Engineering-grade guidance for lakefront owners on seawall design, shoreline protection, water level cycles, permit processes, ice damage, and the cost realities of protecting property along Lake Michigan.
July 28, 2026
Almost every Lake Michigan seawall needs a permit, because part of it stands on public bottomlands below the ordinary high water mark. The OHWM line that triggers review, the split between state and federal permits, and how EGLE, IDNR, Indiana and Wisconsin DNR, and the Army Corps handle it in each state.
July 20, 2026
Most seawall failures announce themselves months before the wall moves. What to look for at the cap, the face, the toe, and the backfill during a low-water summer walk, which findings are routine maintenance, and which ones mean you call an engineer before winter.
July 14, 2026
A tall seawall does not hold itself back with its own weight, it is anchored. How the tie rod, waler, and deadman hold a wall against the bank, why corroded tie rods are the most common reason a wall leans, and how helical anchors re-anchor a leaning wall in place.
July 6, 2026
A bluff fails from the toe and the top at the same time. Why toe armor alone is half a project, the full stabilization toolbox from riprap to dewatering and regrading, and how Michigan's high-risk erosion area setbacks decide what you can build and where.
June 29, 2026
The water behind your seawall, not the waves in front of it, is what most often leans and blows it out. How hydrostatic pressure builds in the backfill, what weep holes and granular backfill really do, the frost multiplier, the warning signs, and how drainage gets retrofitted into an existing wall.
June 19, 2026
How an engineered riprap revetment protects a Lake Michigan shoreline: armor stone sizing, the filter layer, slope and toe design, 2026 cost per foot, permits, and when riprap beats a vertical seawall.
May 18, 2026
The four ice mechanisms that wreck Lake Michigan seawalls (lateral shove, run-up, ice jacking, freeze-thaw), the spring inspection checklist that catches each one, and the engineering details that prevent repeat failure.
May 11, 2026
Lifespan, 2026 cost per linear foot, ice and wave performance, and permit fit for steel, vinyl, and riprap on Lake Michigan. The hybrid spec that wins on most residential lots.
May 4, 2026
Where the lake sits this spring, how the cycle has run since 2020, and what the current trajectory means for shoreline owners deciding whether to repair, harden, or wait. Permit windows, ice damage, and the seawall decisions to make now.