October 14th, 2015

Waterfront property can be something of a mixed blessing. While you enjoy the beauty and benefits of living on the water, there’s also a bit of required maintenance. One of most frustrating of these maintenance challenges is erosion.

The thought of your property being washed away is a sinking feeling for any homeowner. But you can circumvent nature by utilizing bulkhead material. The following are a couple tips on how to stop your lawn from going under:

• Build in autumn. This turn of the season is the preferred choice for bulkhead projects due to the end of the boating and hurricane season, and, depending on your neighborhood, many lake authorities tend to reduce water levels in the fall.
• Grab a jackhammer. Homeowners should be able to rent a jackhammer from their local hardware or rental outlet. These heavy duty tools quickly break through hard earth to make the holes necessary for your framing posts.
• Choosing the right materials.  The two primary bulkhead materials to choose from are vinyl and wood. Each has its own benefits and choosing what works best for you will depend on your project.
• Vinyl – While this bulkhead material costs more upfront, it has a significantly longer lifetime. When correctly installed it can last over 50 years. It’s also lightweight and doesn’t absorb moisture, which means no buckling, corroding, or rotting.
• Wood – Timber is the traditional method of building bulkheads and can give your property a more aesthetically-pleasing look for a lower upfront cost. It’ll last for about 25 years, but a longer lifespan can be achieved with detailed and quality workmanship and design.