Seawall & Dock Inspections: Why use MEA Engineers?

You have a question about the condition of your seawall or dock, or you are purchasing a new waterfront home with a seawall or dock. Should you use a licensed home inspector to inspect your Seawall or Dock, or should you use a Professional Engineer with experience designing, building and inspecting seawalls and docks?

Living on the waterfront is exciting! A significant portion of the investment and enjoyment of your waterfront home is your shoreline with a seawall and dock. You are paying for the view, now you deserve peace of mind! Properly designed and constructed, your seawall can protect your property for many decades, and your dock can be a wonderful destination to dock your boat and entertain.

Frequent questions from prospective homeowners are:

• I don’t have a seawall; I have some big rocks along the shore. Is that enough to protect my property? Do I need a seawall?
• I notice rust stains and/or cracks on the seawall cap and panels. Is that a problem?
• What should I do? Can it be repaired or maintained? How long until I have a problem with it?
• Holes are forming in the grass right behind the seawall. Why is that happening? Is the seawall in danger of collapse? What should I do?
• My seawall seems to be leaning out from the top or leaning out from the bottom.
• What could be causing that, and what are my options?
• We have had several recent named storms in our area; do I need to raise my seawall to protect my property? If so, how high should I raise the wall?
• My neighbors raised their seawall, should I raise mine?
• One portion of my seawall is severely damaged, but the rest of it looks fine. Do I have to replace the whole wall when I repair the damaged area?

There are many property and location-specific variables that can give very different answers to the above questions, such as:

• Tide level and distance from the mud line to the top of your seawall or dock

• Proximity of your pool, trees or other structures to the seawall.

• The elevation of your house, surrounding property and/or pool related to your seawall and dock

• Your location – are you on a canal, an open bay or do you have a unique location that may affect your dock or waterfront that is a possible concern?

A licensed home inspector lacks the expertise to check waterfront structures. Hiring a Professional Engineer with 30 years of experience designing and building seawalls, docks and other waterfront structures will educate you on the condition of your seawall and dock.

MEA Engineers will make a site visit, usually within 24 hours, and inspect your waterfront structures. We document the conditions and provide you with a written report with photos and estimated repair costs, if any. This report can be invaluable when negotiating with a seller or buyer, giving both peace of mind to continue the transaction at an agreed-upon price.

A lower cost option is a site visit with verbal report only. This is especially helpful when a homeowner is looking for professional advice on how to proceed regarding suspected issues with a seawall, dock, or other waterfront structures. Data will be taken at the time of the inspection that may lead to a future re-design without the cost of an additional site visit.

MEA Engineers is not employed by a dock or seawall company. We work for the customer, and our first goal is always to find the most cost-effective solutions to protect your investment.

Give us a call today!

941-922-3854