Frequently asked questions

A full-service marine contractor established in 1980 in Seaford, Delaware, second-generation owned and licensed in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. We build piers, docks, bulkheads, rip-rap, living shorelines and erosion control, install DECO Boat Lifts, and work for commercial, municipal and infrastructure clients across Delmarva.

Waterfronts throughout Delmarva. Sussex and Kent County, Delaware, including Rehoboth Beach, Lewes, Bethany Beach, Millsboro, Seaford and Dover; Maryland’s Eastern Shore including Salisbury, Cambridge, Easton and Ocean City; and Eastern Shore Virginia including Chincoteague, Onancock, Accomack County and Northampton County. Coastal and inland waterfront both.

Residential: piers and docks (including floating docks), bulkheads and retaining walls, waterfront decks and access steps, rip-rap, living shorelines, erosion control, DECO boat lifts, and docking systems and marine accessories. Commercial, municipal and infrastructure marine construction. And for both: professional evaluations and assessments, and consulting and permitting.

Yes. We are licensed in Delaware (public- and private-work contractor licensing, DE-2021-000000781), Maryland (Marine Contractor’s License 495E) and Virginia. We carry Marine General Liability, Protection & Indemnity, Hull and Workers’ Compensation coverage, are bonded with project-specific bonding capacity, and train to OSHA 30.

Yes. Commercial, municipal and infrastructure work is half of what we do. See Commercial, Municipal and Infrastructure.

A marine contractor designs and builds structures in and around water — piers, docks, bulkheads, shoreline protection and boat lifts. The work requires specialized equipment and knowledge of tides, soils and environmental regulations.

Marine construction requires experience, equipment and compliance standards that go well beyond land-based work. Structures built in or near water have to account for erosion, wave energy, soil conditions and changing water levels. Hiring a qualified marine contractor is what makes a project safe, legal and durable in a harsh waterfront environment.

Piers and docks start around $400 per running foot. That assumes roughly 100 linear feet of work, and it is a starting point rather than a quotation.

Standard residential bulkheads start around $550 per running foot; heavy residential and commercial bulkheads around $800 per running foot. Larger commercial and municipal systems can be several thousand dollars per foot.

Small or basic rip-rap revetments start around $175 per running foot. There is no useful universal upper range — stone class, quantity, access and exposure vary too much.

A standard installed boat lift starts around $10,000, and varies materially by DECO series, capacity, configuration, piling and accessories. The Boat Lift Selection Tool narrows the options.

Mobilization and other fixed costs are the same whether we build 20 feet or 100. On a short job they are spread over less work, so the per-foot cost can be materially higher. Every price depends on dimensions, height and grade, piling, materials, soil and water conditions, access, permitting, specifications, equipment and mobilization, and scope.

Most of a bulkhead is installed below ground and underwater, where it cannot be seen after installation. Long-term strength depends on what is beneath the surface — sheet length below the mudline, piling size and embedment, and the tie-back system. A wall that is under-built there looks identical on handover day and behaves very differently years later. Compare those three things.

A pier is a fixed access structure that extends from upland property out over the water. A dock is the facility, or the portion of a structure, intended primarily for vessel access and mooring.

Driven to refusal means pilings are installed into the ground until they reach a stable load-bearing layer, ensuring the structure is secure and long-lasting.

The floats must stay clear of the bottom at the lowest water the site sees. Floating docks are not inherently suited to shallow water; a site that runs thin at low water is usually better served by a fixed structure.

A bulkhead retains soil at the land/water interface. A retaining wall retains soil away from the direct water interface.

Sometimes, on the right site. A living shoreline is site-specific and is generally not suited to steep or defined banks that need significant soil retention. Where a site needs a wall to retain soil, it generally needs a wall; in some circumstances rip-rap is the relevant alternative.

By vegetation coverage per square foot, observed over time, with supplemental planting based on the establishment and growth we see.

Piers and docks: CCA marine pressure-treated Southern Yellow Pine piling and CCA-treated framing, with 2×6 CA-C wood, full PVC or Owens Corning WearDeck decking. Bulkheads: 2×10 tongue-and-groove timber or vinyl sheet piling. Rip-rap: DelDOT-rated stone over filter fabric and bedding. Every specification is confirmed for the project.

It depends on site conditions. Common methods are rip-rap revetments, bulkheads, living shorelines and offshore sills. Each project should be designed around wave energy, soil conditions, slope and environmental regulations.

Yes. We work from our own fleet of barges, work vessels, pile-driving and heavy equipment, by water or by land, whichever the site allows.

Yes. Professional Evaluations & Assessments score individual piling, grade framing and decking or sheeting, document problem areas and produce an overall A–F grade. It is a standardized marine-contractor condition evaluation, not a sealed engineering certification.

Yes. Most dock and marine construction projects require approval from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC).

Yes. Projects in Maryland often require approvals from the Maryland Department of the Environment and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, depending on the scope of work.

In Delaware and Maryland, yes — in house: applications, project documentation, agency coordination, responses and revisions, and amendments as applicable. In Virginia we provide permitting assistance and coordination.

Typically between 3 and 12 months, depending on the complexity of the project and agency review timelines.

Most dock projects take between 2 and 5 days for smaller builds, and up to 1 to 2 weeks for larger or more complex projects. Weather, tides and site access can affect timelines.

Yes. We provide detailed estimates outlining the scope of work, materials, timeline and pricing for each project.

Contact us to schedule a site visit. We will evaluate the property, provide a detailed proposal, handle permitting if required, and schedule construction. The inquiry form takes photos.

Forty-six years of experience, second-generation family ownership, three-state licensing, in-house permitting in Delaware and Maryland, quality materials, and a reputation for durable marine construction across Delmarva.