Views from the Porch, Pier Construction
Pier building is underway!
We were hoping to be further along than this by now,
but the pier builders didn’t work over the holiday weekend
and then the beginning of the week was rainy…
but we’re making progress!
They’ve taken out most of the old pilings,
leaving a few key pilings to mark the footprint of the original pier
so they can rebuild it exactly the way it was before the hurricane
If you make any changes
you have to get approval from the Army Corps of Engineers
which is a long involved process
Almost every pier and marina sustained major damage
in Orange Beach during Hurricane Sally last September
so we feel lucky to have gotten this far
It is a tedious process,
they use a crane on a barge to remove old pilings and set the new ones
Once the old pilings and other debris was on the beach
they physically carried it to a trailer on the street in front of the house
Luckily a crew showed up to help carry the old out and the new in
We were amazed at the strength and agility of these guys,
not to mention the primitive process of this building
They have a large pipe device that is like a reverse vacuum,
they position it in the water where they want to set the piling
and it shoots air into the sand and creates a deep hole
that they insert the piling into
We have one of our boats anchored to the shore
just past the construction zone
The big boat is still being repaired,
it’s taking forever because of shortages due to the pandemic
The Blue Angels annual July air show in Pensacola was yesterday
so we caught glimpses of them practicing all week
You never know what you’re going to see from the porch…
Hopefully our pier will look like it used too soon!
I will be joining these fabulous parties and blogs:
Sundays on Silverado Love Your Creativity
Between Naps on the Porch, Celebrate Your Story,
All About Home/ Common Ground Follow the Yellow Brick Home
Tasty Tuesday Oh My Heartsie Girl Turn About Tuesday
Full Plate Thursday Centerpiece Wednesday Creative Crafts
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It is very clean and beautiful even though it’s under construction. You live in a very nice area, Jenna.
Thanks Angie, we are so glad we don’t have to look at our old storm damaged pier anymore, it was depressing! Have a great week~
I love seeing the “how” of how things get done! We, too, are waiting on repairs to our RV, due to shortages of replacement parts. I recently was fascinated to watch how our big ‘ole RV was loaded onto a low boy trailer (in a monumental rain storm) & then hauled down the highway to the repair shop. White knuckle trip, for sure! Great blog today – thanks!
Thanks Charlotte, it is fascinating to watch the process and I can’t believe how strong and agile these guys are! Good luck on your RV repairs, I hope it doesn’t take too long…
The Volkswagen Bus photo is priceless. Happy Sunday.
Thanks Bernadette, it is one crazy boat!
I know you are thrilled that your pier is under construction. Oh that VW!! Happy Sunday, Jenna!
Yes, the guys are super excited!
Best of luck with the renovation Jenna! Love the bug on the barge:@)
Thanks, yes that VW boat is so fun!
I’m so happy for you that it’s finally getting done, it sure has been a long time coming. Love the VW! Have a great Sunday Jenna. 🙂
Thanks Martha, we are excited it’s happening, but what a process!
Lol, that VW bus on the pontoon! Glad to see you’re making progress. Same is true here on the river with construction and Corps of Engrs approval…..except for those who don’t get it. 🙄 Here, one of the local coal ports’ barges do all the work, including transporting the pilings taken away.
We thought they would use barges to deliver the new and take the old, watching them carry those heavy pilings and trudging through the sand is grueling work, but they’re always laughing and smiling, really nice guys, and we’re so grateful!
I know how happy you must be to see your pier finally building rebuilt. What a grueling process but thankfully you have a crew that knows how to get it done and have a happy smile. Hope it’s finished soon and everything is back to normal……
Thanks Emily, it is fun to watch the process, but it sure goes slowly!
WoW! Hallelujah, Jenna. I’m so happy for you! It’s fun to watch the process. Thanks for sharing!
Rosie
Thanks so much Rosie, we’re excited!
Glad your construction is underway.
I enjoyed the Volkswagen bus picture. Too funny!
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
Yes, I’ve seen many crazy things from my porch!
Jenna, I didn’t realize all that goes into building the pier. I know you are happy to have the construction underway. I always love seeing your beautiful beach area. Wishing you a wonderful week ahead!
Thank you Shannon, the pier guys are amazing, they are in and out of the water and have to be so strong to maneuver the heavy pilings…it’s fascinating to watch their process! Have a great week~
What a complicated process to rebuild a pier. Specialized knowledge and some strong men are certainly needed!
Good Morning Jenna, I know you’re glad to finally have dock construction underway! I remember watching our old one come down and new one go up years ago, what a process. The dock building companies on the lake use barges to remove the old pilings and dock debris which seems easier than hauling it to the street. Hope all the tropical weather and storms steer clear of you this season. Love that VW bus!
Thanks Mary, it is fascinating to watch, and I have a feeling I’ll have lots of company for a while, it is a slow and labor intensive process!
It looks like a huge, complicated process (and an intriguing one) but hard work. At least you are well on the way to recovering! Now, let’s hope none of the fall storms come close to you!
Thank you Jeanie, it’s fascinating to watch them work and maneuver the huge heavy pilings! They are putting the new pilings in much deeper for extra stability and the pier decking will be made out of a heavy duty aluminum mesh that is storm proof. We are going to arrange to have the boats moved ashore if there is an approaching storm, so we won’t loose them again 🤞
You are making progress! It gives me a little hope, LOL! We had BAD storms at the lake over the weekend, and we even lost power Friday Night, but Alabama Power was ON IT and restored power in a matter of hours.
Oh that’s good! What is it with this rainy summer? It’s really nice at the beach today, but rain is in the daily forecast…
Great progress! Good luck!
Thanks Dorothy, we are so excited!
Construction of any kind right now is taking so long. It looks like this is coming along quite well. I know that you will be glad to have it finished!
Thanks for stopping by Chloe, yes we are so excited to get things back to normal!
From the looks of your strong and agile crew, it appears they have built a dock or two and know what they are doing. I know the whole family will be happy when life returns to normal there.
Thanks so much Karen, these guys are amazing!
Yay for progress on your pier, Jenna! I know this must make you very happy.
Thanks Kitty, it’s been fascinating to watch!