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ocean erosion Help

last month

Any suggestions:

Own a house across the street from ocean. House is on top of hill and water drains down to back yard. A winter storm sent the ocean across street and it eroded driveway that was just dirt/sand and gravel. Large ditches and Gulleys now.

Weather/ storm pattern suggest this will be a repeat occurrence.

Any suggestion on a driveway surface cover that will withstand erosion so we don't have a yearly repair. I know ocean is a tough opponent.

Home is in Maine.

Featured Answer

PRO

HALLETT & Co.

last month

This winter was brutal in Maine- most of the locals call it unprecedented. Sadly it’s probably a sign of things to come. I don’t have advice other than to look around- did any of your neighbors have different driveways with better success?

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Comments (10)

millworkman
last month
" Any suggestion on a driveway surface cover that will withstand erosion so we don't have a yearly repair. "

You are not stopping mother nature. I am on Long Island and the entire south shore is a yearly battle that is never ending.
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bemum
Original Author
last month
Yes. Not trying to stop Mother Nature, but trying to find a way to get along.

We've had this house in family for 90 years and past two winters have been brutal and predictive of future.
Kendrah
last month
I do think the best bet is to drive around, talk to neighbors, see what has worked for them. Coping with climate change is going to be a lot of trial and effort.

Did you see the pics of the fishing cottage floating out to see around Owl's Head a couple of months ago? That was my best friend's family cottage. It was well over 100 years old. Miraculously, it washed up on someone's shore, they towed it to their own backyard, and will eventually plunk it back on the island until it gets washed away again. Through the whole ordeal the bed remained made and nothing even moved out of place! Wild world we are living in.
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
last month
Kendrah my family used to have a summer house in Gloucester ma. Neighbors house washed out in storm of 78 and washed back in a few feet away, they just built a new foundation where it landed. My house in Eastport Maine only lost a roof this year.
HU-910663146
last month
Since the blacktop in your picture appears to have held up well, I would think that blacktoping the driveway would stop the erosion issue.
Kendrah
last month
@Hallett - Incredible that it washed back only a few feet away!
PRO
HALLETT & Co.
last month
They left part of the old foundation in the yard which was a good conversation starter when we were kids.
elcieg
28 days ago
last modified: 28 days ago
I am on the Cape. Most homes have crushed stone driveway (stones bigger than the groves of your tires). Water drains off easily. There is usually a Belgian block apron at the end of the driveway to keep the stones in place.
elcieg
28 days ago
last modified: 28 days ago
@Hallett & Co. My parents had a great old house in Gloucester...Lanesville, Rowley Shore. Built in the late 1800's, we would sit on the wrap around porch at night and see both the lights from the Provincetown monument and the car headlights on the coast of Maine.

I just scrolled through your portfolio. You do beautiful work. A question: there is a kitchen with a shrimp tone tile for backsplash and high gloss cabinets. Are the cabs from IKEA and, if so, you think its a good way to go if a client doesn't have $$$$ for a remodel?

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