Do you live on a waterfront property? If you answered yes, you know that having a seawall is a vital part of living near the water. Seawalls provide a barrier for your home and property from ocean water damage. This steady structure is separating land from water, redirecting the waves back into the sea pushing them away from your property. These are sturdy structures made from various strong materials like concrete, stone, or sheet piles. However, they will start to deteriorate over time. The force during storms will cause damage to your seawall overtime. This means that you should be examining your seawall once every year to check for any potential issues or erosion.

Have You Inspected Your Seawall Recently?

A seawall that is properly maintained can last anywhere from 30-50 years. However, if you have not kept up with the maintenance of it, it can last only 20 years. It is best to contact your local marine construction company to assist you in deciding whether or not you need to replace the wall or have some repairs done. When personally checking your seawall, there are a few things to focus on specifically.

What to Look For

First, you want to look for cracks in your seawall cap or if any pieces of the cap have broken off. Caps provide support to the seawall, and when damaged they cannot do their job. This damage is generally caused by corrosion or panel movement. Caps are important for keeping your seawall up, so don’t skip out on checking them for damage!

Next, you will also need to check if there are any deteriorating slabs and specifically if they are leaning. Seawall slab damage is the leading cause of failure in the wall. Are you seeing any rust stains, beams curving or bending, or erosion behind the wall? All of these issues indicate it is time for a closer inspection of the seawall slabs.

After checking to see if your seawall has these issues, you’ll need to figure out what you want to do. You only have two options at this point, do you repair your seawall or replace it with a new one?

Is it Time to Repair or Replace?

It is generally more cost effective to repair a seawall rather than replace it entirely. However, this cost can change depending on the repairs needed or which areas of the seawall need to be replaced. Choosing to build a new seawalls depends on the quantity of materials needed to restructure it, the type of materials needed, soil conditions of the surrounding area, accessibility to the seawalls, project difficulty, and the timeline of the project. All of these factors will determine whether you should repair the structure or replace it entirely. It will also determine the cost of the project.

Usually, seawall failings can be repaired without having to get a replacement. This will depend on how frequently you are checking for cracks, rust, etc. Periodic seawal maintenance checks, especially after a storm, is important. This is because if there is an issue that arises, you can handle it right away. The more you hold off, the worse the wall will deteriorate and erode. Your trusted local marine construction professionals can help you determine the best option for you.

Marine Construction

If you are noticing any of these issues, it might be time to call your local professionals. Sole Source Underwater Construction, located in Cranston, Rhode Island, is available to you 24/7 for any of your marine construction concerns. With our experience, we are able to guide you in the most realistic decision regarding replacing or repairing your seawall.