When a dock, lift, or patio near the water in Bradenton starts to sink or tilt, the fix is usually helical piers down to firm soil, or foam to fill voids underneath.
866-398-9323Licensed seawall specialists — FL · GA · SC
Seawall Repairs by Solid Foundations provides marine foundation repair in Bradenton, FL for riverfront and bayfront homeowners, HOAs, and marinas. Typical projects include helical piers under sagging Manatee River docks, re-leveling boat lifts on Wares Creek, and lifting patios that settled behind seawalls after the 2024 flooding. Call 866-398-9323 or use the quote form to book a free on-site inspection.
Usually the cause is soft soil, or soil escaping through the seawall. On river lots there's a third possibility: current and runoff scouring around the base of dock and lift pilings. We look at all three on every visit, because the fix for a piling that's been undermined by moving water is different from the fix for a slab sitting on settling fill.
Riverbanks and bay edges tend to be built on softer, wetter soils than inland lots, and many waterfront yards include fill placed behind the seawall when it was built. That fill keeps compacting for years, and when water gets into it, it settles faster.
2024 put that to the test. Manatee County's recovery plan reports roughly 20,000 homes damaged across Debby, Helene, and Milton, and Bay News 9 reported that Helene flooded several Bradenton neighborhoods, including the Chauncey Avenue area, in a surge county officials called "unprecedented" (Bay News 9). Soil that sat underwater doesn't settle back evenly. Dock landings, lift pads, and patios near the wall often show it months later.
Steel shafts with helical plates are turned into the ground until installation torque confirms they've reached load-bearing soil. We attach them to the structure and lift it back toward level. See helical pier installation.
Where water carried soil out from under a deck or patio, polyurethane injection fills the void and firms the soil, often lifting the slab without removal.
Rotted, bored, or storm-damaged pilings can be wrapped, jacketed, or supplemented.
If fill is escaping through the seawall, we pair the work with bulkhead repair in Bradenton.
Marine foundation repair in Bradenton typically costs $700–$2,000 per helical pier and $8–$25 per board foot for void fill. Most residential marine foundation repairs run $5,000–$25,000, depending on the number of piers, depth to firm soil, and access.
Repairs inside the existing footprint are usually straightforward. If the job turns into rebuilding or extending a dock inside City of Bradenton limits, the city's land-use rules come into play. Under Section 5.1.2.14, a dock may be no longer than 80 feet without a Special Use Permit from City Council, and side setbacks must be at least 10 feet from the extended property lines (City of Bradenton staff report). For full rebuilds, see marine construction in Bradenton.
We also do this work in Sarasota and St. Petersburg. Our Bradenton seawall repair page covers everything else we offer here.
Often, yes. If the pilings are sound, we add support and re-level. Damaged pilings can be replaced individually.
Inside City of Bradenton limits, docks over 80 feet need a Special Use Permit approved by City Council. We'll tell you whether a longer dock is realistic before you commit.
The soil beneath it is settling or washing out through the wall. We check the wall and the soil together.
In many cases. Foam injection or helical piers can lift slabs back toward level.
Licensed, insured, NCFI-certified. Serving Florida, Georgia & South Carolina since 1996.
866-398-9323