What we do (and what we don't)
We're an earthwork operation, not a marine contractor. That shapes what we handle and what we'll be straight with you about.
What we do: Build retaining walls. Repair failing seawalls — re-anchoring the wall, rebuilding the ground behind it, fixing washouts where dirt is escaping under or around the structure. Install rip-rap and stacked stone edges for erosion control. Excavate and rebuild the ground that should be holding your wall up.
What we don't do: Build brand-new seawalls from scratch. That's a different specialty with different equipment and different permits. If you need a full new installation, we'll tell you up front and can point you toward someone who does that work.
Seawall repair
Most seawall problems along the St. Johns River and in Northeast Florida aren't structural failures of the wall itself — they're failures of the dirt behind the wall. Water finds a small gap, washes out the soil, and slowly creates a void. Eventually the ground behind the wall starts to sink or collapse. The wall is still standing, but what it was protecting isn't there anymore.
The fix is more involved than it looks. Excavate the failed area down past where the wall was anchored. Install filter fabric and properly sized stone behind the wall so water can drain without carrying fines through. Re-anchor the wall back into the ground. Fill and compact in lifts so it doesn't settle next year. Then finish the surface — concrete pad, sod, whatever the property calls for.
The middle of that job — the part nobody sees — is the excavation. Here's the same wall once we dug the failed area out to expose how deep the damage went. Water on both sides because the dig went below the water table. From there, fabric and rock went in, the wall got re-anchored, and the ground was rebuilt back up.
Retaining wall construction
For inland properties, sloped lots, waterfront yards, and shoreline transitions, we build retaining walls using pressure-treated lumber with proper structural anchoring. The right wall for the right job — sized to the slope, the soil, and what's behind it.
Common retaining wall jobs
- Slope stabilization on uneven lots
- Landscape terracing
- Driveway and yard grade transitions
- Waterfront yard retainers above seawalls
- Shoreline transitions and erosion control walls
- Replacement of failed wooden retaining walls
Rip-rap & shoreline erosion control
Rip-rap — properly sized stone placed at the base of a seawall or along an unprotected shoreline — is one of the most effective ways to slow erosion and protect what's already there. We install rip-rap and stacked-stone edges as part of seawall repair jobs and as standalone erosion control for properties dealing with shoreline loss.
Done right, stone armor absorbs wave energy and stabilizes the bank. Done wrong (wrong size stone, no filter underlayment, poor placement), it just slides into the water over time. The difference is in the preparation, not the stone.
Why our equipment matters for waterfront work
A lot of waterfront properties — especially the older homes along the St. Johns River — have tight access. Mature trees, narrow side yards, fences, and finished landscaping mean a full-size excavator can't get to the back of the property without doing significant damage on the way in.
Our mini-excavator and skid steer fit through gate openings and side yards that full-size equipment can't navigate. That means we can do the work without ripping up your existing landscaping to get to the water.
When to call
If you're seeing any of these signs, it's time to get an assessment:
- Dirt or grass washing into the water behind your seawall
- Sinkholes or low spots forming in the yard near the wall
- Visible voids or undermining at the base of the wall
- Cracks running vertically through a concrete seawall
- Sections of the wall leaning toward the water
- Old wooden walls with rotted or missing boards
- Rip-rap that's settled, scattered, or disappeared
None of these get better on their own, and all of them get more expensive the longer they wait. A free assessment costs nothing and tells you what you're dealing with.