Construction on the Lakeshore
Cost isn’t the only barrier for construction projects on the lakeshore.
Throw a rock in West Michigan and you’ll hit water. Make sure it doesn’t displace any sand or dune-grass though… We joke, because we know how restrictive it is to work near the water. Years of working, and living, on the lakeshore has shown us how critical our dunes are.
Spoils.
Taking on a project on the lakeshore is costly enough, keeping those costs to a minimum takes the right team. Like any construction project, you want a team you can trust to capture all of the details; building in West Michigan comes with its own unique set of requirements to avoid costly surprises and delays. It’s a detailed, long process to get permits along the lakeshore, one that can spoil a project if not managed properly.
Proximity to the water is a good indicator of restrictive building regulations, within 500’ to be exact. The Great Lakes have special circumstances too. Peace of mind for your project comes from having a team that sees such restrictions as just another part of the process. For us, it’s more surprising when we don’t have to account for them. Navigating all of it is really just about not getting over your skis.
Silt Fences
A large part of restrictions near the water deal with mitigation strategies for soil erosion and sedimentation control, as well as keeping piled soil (spoils) from drifting
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Strategy.
When a project near the water comes across our desk, we don’t reach for a special file, or a special checklist. Our process was built specifically for the lakeshore, we just get to simplify our process when we are working on less-complex projects.
Keeping a project from getting over-extended, starts with gauging feasibility first. We prefer you involve us as early as possible in the process so we can help ensure time and resources aren’t spoiled.
Feasibility Studies
Pre-Feasibility Study
Project Feasibility Study
Critical.
There are many steps that go into determining feasibility of a project. Evaluating specific hallmark identifiers at the on-set tells us who to get involved, and when.
In the protected dunes of West Michigan, Critical Dunes, each property has unique buildable-area and many other requirements that can affect every other part of your project, even the size of the building or addition.
Critical Dunes aren’t the only restrictive circumstances. County Health Department requirements, Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control (SESC), Environmental restrictions, Flood-Plains, and more affect West Michigan properties.
Your peace of mind that no stone has gone un-turned, starts with the right process, and the right team.
Controls.
Collaborating with all the relevant authorities starts with knowing where to look, whom to involve, and continues with a commitment to the process. The agency, or agencies, required by your project will bring their own mitigation strategies and erosion controls. These get developed in permitting, and the plans get interwoven into the rest of the construction plans. Qualified, thorough project management from the beginning by your General Contractor will develop an interface management strategy to ensure measures are adhered to throughout construction.
You want your General Contractor familiar with the process, keeping an eye on each layer of complexity, so you don’t have to. We want to be the one in your corner.
Structure.
Evaluation of existing structures, and proposing renovation plans is nuanced. Depend on us to take the time to evaluate the conditions and present a clear plan. Regulatory paths are not the only limit for lakeside projects. Your home, or future home, has unique geography; trust our eye for the unique geotechnical conditions and evaluation of your structure so we can give you peace of mind during the project, and for years to come.
Soil Bearing Capacity
Different structural methods are required for different soil types’ capabilities. Here we’re positioning a form for a concrete pier, with rebar and a plastic pad for additional uplift capacity.
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