Here at Seaside Seawalls, we are proud to announce the recent completion of a black steel seawall on the beautiful Green Lake in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Green lake is a very calm and tranquil lake, as it is only 100 acres with no public access, and is therefore a peaceful paradise for the residential community who reside there. Seaside Seawalls was contacted in order to remove this particular resident’s existing seawall, as it was over 35 years old and therefore failing. However, any construction within the private residential community situated on Green Lake requires several permits. This meant that our team not only had to acquire a DEQ permit (as usual), but two additional permits. Since West Bloomfield is part of the greater Oakland County, we had to obtain an OCDC Permit (Oakland County Drain Commission) as well as a West Bloomfield Wetland Permit. The West Bloomfield Wetland Permit even required our team to attend a mandatory meeting in front of their Wetland Review Board to ensure that any construction in this area was approved and deemed acceptable. In fact, a Wetland Consultant had to visit the area in order to determine if installing a steel seawall was, in fact, the best solution to the common problem of shoreline erosion due to the existing failing seawall. Even after the West Bloomfield Wetland Permit was approved, we had to wait for a 21-day period in case there were any objections to our construction efforts from neighbors. But after the long process of applying for and acquiring all of the necessary permits, Seaside Seawalls was finally able to start this exciting project!

First and foremost, we had to remove the existing seawall as well as the cantilever deck in order to install our brand new black steel seawall. Removing the cantilever deck was necessary, even though the customer still wished to have a deck, because we needed to be able to construct the new seawall without any barriers. For that reason, we set the cantilever deck aside after dismantling it so it could be re-installed upon completion of the seawall. Our team then had to construct a black steel seawall (in accordance with the regulations and permits we had acquired) directly in front of where this resident’s existing seawall was.

The entire project took about five days to complete, with the brand new black steel seawall being approximately 105 feet in length and 3 feet in height. Another interesting detail that is unique to the location of this particular job is that West Bloomfield requires a 60 foot planting bed to act as mitigation to any natural environmental impact from any newly installed seawall. To meet this requirement, Seaside Seawalls stacked between 4 and 8 inches of Michigan fieldstone (boulders and riprap) high at the toe of the new seawall. For those of you who don’t know what “riprap” is, it’s basically rock material that is used to keep shorelines and their structures (i.e. seawalls) from eroding due to the inevitable and ever-changing weather and ground conditions which could ultimately have a negative impact on the shoreline (and will usually lead to shoreline erosion if left untreated). After the new black steel seawall was installed successfully, our team re-constructed the homeowner’s deck, and assisted with installing trusses to overhang the seawall itself.

As previously mentioned, Green Lake is a private lake with no public access. It is a very calm lake, since it is not an all-sports lake, and therefore only electric motors are permitted (meaning there are no jet skis, wake boarding, or other noisy activities allowed). While residents can make use of electric motor boats on this lake, there is generally very little wake since these boats are not very powerful nor do they go very fast. This makes Green Lake and it’s many waterfront properties an ideal place to relax and take in the beautiful scenery and summer weather with very little disturbance. Since the lake is relatively small (about 100 acres), its deepest point is 72 feet.

The Township of West Bloomfield, in which Green Lake can be found, has a population of about 64,690 and is well-known for its many large-sized homes, winding roads, and scenic rolling hills and scattered lakes and streams. In fact, residents of West Bloomfield often affectionately refer to the township as the “Lake Township of Oakland County”, as it is home to several small and medium-sized lakes. West Bloomfield is just one of the 62 Townships and villages located in the greater Oakland County, which is said to have a population of approximately 1,202,362 and a total area of 908 square miles. About 35.49 square miles (nearly 4%) of this is water, making Oakland County a great destination for water-related sports and activities!

With summer being just around the corner, you may be looking to enhance the appearance of your waterfront property in Michigan. Seaside Seawalls is a reputable and trusted company made up of several excellent team members with years of experience under their belts! Our past customers will tell you how pleased they are with their brand new seawalls, docks, decks, and other construction services we offer. So if you’re thinking about a summer construction project, and would like some help with the planning and execution of your latest idea for your waterfront residential or commercial property, contact Seaside Seawalls today for a free estimate! Our team would be happy to hear from you and help make your summer landscaping dreams a reality!

Seaside Seawalls is proud to announce the ongoing installation of a black steel seawall, brand new boardwalk, and the reattachment of dock slips for a residential client in Waterford, Michigan. Waterford belongs to the county of Oakland, and is home to approximately 71, 707 residents. Waterford is known as a “Lakeland Paradise”, boasting a total of 34 lakes that both residents and visitors frequently make use of. The community of Waterford has a total area of 35.3 square miles, with 31.3 square miles of that being land, and 4.0 square miles being water.

Due to the harsh nature of Michigan winters, Seaside Seawalls was contacted in order to replace this residential property’s existing seawall, which was failing due to being short-sheeted. What this means is that after several years of exposure to harsh winter conditions, frost got under the short-sheeted pilings and pushed the previous seawall upwards (approximately 8 inches!). Other issues with the pre-existing seawall were with the backfill and the toe (or very bottom) of the wall, which was moved outward. Since the wall was being short-sheeted, meaning the steel was not deep enough into the ground, the toe of the wall which runs into the sand line was pushed upwards and outwards, allowing the sand behind it to leak out into the lake. As you can imagine, this caused an uneven seawall which no longer served its original purpose of preventing shoreline erosion. Poor drainage due to the short-sheeting of the previous seawall was one of the main reasons we were contacted to perform this job. It may also be of interest to note that the town of Waterford is slightly higher in elevation than Detroit (982 feet vs. 585 feet). This means that Waterford experiences colder temperatures and weather conditions than Detroit does, for instance, making this township more likely to experience seawall failing problems on its many lakes.

Over the years, Seaside Seawalls has had to replace several seawalls due to the common problem of short-sheeting.

While some construction companies may have you believe that their seawall installation is top notch, and offer you a relatively low price for the installation of a brand new seawall, we have found that many of these companies do not install the steel for the seawall deep enough into the ground, thereby enabling short-sheeting issues and ultimately leading to shoreline erosion problems.

For this particular job, we had to remove the existing steel seawall from the ground. Sections of the seawall were cut and dug out, and then hauled to a metal recycling scrap yard. Additionally, we were asked to reattach dock slips and install a brand new boardwalk for this residential property on the beautiful and picturesque Cass Lake. This is a very large project, and will take several months to complete. The boardwalk itself will be made from treated lumber with steel framing, and will be exactly 370 feet in length and 6 feet wide with a total of 18 dock slip attachments. As for the black steel seawall, it will also be 370 feet long and 4 feet high. The pilings are 6 feet in length and 4 feet above the sand line height wall.

Black steel is one of the two types of steel that Seaside Seawalls offers (black steel and galvanized steel).

It is a very durable material that is guaranteed to protect against the extreme weather conditions Michigan experiences. From scorching hot summers to bitterly cold winters, with a black steel seawall you can expect longevity and durability as well as a 10 year Seaside Seawall guarantee against the constantly changing ground pressure from heavy snow and ice buildup. Not only are these seawalls resilient against extreme weather conditions that can create shoreline erosion, but they are also very eye-catching with a professional appearance that speaks the highest standard of quality and durability.

Waterford is part of Oakland County in Michigan. There are many properties located along the 25 mile shoreline of the beautiful Cass Lake, which is the County’s largest lake (1280 acres). Cass Lake is also home to Dodge Park #4 – a Michigan State Park that boasts sandy beaches and a one-mile shoreline. During the summer, Dodge Park is a popular destination for visitors who enjoy water sport activities such as wakeboarding, water skiing, jet skiing, and kayaking. In the winter months, Dodge Park is commonly used for ice skating, ice fishing, and snowmobiling.

Cass Lake is a glacial-formed, all-sports lake with an average depth of 26 feet.  There is public access to Cass Lake via Dodge Park #4, with ample parking for 80+ vehicles with boat trailers, along with several boat launches. Orchard Lake drains into Cass Lake, making it the lake’s main water source.

At Seaside Seawalls, we take great pride in the work we do.

Each and every one of our team members is qualified with the skills and experience that are essential in order to construct and install a durable and appealing seawall for your residential or business property. We have hundreds of satisfied customers in Michigan, and we would love to help you with the planning and execution of your next seawall project. If you’re considering having a seawall, boardwalk, boat lift, or dock built (or repaired) on your waterfront property, do not hesitate to contact Seaside Seawalls today for your free estimate!