You’ve found the perfect cottage on the ideal lake, and it has everything you want or need. Correction: almost everything.
Although the building and property are gorgeous and ready to enjoy, the waterfront area leaves a lot to be desired. It’s well past due for a facelift and it all starts with replacing the dock.
“When replacing your old dock, steel is by far the best option,” says Mark Seehaver, owner of Over and Under Welding. “A quality steel dock built by experts using the best materials and techniques will last 30 to 50 years – perfect for families wanting to build generational memories.”
The starting point is always the foundational piles, whether it’s building a small family dock at the cottage or something considerably larger, like the municipally owned Torrance Dock (which is 160-feet long by 12-feet wide).
Before driving the piles, the first step is to determine how deep they need to go. Every lake has different depths in different areas – in some cases it’s only 10 feet before a pile hits bedrock, while on the extreme side of the depth spectrum there are projects that require piles to go down 100 feet.
“However, most cottager’s docks are built with piles that go down between 15 and 50 feet,” says Mark. “Though the Torrance project did require us to go down 90 feet to set our foundation.”
Mark says due to amazing technical improvements, stronger and more versatile materials, and better equipment, they are now hitting piles with 20 tons more power than ever before.
Combined with tighter spaces in between piles – only eight feet instead of the 14-feet they once needed to be – the foundational piles are creating the strongest, most stable steel docks in history.
“When a pile gets hit as hard as we’re hitting them now, it’s hitting the bottom of the bedrock and is dead set, there is no movement,” explains Mark. “Once that’s set, it creates a perfect stage to build the rest of the dock.”
Up next is the multi-tier bracing, which is especially useful in deep dock builds. For every ten feet of water, a set of vertical braces is required. For example, if it’s 40 feet deep, there will be fours sets of braces.
“The braces are an essential part of the dock,” explains Mark. “They give important structural support and stability. They help resist movement from wind, turbulent water, shifting ice, and other environmental factors. This helps protect the dock’s structural integrity and durability.”
Once that’s complete, the frame is set, and the decking can be installed. Mark says composite or synthetic decking is best to match the longevity of the steel dock, but the choice is entirely up to the owner.
Other considerationsEach steel dock is built to the needs and wants of the property owner. That’s why it’s necessary to consider future plans before the first pile is ever set. Over and Under Welding has a structural engineer on retainer to create architectural renderings for the project when needed.
As Mark notes, being aware of future growth of the waterfront is key to ensure the best plans are made at the beginning. If a boathouse will eventually be built on the dock or more slips are going to be added, then it’s best to build the foundation to handle these additions up front.
This way the appropriate amount of steel and extra supports is already in place, so it’s easy to install the add-ons at a later date. Plus, there is an ROI factor as this time of forward thinking adds value to your property.
“Planning and building a foundation under the water that will handle current and future needs is a smart decision,” he says. “Having to retrofit the piles and braces to take on more weight load or add more dock is not the most efficient process. Do it right the first time and it will save you money and stress in the future.”
If it’s time to replace that old dock, or you just want to build a better one for the future, the time is now to go with a steel dock installed by an experienced company.
overandunderwelding@outlook.com
