How to Build a Seawall
A seawall can prevent loss of your waterfront property to erosion. Building a seawall takes a lot of physical labor, but it's worth it to save your land. You can build a seawall yourself with the use of power tools. It's best to tackle this job in the fall of the year when the water line is the lowest. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 3-inch metal pipe, 4 feet long
- ½-inch threaded rebar
- Jackhammer (rental)
- Quick-mix concrete
- 2-by-10 lumber
- Galvanized nuts and washers
- Reciprocating saw
- Silicone sealant
Instructions
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1
Obtain permission to build your seawall. Contact the appropriate authorities in your area. They may require an inspection both before you begin and after you complete your project.
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2
Purchase your supplies. Take the rebar and pipe to a welder or metal worker. Have him bend the rebar into a U-shape and weld the bottom of the U to the pipe. You need four pieces of rebar welded to each pipe. This acts as the bolts to hold the seawall to the pipe.
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3
Rent the jackhammer. Mark where you want to install the posts in 8-foot increments. Dig the holes. Place the posts in the holes with the rebar pointing toward the water. Keep the tops of the posts level with each other. Add concrete to set posts. Allow the concrete to set for 24 hours.
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4
Cut the lumber to fit on each post. Drill holes. Slip the lumber onto each post bending the rebar as necessary to make it fit. Attach with washers and nuts. Use a reciprocating saw to cut off excess rebar. Seal ends of rebar with silicone sealant.
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5
Fill the land side of the seawall with large rocks, sand and topsoil in that order. Build up the water side with riprap to prevent erosion.
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