Dock Repair on Lake Martin
A dock that sits low, shifts or creaks can often be fixed. Here's what to check, and when to call the shoreline office before work starts.
Around Dadeville, the Kowaliga area and nearby
Calls are recorded for quality assurance.
Signs a dock needs work
- One corner sitting lower in the water than the others.
- Crumbling white foam floating near the dock, a sign of old beaded floats.
- A gangway that binds, twists or scrapes as the lake level changes.
- Soft or split decking boards and loose railings.
- Rusted cables, chains or hinge hardware.
- Roof leaks or sagging on a boathouse.
Take a few phone photos of each problem, from the bank and from the water if you can. They help the builder size up the job before the visit.
Repair or rebuild
Swapping a few boards or a railing section is a small job. Replacing floats, the frame or the gangway is bigger, and on an older dock it can make sense to price a rebuild next to the repair.
When floats are replaced, Alabama Power requires beaded foam to be taken out of the lake and disposed of properly. Ask that this is part of the job.
Repairs and Alabama Power
Contact the Alabama Power Shoreline Management office before any substantial repair. Some repairs need a new permit before work starts. A $200 General Repair Fee applies to substantial repair work, and repairing a structure substantially without written approval carries a $400 fee.
A permitted dock can be taken off site for repair, as long as it goes back in the same permitted spot.
The office is at 1296 South Tallassee Street in Dadeville, at (256) 825-0053 or (256) 825-1107.
Questions to ask
- Which parts are repaired and which are replaced?
- Does this repair need Alabama Power's approval first, and who calls the office?
- Where does the old foam and lumber go?
- Would a winter drawdown make this repair easier? See lake levels.
Repair questions
Is it safe to use a dock that is listing?
Keep people and boats off a dock that tilts, has a broken gangway or a loose railing until a builder has looked at it.
Can I just add new floats under the old ones?
Ask the builder. Mixing old and new floats can leave the dock uneven, and old beaded foam has to come out when it's replaced.
Ready when you are
Call now, or send the form. A local pro calls you back, usually the same business day.
Calls are recorded for quality assurance.