Michigan Seawalls

Archive for the ‘Michigan Seawalls’ Category

Gorgeous Black Steel Seawall Built in Ann Arbor, Michigan

Saturday, January 12th, 2013

In the beautiful city of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Seaside Seawalls built a gorgeous black steel seawall and beach inlet for a residential customer’s waterfront property. Ann Arbor, known for its historical sites and the famous University of Michigan (U of M), is home to approximately 113,934 residents, making it Michigan’s sixth largest city. In fact, Ann Arbor has a total area of 28.70 square miles, of which 27.83 square miles is land and 0.87 square miles is water. The well-known Huron River runs through Ann Arbor, making up the majority of this total water area. Because of this, Ann Arbor has a high production of agriculture and fresh fruits.

Before we began any kind of construction on this customer’s property, we first obtained the materials and machinery we’d need in order to get the job done. Materials consisted of black steel and black steel pilings, composite board, and sand for the backfill of the seawall. We decided that we would need our trusty excavator for the job, as well as a skid steer.

One interesting thing about this particular job was that we had to build our seawall upland of the ordinary high water mark. Due to the customer’s pre-existing boulder rock shoreline, we first had to (carefully) remove these large rocks out of the way so that we could get in there and build the black steel seawall. After we completed the new seawall, we moved the boulders back, placing them along the edge of the new seawall for a nice, “finished” look. In addition to the rocks, we also used composite board over the cap of the new steel seawall which also added to its overall appearance. The brand new black steel seawall ended up being 120 feet in length and 24 inches in height.

For the beach inlet we created, the dimensions were 12 feet by 8 feet. We put down some new beach sand in the inlet to give it both an appealing and functional look. By the time we were finished with our project, the homeowner had a terrific looking shoreline!

Washtenaw County, which is the county that encompasses the city of Ann Arbor in which this particular job was completed, has a population of about 344,791. This interestingly-named county was actually named after the Grand River. The Native American name for the Grand River, ‘O-Wash-Ta-Nong’, means “Far-away-water”, and the county was named ‘Washtenaw’ because at the time (1826), the river’s head waters were within the county’s boundaries. Washtenaw County has a total area of 722.53 miles, of which 98.26% is land and 1.74& is water.

Whether you’re looking to upgrade the look of your residential or commercial waterfront property, Seaside Seawalls has got you covered! With the experience and expertise that is required to not only get the job done, but to get it done well, the Seaside Seawalls team can help you with your waterfront project from start to finish. Contact us today for a free estimate, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for frequent updates on our company’s latest news and projects!

Posted in Beach Sanding, Michigan Seawalls | No Comments »

Residential Customer on The Grand River Gets a Brand New Black Steel Seawall

Wednesday, November 14th, 2012

Seaside Seawalls is proud to announce yet another successful seawall project! This particular job was for a residential customer on the Grand River in Dimondale, Michigan. Dimondale (which is often misspelled ‘Diamondale’) is a town located in the greater Eaton County of Michigan, and is home to about 1,234 residents.

We started this project off by first acquiring the necessary DEQ Permit – something we need in order to begin construction of any kind. Once we had received the “go-ahead”, we proceeded to gather all of the equipment and materials that we would need for this job. The two main materials we’d need for this job were black steel as well as sand for the new seawall’s backfill.

As usual, an excavator and a skid steer were our two key pieces of equipment, as they allow us to move large and heavy materials from one place to another. For this project however, we also needed to use a barge to access different points along the customer’s preexisting seawall which was failing. Because of this, we would need to cut down the top portion of the failing wooden seawall so that we could build the new black steel seawall directly in front of it.

Putting our excavator on a barge is something we’ve done many times before, and is common in the type of work we do because it allows us to access certain portions of a seawall from the water. Also, with this particular job being on a narrow river instead of a large lake, having the excavator deconstruct the old, failing wooden seawall from a barge was the only way to complete the job, as we could not maneuver this large piece of machinery across the shorelines and properties of others!

After we finished cutting down the top part of the customer’s old, wooden seawall, we installed a brand new black steel seawall that is 100 feet in length and 48 inches in height directly in front of where the old one was. Furthermore, prior to our construction efforts, the customer had a boardwalk which was located on top of the existing wooden seawall. Since we cut off the top portion of the old seawall, we also tore out the old boardwalk, which completely revamped the entire look of the property and (as you can see in the pictures below) compliments the home very nicely!

Did you know that the Grand River is the longest river in the State of Michigan? The river runs a total distance of 252 miles and covers 18 counties and 158 townships. There exists a multitude of fish species in the Grand River, including trout and even salmon! One of the 18 counties that the Grand River runs through is Eaton County. Eaton County has a population of approximately 107,759 residents and a total area of 579.02 square miles, with 2.61 square miles (or 0.45%) of that being water.

Are you ready to give your waterfront property a brand new look that is both functional and attractive? Then look no further than Seaside Seawalls! We are a team of highly trained and experienced marine landscaping experts who can assist you in the planning and developing of your latest construction project. Whether it’s a commercial or residential waterfront property you have, Seaside Seawalls does it all! Please feel free to contact us today for a free estimate, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter for the latest and greatest Seaside Seawalls news and projects!

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Update on Boat Well and Black Steel Seawall Project on the Shiawassee River in Linden, MI

Saturday, November 3rd, 2012

Here at Seaside Seawalls, we are pleased to announce the completion of the boat well and black steel seawall project on the Shiawassee River in Linden, Michigan! The Shiawassee River is one of many rivers that runs through Michigan’s Genesee County. The river itself is approximately 120 miles long and is home to over 59 fish and freshwater species!

To refresh your memory, we posted about this project back in March of this year. The job was necessary because the residential customer wanted a place to dock his boat on the narrow Shiawassee River. Installing a dock was not feasible due to the river being so narrow, as it would disturb the navigation of other boats through this area.

Last time we updated you, we had just begun the project and had started excavating the area that would become our boat well. We had to ensure that we were very careful getting to the job site though, due to the wetland area and the many permits we had to acquire in order to complete this job. As usual, a DEQ Permit was necessary, but in addition to that, we also had to obtain a Genesee County Drain Commissioner Permit.

Since we did not want to disturb the wetland area too much, we laid thick plywood and rail road ties along our main access path so that our machinery (i.e. skid steer and excavator) and our team members with the materials (black steel, riprap, sand for the backfill, and treated lumber) could get to and from the boat well during construction. In addition, we installed a 50’ x 4’ treated lumber boardwalk which ran along one side of the boat well. This also helped us access the job site more easily.

We then had to excavate a large area (30’ x 15’) where the boat well would eventually go. Once excavated, we installed a black steel seawall around the perimeter of the boat well. Upon completion, the steel seawall extended a total length of 84 feet and measured 4 feet in height.

As you can see, the boat well is now finished and looks great! The installation of this customer’s new boat well, boardwalk, and black steel seawall makes his property both functional and attractive. If you’re looking to spruce up your waterfront property, please do not hesitate to contact Seaside Seawalls for a free estimate. Our team of professionals would be more than happy to help you plan out and construct the marine landscaping structure you’ve always dreamed of!

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New Black Steel Seawall Built on Union Lake in Oakland County, Michigan

Wednesday, October 31st, 2012

Even as the cold weather moves in and the days become shorter, construction has not stopped here at Seaside Seawalls! Today we are going to discuss a project we completed around the end of the summer season: the installation of a brand new black steel seawall for a residential customer on Union Lake in West Bloomfield, Michigan. The town of West Bloomfield is situated in the greater Oakland County, and is home to approximately 64,690 residents. Known for its rolling hills and large-sized homes, the township of West Bloomfield is sometimes referred to as the “lake township of Oakland County” due to the many small and medium-sized lakes the township houses. West Bloomfield has a total area of 31.2 square miles, of which 27.3 square miles is land and 3.9 square miles (or 12.49% – a significant percentage!) is water.

This job was tricky in some ways, because of the many permits we were required to obtain before we could begin any construction. For instance, in addition to getting the usual DEQ Permit, we were also required to obtain 2 extra permits (namely the ‘West Bloomfield Wetlands Permit’ and the ‘West Bloomfield Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Permit’). While we are of course used to applying for DEQ Permits, as most of our projects require that we have one, the township of West Bloomfield required us to go through an additional extensive application and permitting process. After being approved for our DEQ Permit, we then had to apply for the West Bloomfield Wetlands Permit. This involved us going in front of the Wetland Review Board and detailing the project to them step-by-step. But that’s not all! Once approved, there is a 21 day waiting period to allow persons with any objections to come forward. After we’d been approved for the Wetlands Permit, we then needed to apply for the West Bloomfield Soil Erosion and Sediment Control Permit, which can be a very lengthy and sometimes confusing process if you have never done so prior to this point. But because Seaside Seawalls always plays by the rules (one of the many reasons we are such a reputable seawall company throughout the State of Michigan), we were patient and waited for the approval and receipt of all 3 permits.

Let the construction begin! After gathering the necessary materials (black steel, sand for the backfill, and riprap) as well as the essential equipment (skid steer, excavator, and 3 permits), we were ready to go. We installed the new black steel seawall in front of the existing, old and failing seawall. The customer’s old seawall was not tied back sufficiently and had no means of drainage. Tiebacks and proper drainage are two very important components of seawalls that can essentially “make or break” them. In other words, without a good drainage system and strong tiebacks in place, a seawall’s longevity is greatly impacted. In this case, ice pressure had built up behind the wall, causing the seawall to be pushed outward, and breaking the welds and tiebacks. Nevertheless, we corrected this problem by building a brand new steel seawall that is 68 feet long and 30 inches high, including sturdy tiebacks and a means of drainage built into the wall.

Some additional information about Union Lake: It is a 465 acre lake with a maximum depth of 110 feet. While there is no public beach on Union Lake, there is a public access point just off of Union Lake Road. Residents of Union Lake frequently use the lake for water sports and activities, as well as fishing. Some of the fish you are likely to find in this lake include Blue Gill, Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, Crappie, Northern Pike, and Walleye. As previously mentioned, Union Lake is located in the greater Oakland County of Michigan. Oakland County is a very large county in Michigan, with a total estimated population of 1,202,362 residents.

Due to the harsh winters we experience here in Michigan, you’re going to want to ensure that your waterfront property is well-protected. As we know, the ever-changing ground pressure due to the hot summers and cold winters we have can cause a poorly-constructed seawall to fail and cause shoreline erosion. So before the cold weather really hits, be sure to contact Seaside Seawalls for a free estimate about your next marine construction project! Be sure to follow us on Twitter as well for frequent updates on our latest developments!

Posted in Michigan Seawalls, Seawall Repair | No Comments »