, pad, drain and partitions costs from 27,000 to 36,000 ₾ without the washing equipment, and a silt trap with an oil separator for it, installed, from 14,400 ₾. An inspection pit is priced separately, from 6,900 ₾. Doors are included in the building price, but each opening with an automatic opener costs from 7,200 ₾, so the number of enclosed bays has a noticeable effect on the estimate. Pits in wet ground, a distant sewer and a paint booth push the price up, while open bays under a canopy bring it down. We send a preliminary estimate from a sketch and photos of the plot within 24 hours on business days. The final cost is set on the basis of the design, after a visit to the plot and once the estimate is agreed.