Sagging docks, tilted lifts, and sinking pool decks along Fort Lauderdale canals are usually fixed by carrying the load down to firm soil with helical piers, or by filling the voids beneath the slab.
866-398-9323Licensed seawall specialists — FL · GA · SC
Seawall Repairs by Solid Foundations provides marine foundation repair in Fort Lauderdale, FL for canal-front homeowners, HOAs, and marinas. Typical projects include helical piers under sagging docks on Las Olas Isles, re-leveling boat lifts on the New River, and lifting sunken pool decks behind Coral Ridge seawalls. Call 866-398-9323 or use the quote form to book a free on-site inspection.
Nearly every case comes down to weak soil that can't hold the weight, or soil escaping through the wall. Figuring out which one is at work comes first, because the fixes differ.
Much of the city's waterfront is a web of dug canals and filled lots, which is why Fort Lauderdale calls itself the "Venice of America" (City of Fort Lauderdale). The city counts roughly 165 miles of waterways, and it maintains only about five miles of seawall itself; the rest is private. Fill placed next to a canal behaves differently from native ground:
Structures sitting on that top layer drift down over time. A repair that lasts has to reach below it. Re-leveling a dock by adding shims, or pouring a thicker slab over a sunken patio, simply puts more weight on the same weak ground.
Steel shafts with helix plates are turned into the ground until torque readings confirm they've reached soil that can carry the load. We bracket the structure to them and lift it back toward level. It works under docks, lifts, decks, and light structures. See helical pier installation.
Under pool decks and patios, injected polyurethane fills the voids and firms up loose soil. It can often raise the slab without tearing it out.
Damaged dock and lift pilings can be jacketed, wrapped, or backed with new supports.
If soil is leaving through the wall, we pair the foundation work with bulkhead repair in Fort Lauderdale so the ground stops moving.
Typical Fort Lauderdale pricing is $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.
When a repair turns into a new dock or new mooring piles, city limits apply. Under Fort Lauderdale's code, mooring structures can't reach more than 25% of the waterway's width or 25 feet, whichever is less, and mooring piles are held to 30% of the width or 25 feet past the property line (ULDC §47-19.3). We keep repairs inside your existing footprint wherever we can. For new builds, see marine construction in Fort Lauderdale.
We also handle marine foundation repair in Miami.
Often, yes. If the pilings are sound, we add support and re-level the lift. Damaged pilings are replaced or supplemented.
The soil beneath it is usually settling or washing out through the wall. We inspect the wall and the soil together.
Fort Lauderdale allows mooring piles up to 30% of the waterway width or 25 feet beyond the property line, whichever is less. We confirm the numbers for your canal.
As deep as needed to reach firm soil, which varies from lot to lot. We verify each pier's capacity as it's installed.
Licensed, insured, NCFI-certified. Serving Florida, Georgia & South Carolina since 1996.
866-398-9323