When a Key West dock, boat lift, or pool deck near the water starts sinking, the fix is usually to fill the hollows underneath or carry the load down to firmer ground or rock.
866-398-9323Licensed seawall specialists — FL · GA · SC
Seawall Repairs by Solid Foundations provides marine foundation repair in Key West, FL for waterfront homeowners, HOAs, and marinas. Typical projects include lifting sunken patios behind canal walls, re-leveling boat lifts that settled after storms, and supporting dock framing near Garrison Bight. Call 866-398-9323 or use the quote form to book a free on-site inspection.
Nearly all of these come from one of two things: ground that can't carry the weight, or fill leaking away through the wall.
It's different here than on the mainland. The lower Keys are built on the Miami Limestone, a porous oolite (USGS). Behind many canal walls, a layer of placed fill sits over that rock. Three things follow:
Irma added stress. Monroe County says more than 4,000 Keys homes were destroyed or badly damaged, most between Cudjoe Key and Marathon (Monroe County). Docks and lifts that survived still took loads they weren't built for.
Where fill has washed out under a deck, patio, or slab, we inject polyurethane to fill the gaps, firm up the ground, and often lift the slab back toward level.
Where there's enough soil to work with, steel helical piers are turned down until they reach load-bearing ground, then bracketed to the structure. On lots where rock is shallow, we confirm depth first and may bear on the rock or use another support method.
Dock and lift pilings damaged by borers, rot or storm impact can be wrapped, jacketed, or supplemented.
If fill is escaping through your seawall, foundation work alone won't hold. We pair it with bulkhead repair in Key West.
The City of Key West has a checklist for foundation repair permits. It asks for a site plan showing where the work happens, structural drawings, and photos of the existing foundation (City of Key West). A recorded Notice of Commencement is required before the first inspection on jobs of $5,000 or more. If the repair grows into rebuilding a dock or lift over the water, state and possibly federal and sanctuary review also apply. See marine construction in Key West.
Expect about $700–$2,000 per helical pier and $8–$25 per board foot for void fill. Most residential marine foundation repairs in Key West run $5,000–$25,000. Depth to rock, the number of supports, and access are the biggest factors.
We also handle marine foundation repair in Miami. For everything else on the water, see our Key West seawall repair page.
Usually both are involved. Fill under the deck is settling or leaking out through the wall. We check the wall and the ground together.
Sometimes. Where there's enough soil above the rock, they work well. Where rock is shallow, we use a different support or bear on the rock itself.
Often not. If the pilings are sound, we add support and re-level. Only damaged pilings need to be replaced.
In many cases, yes. Polyurethane injected under the slab can fill voids and lift it back toward level.
Licensed, insured, NCFI-certified. Serving Florida, Georgia & South Carolina since 1996.
866-398-9323