Anyone ever had a sea wall built? I live on a small recreational lake in ENC, and my wife and I are looking into building a sea wall at the edge of our property.

I know there are a ton of factors involved, but for a shoreline that I stepped off at about 190 feet, what kind of price range should I expect? Suggestions on materials, etc.? Anyone have any contractors they would suggest?

5/28/2012 6:11:21 PM

Sounds like you need a lake wall.

5/28/2012 6:26:45 PM

Sounds like you need a lake wall.

5/28/2012 6:47:29 PM

whats the current status of that edge of your property? grass hill? sand? rocks?

5/28/2012 6:48:31 PM

What's the reasoning behind wanting a wall?

5/28/2012 6:54:51 PM

The edge of the property is a grassy hill with a very gentle slope. I want a lake wall to put a halt to erosion.

5/28/2012 7:15:34 PM

Sea walls are not allowed in North Carolina, but they are allowed in South Carolina.

5/28/2012 9:20:54 PM

I was expecting a thread about this:

5/28/2012 9:33:37 PM

I think you mean a bulkhead. Anyone that can build a dock can build a bulkhead. Just ask the locals who builds the docks in your area.

5/28/2012 9:54:37 PM

meh, we always called'em seawalls. and a bulkhead was the part that turned back into the land (seawall = parallel to water/bulkhead perpendicular to water). But I'm pretty sure they're interchangeable terms.

whatever you want to call it, it's not cheap. as said above, any marine constructor can do this; however, do your homework on contractors first.

Some things to watch out for:

- Depth of wall (contractors cutting corners will stop the wall below the water line; it needs to be buried under the lake bed)

- Proper waterproofing behind wall (if water can come through cracks in the wall, it will eventually form a sinkhole behind the wall

- Proper piles; make sure the contractor is using big enough piles to hold the wall up; I think the general rule is 2x wall height (so the piles should go two times further in the ground than the open/exposed height of the wall)

- Bulkheads at property lines (turns wall 90 degrees into the property to anchor wall & protect erosion from neighbors' sides (not a huge issue on a lake, but some bulkheading should be provided)

5/29/2012 8:05:46 AM

also make sure you check with the lake operator for proper permitting. last thing you want is to build without consent at a lake.

5/29/2012 9:40:52 AM

Quote :

"I think you mean a bulkhead. Anyone that can build a dock can build a bulkhead. Just ask the locals who builds the docks in your area."

[NO]

The bulkhead in front of my place (leased lot) was originally put in place about 10 years ago...It lasted about half a summer before getting ripped apart. The pilings and a skeleton of it remained for many years, but that's about it.

Two years ago the owners must have gotten sick of watching their shoreline wash away, so they rebuilt it just as it had been before. This time it lasted less than two weeks.

Shortly thereafter a more professional looking crew came in to redo it. They brought in a mini-backhoe and a dumptruck full of rocks...Dug out all the ground behind it a few feet down, anchored the pilings with cables that would later be covered by dirt, laid down a bed of rocks behind it, and filled in the soil. The top of it has already popped off and the soil behind it quickly became a sinkhole exposing the rock layer. In addition, when the water is high waves crash over the top of it, making that section of the yard a permanent wet spot because the water doesn't have any force to propel it back over the bulkhead in the other direction.

Long story short...Do it right and do it once. "Right" will vary depending on the local conditions.

Check the local restrictions before you do anything. Permits will almost definitely be required. Many lakes require riprap in front of new bulkheads now. This would help break the waves so they don't crash directly into it, but it's also a snake haven.

5/29/2012 12:42:09 PM