A rock revetment on St. Simons Island should be inspected every year and after every major storm, and repairs should stay inside its permitted footprint to keep state review simple.
866-398-9323Licensed seawall specialists — FL · GA · SC
Seawall Repairs by Solid Foundations provides revetment maintenance in St. Simons Island, GA for homeowners, HOAs, condo associations, and commercial properties. Typical projects include resetting stone displaced by surge, rebuilding undercut toes along river and sound frontage, replacing exposed filter fabric, and closing washouts at the ends of rock slopes. Call 866-398-9323 or use the quote form to book a free on-site inspection.
A revetment is a rock slope that serves as the shoreline. Large armor stone sits on smaller stone and filter fabric, and the slope absorbs waves instead of reflecting them. Georgia's Shore Protection Act favors this kind of low-sloping porous rock where stabilization is needed on beaches, so revetments are a big part of the island's protected frontage. They're tough, but storms and tides wear them down stone by stone.
| When | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Late spring, before hurricane season | Full low-tide walk; reset loose stone; patch fabric |
| After a nor'easter | Moved armor stone, fresh scour at the toe |
| After any hurricane or tropical storm | Crest damage, end washouts, fabric exposure |
| After the year's biggest spring tides | Washout along the highest water line |
| Once a year | Slope profile and transitions |
Two things stack up here. First is the tide. NOAA's St. Simons Light station shows about 7.2 feet between mean higher high water and mean lower low water (NOAA), and CRD says tides top 10 feet on spring tides. The water climbs and falls across almost the whole slope every cycle, so no part of it gets a rest.
Second is storm history. Matthew pushed water 6.2 feet above mean high tide at St. Simons Pier in 2016. Irma beat it at 6.9 feet in 2017, and a nor'easter held water high for two tidal cycles. Surge on top of high tide sends waves over the crest, where stones are often smaller and less locked in. Revetments that looked fine after one storm may have been loosened for the next.
It depends where the revetment sits and what we're doing. Rock on the beach falls under the Shore Protection Act. Rock on marsh-side creek and river banks falls under the Coastal Marshlands Protection Act. The Coastal Resources Division asks owners to call before any maintenance on an existing structure (GA DNR CRD). Resetting stone within the existing footprint is usually the simplest case. Expanding the slope is a bigger review. We make that call before we start.
Routine revetment maintenance on St. Simons Island typically costs $1,500–$5,000 per year for a standard 100-foot residential revetment. Major rehabilitation runs $150–$400 per linear foot.
For rock at the base of a vertical wall, see riprap installation on St. Simons Island. For a whole-property plan that includes your revetment, see shoreline maintenance on St. Simons Island. Our hurricane season seawall prep guide covers pre-storm steps, and our St. Simons Island seawall repair page lists every island service. We also maintain revetments in Jacksonville.
Beach revetments fall under the Shore Protection Act. Revetments on marsh-side creek or river banks fall under the Coastal Marshlands Protection Act. We confirm which applies.
Usually, yes, within the existing footprint. We also check the fabric and toe beneath them.
Surge raises the water so waves break at the top of the slope, where stones are often smallest. We size crest stone with that in mind.
Once a year before hurricane season, plus after nor'easters, tropical storms and the biggest spring tides.
Licensed, insured, NCFI-certified. Serving Florida, Georgia & South Carolina since 1996.
866-398-9323