If you own lakefront property, you may need to build seawalls before work can begin on development. Building seawalls begins with planning and goes through different phases of construction. During the construction, you will be able to choose the different features for the seawall design. The following seawall construction phases are going to prepare your lakefront property for development:

Building Temporary Breaks

The process of building your seawalls will begin with temporary breaks after you have final plans. These breaks are used to keep the water level back while work is being done to build the seawalls. Some of the different types of temporary breaks that may be used include:

• Rock water breaks
• Temporary metal breaks
• Temporary timber breaks

Temporary breaks will be removed once all the construction of the new seawalls has been completed.  

Excavations for Foundations

The structure of seawalls needs to have a foundation to build on. Therefore, there is going to be some excavation that needs to be done. There may be different excavation needs depending on what type of foundation your seawalls will use, including:

• Excavating to solid soil for conventional footings
• Drilling to bedrock for pier support systems
• Excavating inland on the property for anchor systems

The excavation work may be needed for the foundation and features that you want to add to the seawall design, like stairs.

Building Seawalls

The process of building the seawalls is going to begin after the foundation work has been completed. This is the type when you will be able to decide on the finishes, features, and appearance of the final seawall. Some of the options to ask about during the construction of the seawalls include:

• Modern synthetic seawall panels
• Conventional timber seawall designs
• Masonry and concrete seawall designs

The construction of the seawall can include features for future development. These can include footings for additional marine structures and stairs to the waterfront.

Backfilling and Finishing Touches

Once the seawall has been completed, there is going to need to be backfill work that needs to be done. Since the seawall is a structure that is similar to the foundation walls of buildings, there are certain things to consider when backfilling, including:

• Backfill for drainage at the wall
• Add a silt screen to keep sediments out of the water
• Finish backfill with a couple of inches of topsoil to plant landscaping

The seawall's backfill can be done when water levels rise to equalize the pressure and prevent damage.

Seawalls are the most important feature to prepare for developing lakefront property. Contact a seawall construction service to begin discussing your plans before you start building.