I have a wooden dock resting on a stone crib, and it tilts unevenly, mainly in a corner that seems to have sunk. After checking underneath, I see that some of the supporting beams are worn or rotten, and there are loose wedges holding up parts of the structure. The stone crib itself looks okay but no longer bears evenly.
How do you get the dock level again?
Is it possible to lift the corner and secure it with a new pile or support?
Should you replace whole beams or reinforce with new supports from underneath?
What type of wood and fasteners are used that hold up in water?
How do you get the dock level again?
Is it possible to lift the corner and secure it with a new pile or support?
Should you replace whole beams or reinforce with new supports from underneath?
What type of wood and fasteners are used that hold up in water?
The best option is probably to replace the logs that appear to have rotten ends so they don't lose support on the underlying logs. To do this, it might be easier to dismantle part of the deck to access them and then lift the frame of the deck.
In connection with that, it might be wise to add more layers of logs to create a level platform for the deck construction.
How old is the stone crib, and how long/when has it been sinking? Do you think it has stopped sinking? That might influence how you choose to proceed.
Regarding fastening materials, it depends a bit on where the dock is located. Is it on a lake, the east coast, or the west coast?
If it's the east coast or a lake, hot-dip galvanized should be "enough" for quite a long durability without breaking the bank, but otherwise, acid-resistant steel is the way to go. I assume the west coast is more aggressive towards steel, so there, acid-resistant might be necessary, though I've never built docks on the west coast.
As for wood selection, pressure-treated wood for contact with water is likely the best choice. The old utility poles that were often used in the past, which were impregnated with creosote, are not very environmentally friendly or good for handling yourself (and also hard to get ahold of ).
In connection with that, it might be wise to add more layers of logs to create a level platform for the deck construction.
How old is the stone crib, and how long/when has it been sinking? Do you think it has stopped sinking? That might influence how you choose to proceed.
Regarding fastening materials, it depends a bit on where the dock is located. Is it on a lake, the east coast, or the west coast?
If it's the east coast or a lake, hot-dip galvanized should be "enough" for quite a long durability without breaking the bank, but otherwise, acid-resistant steel is the way to go. I assume the west coast is more aggressive towards steel, so there, acid-resistant might be necessary, though I've never built docks on the west coast.
As for wood selection, pressure-treated wood for contact with water is likely the best choice. The old utility poles that were often used in the past, which were impregnated with creosote, are not very environmentally friendly or good for handling yourself (and also hard to get ahold of
).