The media long forgot Hurricane Patricia, the strongest hurricane to ever hit the Pacific Ocean, after it made landfall in Mexico as a Cat 1 hurricane. The storm, however, continued across into the Gulf of Mexico packing a wallop all the same.
Not in the seven years since we built the Seahorse Retreat and Palm Breeze vacation homes in the Florida Pan Handle, have we seen a storm batter our coast. I should mention the homes are in the protected Santa Rosa Sound too. All the same, the waves battered our dock throwing 240 square feet of it four feet into the air while tearing off the stairs to get onto it. Here’s a photo of the storm damage.
We moved into action quickly to ensure our next renters could continue to enjoy fishing or dolphin watching from the end of the dock. Tim and his handyman, David, waded the waters and cleverly maneuvered our kayak as a makeshift platform and rebuilt the dock and stairs.
As in every project we undertake, we identify ways to build it better than before. The photo shows the newly rebuilt dock using thicker “mega weather” lumber, deck boards screwed in at an angle for strength, and 6-inch lag screws to tie it altogether.
Efforts to brace the dock and install concrete footings before the storm, may have very well preserved what may have become a larger dock renovation project.