DIY guideDock and shore

Walk the seawall and look for undermining

Walk the lawn behind the wall and look at its face when the water is low: gaps at the base, leaning, cracks, and sinkholes behind it.

9 steps

Tap a step to watch it again.

Look on a calm day with the water low, so you can see the wall's base.
Walk the lawn a step back from the top.
Ground behind an undermined wall can give way: never stand at an undercut edge.
Look for dips, holes or soft spots in the lawn behind the wall. That's fill washing out under it.
Sight along the top from one end. It should run straight; a stretch tipping toward the water is a warning.
From a boat or the shore, look at the bottom of the wall for gaps, washed-out stones or a hollow under it.
Look for cracks, joints that have opened, and wet streaks where water comes through after waves.
Keep cars, stone piles and heavy loads back from the top of the wall.
Take photos from the same spots each year, so you can tell if a gap or a lean is growing.
A wall that's leaning, a gap under it, or a hole opening behind it: keep everyone back and ask Handyman for a shoreline contractor.

Handyman says: Leaning? I'll find a shoreline pro.

Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.