Sullivan's Island's beach is growing rather than shrinking, so the walls that need repair here are on the back side, along the Cove, the marsh, and the creeks facing Mount Pleasant.
866-398-9323Licensed seawall specialists — FL · GA · SC
Seawall Repairs by Solid Foundations provides seawall repair in Sullivan's Island, SC for marsh-front homeowners, owners of historic island homes, and property managers. Typical projects include filling voids behind marsh-side bulkheads, repairing walls that support private dock walkways, and checking walls near Breach Inlet after storms. Call 866-398-9323 or use the quote form to book a free on-site inspection.
Sullivan's Island is the rare South Carolina beach town that is gaining land. According to the Coastal Conservation League, the Charleston Harbor jetties trap sand that would otherwise drift south toward Folly, so Sullivan's has been accreting. That changes the conversation about walls. On the ocean side, the accreted land has grown into maritime forest. The back side faces the harbor's Cove near Fort Moultrie and the marsh toward Mount Pleasant. NOAA's gauge at the Cove records a mean tide range of 5.08 feet, and that steady tide is what wears creek walls down.
Sullivan's sits at the mouth of the harbor, and our Charleston seawall repair team plans and permits every project here. Across the marsh, Mount Pleasant has waterfront walls on the same tidal water. Across Breach Inlet, Isle of Palms shares the inlet's currents. On the far side of the jetties, Folly Beach is losing the sand Sullivan's gains.
Hurricane Hugo made landfall near Sullivan's Island at midnight on September 22, 1989, with sustained winds of about 140 mph, according to the National Weather Service. To the north, surge reached up to 20 feet at Bulls Bay. Walls on the island's back side sat under deep water and then drained hard as the surge went out. Walls that went through that kind of drawdown can carry hidden voids for years.
More recently, the Charleston Harbor gauge peaked 3.52 feet above normal high tide during Matthew in 2016, and sea level at the harbor has risen about 1.4 inches per decade since 1901.
Tide through two inlets. NOAA records a mean range of 5.08 feet at the Cove and 4.94 feet at Breach Inlet. Water pushes into open seams and drags soil back out twice a day.
Pluff mud. The marsh behind the island is soft, oxygen-poor mud made of fine sediment and decaying cordgrass. It gives a wall's toe little support.
Dock loads. Walls that anchor long dock walkways carry extra strain where the walkway meets the bank.
If a wall stands straight but the yard behind it is settling, polyurethane injection fills the voids and seals seams from behind through small holes, leaving yards and old plantings in place. Cracked caps, rotted boards, and failing hardware get bulkhead repair handled by our Charleston team. Walls that have started to tip toward the marsh can be held with anchors through seawall reinforcement in the Charleston area.
Book your free inspection and we'll confirm what your wall and dock need.
The accretion is on the ocean side. Back-side walls still face a five-foot tide and soft marsh soil every day.
Wall repair often needs only state review, but dock work in the RC-2 district needs Town, Army Corps, and state approval.
Slightly. NOAA shows about 4.9 feet of mean range at Breach Inlet and about 5.1 feet at the Cove, but inlet currents add their own wear.
Yes. NOAA's station at the Cove near Fort Moultrie records a mean range of about 5.1 feet. ---
In addition to Sullivan's Island, our licensed seawall repair team serves these nearby South Carolina communities:
Service Area: Charleston Harbor and the Intracoastal Waterway
We serve all waterfront properties on Charleston Harbor and the Intracoastal Waterway and surrounding canals, lakes, and waterways.
Seawall Repairs by Solid Foundations also serves these waterfront communities near Sullivan's Island:
Licensed, insured, NCFI-certified. Serving Florida, Georgia & South Carolina since 1996.
866-398-9323