Sticks & Stones – A Traditional Les Cheneaux Crib Dock Replacement Project

Image courtesy www.lescheneaux.org

Sticks and Stones
A Traditional Les Cheneaux Crib Dock Replacement Project

By Alex Watson

Last year, we decided to replace our aging cedar crib docks. They had withstood 44 years of rain, sun, snow load, Lake Huron ice flows, winds, wave action, and record high Great Lakes levels. (And the occasional bump by a boat.) – Also remember you can click on any of the photos in todays story to enlarge them – Texx

Like grey boats, grey docks eventually need all new wood.

Because crib docks are a characteristic of our area — The Les Cheneaux Islands (Hessel and Cedarville, MI) — it was a given we would replace them with new cribs. The alternatives — seasonal wood or aluminum docks — look too contemporary in this rustic area. Nor could seasonal docks offer us the protection we needed from winds and waves.

When work began last winter, I realized this project would make an interesting Woody Boater story. Most lakes do not allow crib docks, so this would be something new and different — the first dock story. And, lets face it, all of us here have a thing for wood, right?

Naturally aging crib docks are a beautiful complement to wood boats.

Replacing the docks from scratch offered us the equivalent of a do-over. We could replicate what we had, or try to improve on it. We took over a year to ponder options and map out configurations.

We chose a local dock builder, Bob Dunn of Breezeswept Docks to spearhead the work. Bob is a handshake kind of guy, and his reputation is excellent.

We decided the main dock would be shaped as it was before, like an “L,” because this offered the ideal protection from the prevailing, mainly West winds and waves. It would measure approximately 82 feet long x 7 feet wide, with a 90-degree angled section 41 feet long x 11 feet wide, creating slips sufficient for our longest boat, the 25’ Sportsman. The new dock would incorporate five 15 x 7 foot stone filled cribs and two 7 x 7 foot ones.

The project would also include dredging a harbor approximately 80 feet x 55 feet, 3 feet deeper than the existing level, removing approximately 300 cubic yards of hardpan (the dense layer of clay, rock, and sand under the sediment). Why dredge? Lake Huron was over a foot below chart datum, fast approaching its 100 year low.

How low can you go?

Yet the new docks would be built to the same height as the old docks which, at the time, were about 5 feet above the water. Why rebuild 5 feet above? Because in 1986, 24 years before, Lake Huron hit its 100 year high, water level (5.92 feet above datum — the normal high water level is 2 feet above datum), swamping many crib docks built too low.

This kind of water level range (about 6-1/2 feet!) doesn’t happen on smaller inland lakes, but it must be accounted for with fixed docks on the Great Lakes.

Lake Huron had been falling precipitously in recent years. Let’s run the numbers on this…

• Lake Huron has a surface area of 23,010 square miles (which, by the way, includes 30,000 islands).
• 1 square mile of water 1 inch deep is 2,323,200 cubic feet of water.
• If you multiply these two figures, you get 53,456,832,000 cubic feet of water in just one inch of Lake Huron depth.
• Now if you multiply that figure by the 72 inch (6 foot) drop in water level since 1986, you get 3,848,890,000,000 cubic feet of water that has vanished.
• What’s that in gallons? Well, since 1 cubic foot of water contains 7.4805 gallons, then it’s 28,791,600,000,000 gallons.

It’s hard to imagine how nearly 29 trillion gallons of water could disappear, and how (and when) they will return. So we didn’t. We banked on science. Yes, there are theories of an over-dredging cover-up, or excess water diversion down the Mississippi, or excess drawing of water from aquifers for bottling. And there’s plenty of global warming opportunism too (“you never want a serious crisis to go to waste,” right?). But the fact is, whatever role those things play — even in cumulation — the rising and falling of Lake Huron has happened several times in measured history, before any of those things. And all records were made to be broken, right? Who’s to say breaking an all time low is “caused” by anything, and not natural? Who’s to say the all-time low wasn’t lower, before we started measuring less than 100 years ago?

Lake Huron water levels since 1918. Been here, done that. – Photo courtesy http://lakehuron.ca

This is not to make light of the low water situation. It’s dire for many communities, including ours. It’s just my 2 cents relating to the low (and high) water we needed to consider, given the projected 40-50 year life span of the new docks.

The improvements we decided to incorporate into the docks were:

a) A greater number of cedar log piles (65 total), spaced closer together, offering more protection from the ice. (Incidentally, a single one is called a pile. A structure of them is called piling.)
b) 11 feet of width for the 41’ (90-degree angle) dock instead of the previous 7 feet, offering us room to entertain on the dock.
c) Higher capacity electric power. Enough to install a hot tub on the docks, should our ship come in. (Message to my wife… No, dear, this doesn’t mean I want to buy a bigger boat.)
d) Plumbing to the dock, for washing the boats.
e) Decking screwed in with galvanized screws, rather than nailed.

We elected to use pressure-treated, beveled lumber for the decks instead of cedar. Pressure-treated boards would last as long, or perhaps longer, than untreated cedar, and would weather to the same lovely shade of grey. Bevelled boards would be easier under foot and less likely to splinter.

Though the contracts we signed spelled out the job in basic terms, we had no idea how involved the process would be and how much talent it would take to build the dock right. As you’ll see, there’s a lot more to this than banging logs together and filling them with rocks.

So here we go…

Step one of the project was behind us — the drawings. Step two was all legal. Beyond signing contracts with the contractors, we needed to pull permits with: a) the local township; b) Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ); and c) Army Corps of Engineers.

The DEQ permit introduced a complexity. Removal of the old docks and any dredging would have to stop by April 1, whether completed or not, because digging around and disturbing the lake bed could harm fish during spawning season.

Once the permits were in hand, there was a lag of a few months before work began in February. You might think demolition, dredging, and installing the new cribs would be more difficult in the winter. But the opposite it true. The crew needed the thick winter ice (about 15”) as a foundation, so they could drive the excavator much further out from shore.

Here you’ll see the excavator laying out a canopy of hardwood logs, all strung together with steel cable.

Rolling out the log carpet.

The excavator positioned the logs on the ice, then drove on top. The weight pushed the logs and the 15” of ice beneath them down to the lake bed and voila, a temporary island was born.

Walking on water. Miraculous.

Demolition of the old docks happened remarkably quickly. The dry wood (above water level) was either burned or cut up for firewood, while the wood beneath the water was hauled to a landfill. The rocks which filled our old cribs were pulled out and piled on shore, where they would be reused in the new cribs.

Background: Mount Hessel. Foreground: WoodyBoater incense.

The next step required an interesting talent. The man running the excavator had to dredge our harbor and make way for the new docks. He operated basically blind, feeling his way around through the ice fragments, floating pieces of old dock, and stirred up water. (It was months later when the project was nearly completed that we could see in clear water how effective he had been at getting everything pulled out to the prescribed depth.)

Once dredging was done, it was time to position the new cribs. They had been built and floated over before the ice to rest on our beach.

Looks like Lincoln Logs. “Hessel Logs?”

Surveying equipment, construction string, t-squares, and neon spray paint were the tools used for siting them. Each crib was towed over, positioned, submerged, nudged into place, and filled with rocks.

Under the ice, a freshly dredged harbor. If Lake Huron dries up, this will become our heated pool.

Once the cribs were set, they were left to settle about 6 weeks. Settling can be significant or slight, depending on lakebed composition — it’s not something that can be controlled or rushed.

Settling cribs. Breezeswept’s motto: “We will complete no dock, before its time.” (Just made that up, actually.)

After checking to ensure no crib had materially shifted from its intended position, the next step was to “build up” the cribs to the prescribed level above water. As each crib was built up, more rocks were piled inside. The tallest cribs ended up about 9 feet high (combining underwater and above water height).

Building up the cribs and filling them with rocks. Wonder if the operator is a wiz at those arcade claw cranes too?

You can now get a sense of how heavy these cribs are. The 9 foot high ones (each measuring 7 feet wide x 15 feet long) consist of a few dozen green logs each, and are then filled with rocks piled about 8’ high! We used a total of over 120 cubic yards of rocks.

My 10 year old son, Sandy, standing next to a 9 foot tall crib. Hmmm. One of these would make a great “time out” stockade.

Even so, moving ice can be merciless and shred even crib docks under certain conditions.

At this point, a running change was made to our design. We realized we had an opportunity to cut steps down into one of the 90 degree end cribs, making it easier to walk to boat level in the low water. (These can easily be built up when the water returns.) Here you’ll see them cutting into the crib to make space for the steps.

Building a stairway to heaven (down to the boats — same thing).

The next step was to install pressure treated 6” x 6” stringers.

Big machine, free entertainment for the kids.

The crew used chain saws to cut into each of the crib logs as needed to ensure the stringers were perfectly level the entire length of the dock.

Chain saw art.

Once our wire conduit and hosing was strung throughout the docks, the deck boards were installed and the stairs finished.

“Grand Opening Soon.”

It was now time to install the 65 cedar log piles. The rings of the logs indicated they were approximately 100 years old.

We counted 97 on this one. (Well, actually we made the kids count.)

Specs called for these to be driven in 4 to 7 feet, if possible, unless there is “bottom refusal.” (I swear I didn’t make that up.) In the tight 90 degree corner and near shore, a large drill, a high powered water-jet, and downward hydraulic pressure were all used.

Forcing each pile through its own mix of dense hardpan was an “adventure.” (The crew had a few different words for it…)

In deeper water, pile driving equipment was used to pound the logs down.

Piledriver. Admit it. You want one too.

The crew was able to install the piles vertically, with fairly even spacing — no small feat! Where the piles would not go deep, they were collared to the dock with galvanized straps. (None of the piles is attached to the dock, because ice periodically lifts piles. Lifting piles would lift dock components too, causing damage.)

Finish work was next. Remaining piles were cut down to prescribed, uniform height, excess cedar bark was peeled, and the top of each pile was leveled and beveled. Bob assured us each would be smooth and level enough to hold a drink. (No plans to line up 65 shots, incidentally.) Next, the ends of the horizontal crib logs were all trimmed to uniform protrusion and the edges of all the deck boards were beveled to reduce the risk of cutting oneself going off the dock. And lastly, the stairs to Slip 1 were completed.

New stairs reduce the risk of “help I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”

That’s it. The new crib docks were finished!

But the total job wasn’t.

Because we had more boats than before, we needed more slips. This is where our greatest improvement over the old docks came into play. We had ordered custom, 4’ wide floating docks from Flotation Dock Systems to be incorporated with the fixed crib docks.

At long last, our very own “telescoping spuds!” Our lives are complete.

Flotation docks are engineered, commercial strength, and can be found at many Michigan marinas. Many do not need to be removed for winter. They are free to rise and fall with water levels, yet they will not twist or sway. Even their stairs self-adjust, keeping every step level, regardless of water fluctuations.

On the heels of the crib dock completion, Flotation brought in two pre-made dock fingers (one 28’ and the other 25’ — factoring in the various lengths of our boats), a massive aluminum connecting beam, steel piles, two stair sets, and the related hardware to assemble their product. To help blend with the look of the crib docks, we specified round cedar posts, rather than Flotation’s standard, square, pressure-treated ones. In just a few hours, the dock sections, stairs and connecting beam were offloaded from a large barge, assembled, and moved into exact position, and the steel piles were forced down. It was slick.

What’s better, fixed or floating? Both.

The Flotation component added to the total project cost, but it was well worth it when you consider they expanded our “protected” (from the winds and waves) docking capacity from 2 boats to 5, and made entering and exiting 4 of those 5 boats far safer, because they are always at the right height. (Recall the 5th boat is accessed via the stairs cut into the cribs.)

There was one last step to be done. We had a 40’ x 4’ pressure treated ramp built to lead to the docks. This covered a dirt path, ensuring less dirt would be tracked onto the docks (and into the boats). Because this new ramp was wider than the ramp it replaced, this also reduced the risk of a fall onto the rocks which border the land leading to the docks.

Think of the speed a kid can build running 120 feet before jumping off.

Cost of the project — drawings, permits, demolition and hauling, dredging, crib fabrication, crib installation, crib build-up, wiring, plumbing, decking, floating components and installation, and the 40 foot ramp — came to about $80,000 in total.

Now the job was all done. We had the best of all worlds.

1) The 40+ year longevity, protection, and authenticity to the area only crib docks offer.
2) The practicality and safety (for boarding and disembarking at varying water levels) only self-adjusting floating docks can offer.
3) Significantly more protected docking capacity than before.

What mistakes did we make? We’re only aware of one. To allow for drainage and air circulation, we spaced the deck boards farther than the norm. As the boards began to dry, the surface became painful when barefoot. We were also concerned a small child could catch toes between the boards, or a dog might catch a paw. And so we had each and every board unscrewed, re-positioned the customary “nail-width” apart, and refastened to the stringers. Removing thousands of tightly driven screws and then re-driving them was labor intensive. And of course, closer boards meant more boards were needed. Still, it was the right thing to do.

When the water (eventually) returns, we’ll have one helluva deep harbor. Which, of course, is one barrier removed to buying a bigger boat, right?

We are very pleased with the end result. And we no longer have to be concerned with fluctuations in Lake Huron water level. Unless of course levels drop from the current (2013) record low to a much lower low, rendering the dredging we did insufficient. If that happens, more dredging will be required. (It also offers a perfect excuse to buy classic I/Os and classic outboards with trim.)

We hope you enjoyed learning about this project. As with a total boat restoration, it was a bit of a letdown for us when it was finished. The process was a big part of the fun. Still, the best is yet to come. In a few years, the wood will have mellowed to grey and we will blend back in with our beloved area.

Alex Watson
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48 replies
  1. Texx
    Texx says:

    Great story Alex, and thanks for sharing it with us today. And congratulations on your beautiful new crib dock.

    I had the pleasure of seeing (and using) this new dock last summer while I was visiting Alex and his family in Hessel, and it was remarkable.

    But for the record, looking at the header photo which is also at the bottom of the story today as well, two wooden boats from Alex’s collection are missing. The 25′ CC Sportsman “The Majestic” and everyones favorite wooden boat “HAL”. So it looks like Alex already needs more dock space…

    And yes, coffee cups and assorted beverage containers sit securely on the top of the piles… just as Alex planned. – Texx

  2. Rick
    Rick says:

    One heck of a project! Here in the NE if you told someone you were waiting for the ice to get thick enough to start rebuilding your dock they would either have you committed or try and sell you the Brooklyn Bridge. Always neat to see how things are done elsewhere. A picture of 65 shots lined up on the pilings would be pretty cool taken on a summers sunset. Hope you get to enjoy your dock soon and the story was a great way to start a day in which we are expecting a blizzard.

  3. RiverRat
    RiverRat says:

    Beautiful docks and a bargin at 80 G’s. At The River these days all the cribs and decking is pressure treated with a few exceptions. The southern yellow pine decking splinters alot when it dries out so keep it sealed every two years. No pilings are added along the perimeter. I guess that is traditional up in Hessel. We don’t put our drinks down as much.

  4. Alex
    Alex says:

    Hi RiverRat. Pilings are around the perimeter of the cribs. (The photo that shows the newly completed ramp (4th from the end of the story was taken when that ramp was completed but just before the remaining piles were driven in. Sorry for the confusion.)

    BTW, we also don’t put our drinks down much. I have three kids…

  5. Bob Kays
    Bob Kays says:

    Thanks for a great story. Great way to start a day that will end with a lot of snow.Enjoy every minute on your dock.

  6. Mike W
    Mike W says:

    They are wonderful and a great place to have a beer, marvel a the water and area. I have one request. The end would be a perfect spot to place a 35 Commander but given the waves could you add a breakwater? As I mentioned to you previously, we would love to use it as a summer dock. A few more requests so we don’t bother you and your family. Could you add a pump out station, 30AMP power, cable/internet and a fish cleaning station? We have to eat. Of course we would pick up our dogs mess and take the garbage to the end of the dock for your kids to take to the road. Certainly you could use it when we are not there but please keep it full of gas and libations. Oh, as you know my son and his family come home to the UP from California for a good part of the summer. They may need a place to stay for a while but their 2 year old and yappy MinPins are a small price to pay to have a 35SC to use once or twice a year. Oh, you’ll need to replace one or both of the Q’s. We would likely have it towed to its permanent location.

    • Rick
      Rick says:

      Well if you’re going to do all that for Mike then I would at least expect a small guest cottage (maybe 3 bedrooms, whirlpool tub, steam-room etc.) so when I visit I don’t have to stay in a hotel and please leave the keys to one or more of the woodies (no plastic please) so I don’t have to haul mine all the way up there. Oh and some Don Julio Tequila in the cupboard. Seems only fair after all you’re doing for Mike.

      • Ranger
        Ranger says:

        Well, it’s wonderful and grand, i enjoyed learning about this type of construction.

        Hey, next to Mike & Rick’s demands, mine should be more than doable…we only require a prime spot to park the old bus and you’re already running the 30 amp line out to the dock, so…..

        • Texx
          Texx says:

          Invite Alex to your bus during the Sunnyland Boat Show next month and make him “an offer he can’t refuse” (with beer)

  7. Alex
    Alex says:

    Mike W and Rick. Glad to. No problem. But you’ll have to look after Salter while you’re here.

    No, not this Salter…

  8. Alex
    Alex says:

    We’re a little concerned by him. Every day, he seems to look more like this guy. Of course, it could be the long isolated winters up here…

  9. John Kadimik
    John Kadimik says:

    Alex – great job on your dock! Here we practice safety first – put the fireworks on the pile and hold the beer!

  10. WoodyGal
    WoodyGal says:

    Alex, it’s beautiful! I would expect nothing less from you! Every region has it’s own historic dock designs and uses, thanks for preserving yours.

    I see two boats missing too, HAL and the other XK-19? Five boats commissioned at the same time is probably enough tho.

    My dock was built in the 1960’s, same design as the original from the 50’s, except one boat well is 10′ wide, the other, same as the original dock 6′ wide, just big enough for the little Larsen outboard and fishing. The wood is pressure treated pine, the floor is tongue & groove and it is still in great shape. It floats on new encased foam, as Grand Lake can fluctuate six or more feet. All of the early docks were enclosed to allow comfortable Crappie fishing during the winter. This picture was taken a few years ago when the roof was replaced.

  11. Paul H.
    Paul H. says:

    I wuold love a dock lke this at my place, but it is not legal and would be almost impossible to build. Last year, the lake level fluctuated from low to high by 15.1 feet over about a 10 week period, a huge amount. Almost all our docks simply have to be flotaing, anchored by chains. They work well, but there are not many practical ways to install boat lifts or other fixed structures. One could build a HUGE aluminum dock on piles, but these start at about $150k and quickly rise. I think you have great installation here and it looks the part as well.

      • Paul H.
        Paul H. says:

        Mostly weight distribution, as the whole thing is floating. Hanging 4-8000 lbs. off the side of a floating structure comprised of sections would not work. There are floating lifts, but in the end, the whole apparatus is bolted to an unstable floating structure so the stresses are hard to manage. I have looked at about every option and it is just not practical. The water in our lake rises with snow runoff through mid-june, then declines steadily over the next 2-3 months. The docks must be moved in or out to accommodate this, and they are pulled out in the winter – in many cases. It is just not workable, unfortunately.

  12. Alex
    Alex says:

    Paul, 15 feet? Wow! I mean wow, what an opportunity! It’s your excuse to buy a Commander. In Spring, you can board at main deck level. In the Fall, you can board at the flybridge.

    • Mike W
      Mike W says:

      You joke but that is what really happened to me from Spring to Fall in Saugatuck. The river level follows the lake and it aint good. Going to be lower next year and last year at the end the bow was in the mud and there was 6″ under the props.

  13. WoodyGal
    WoodyGal says:

    Sorry Alex, don’t have pix of that. Will send some on my next visit. It does add strength & stability to the dock, but it’s a royal pain to replace any rotten floor on the outside catwalks or to get to the flotation.

  14. Chad
    Chad says:

    Nice looking dock and boats! The “stuff of dreams” for WoodyBoaters.

    Last year, I hired an engineer to make me an anchor with some Sakrete and a steel eye bolt. We sunk it in about 6 feet of water. Tied one end of the rope to the anchor and the other to the boat.

    Works great, except for the part where I have to wade up to my neck to untie the boat. I am currently pursuing legal action against the engineer.

    • Jay Wagner
      Jay Wagner says:

      Put a chain on the anchor and a float with a dedicated line with a snap hook. Worked for me but I used a Olds Diesel block instead of concrete!!

  15. matt
    matt says:

    Here in Reedville we are lucky to have two docks, which seems crazy until you have two docks. One has two lifts and the boat shed. its nice since you have no fear of banging into a lift. The other dock is deeper water and allows the kids and boatress to go crabbing and fishing. AWAY from the boats. The tide goes up and down around 2 feet.

  16. Alex
    Alex says:

    Enough with the wading Chad. You need a smaller boat to get out to your bigger boat. Then you’ll need a still smaller boat to get to the smaller one. Keep doing that and eventually you’ll have a dock made of boats.

    • WoodyGal
      WoodyGal says:

      A rubber dingy should do the trick Chad! And if it bumps into Lily, the boat, it won’t scratch the varnish. Where you gonna park the XK ? Just thinking ahead for you…..

  17. matt
    matt says:

    I wondered how Alex wound up with so many boats. A boat is the magic solution to all lifes problems. have a kid, get a boat, out of gas, get another boat, Car not starting, another boat, I love Alex!

    • Chad
      Chad says:

      Thank you Texx! Perfect solution.

      The “blonde-in-a-dinghy rig” would work great!

      I’ve never had much luck with the dinghy-blonde set-up.

  18. floyd r turbo
    floyd r turbo says:

    Chad, whatever you do, don’t get an aluminum dingy, they suck, unless you get a jon boat. Don’t ask why. Okay, I’ll tell you why, here goes: I had my ’24 Hacker on a mooring because we shared a common dock at the cottage and its for loading/unloading only. I pulled the battery out to charge. The next day, rowing out to the mooring w/my son who counterbalanced on the gunwale while I tried to lift the battery into the boat with out damaging the varnish, the dingy was so “tender” I lost my balance and the battery fell back into the dingy (fortunately and not into the water) rolling over several times and leaving nice little “telltales” where the terminal posts met the aluminum. Next time, we tried transom to transom. And that reminds me of another incident with an aluminum dingy maybe for another day.

  19. Cobourg-Kid
    Cobourg-Kid says:

    Dang Alex you should have contacted HGTV before starting this project , would have made a great reality series . Just add chad’s chimp , kid rock an asortment of local contrators and woody boaters mix well add beer and call it “Dock on the Rocks” or “Dock Dynasty” Hillarity would surely ensue!

    • Cobourg-Kid
      Cobourg-Kid says:

      Hey Alex
      Competing teams with nasty attitudes would be required to create a show called dock wars. Given the large number of Margaritavlile shirts at woody boat shows I personally don’t see it. What I do see is a lot of folks with their heads in their neighbours engine bay trying to help fix some obscure carb problem– with matt involved this is usually a fun, but ultimately unproductive venture – – see Algonac posts . Re. “Docks on a Dime” as I see it this show would be would be more appropriate for my family. My dad built his first dock with a used wheelchair ramp (circa 1955) and a bunch of recycled nails which he took pride in straightening, (yes he is scots). Quite frankly I prefer your approach to dock building.

  20. Alex
    Alex says:

    Here’s another way things are done in our area. A crib dock, built high. Plus, a seasonal finger dock — assembled each Spring and disassembled each Fall — which can be varied with water level. It’s a good, low cost way to go, though having people do the work each year adds up, unless one does it oneself. The other caveat to this approach became evident this summer — when our lake levels fell markedly in a 2 month span. What looked right in Spring became too high.

  21. Walter Cordes
    Walter Cordes says:

    Nice job on your dock. We also have a cottage and boathouse in the Les Cheneaux islands… on Snows Channel. Bob Dunn’s company (and same employees that did your work!) lifted our boathouse and built 14 new cedar cribs with stone under the boathouse, then lowered it back down. Finished the job in Spring of 2012. Our boathouse (in 2008) is the one on the left of the lescheneaux.org web site (you posted the picture of four boathouses from their site). Here is what the boathouse looks like now. Very pleased with the work and glad to spend the money to keep it old school. But, due to the low water, a stepdown was added on one side of the interior slip. Thanks for the article – ejoyed it.

  22. Lynn
    Lynn says:

    Great Article. The Hatch Haven photo was certainly taken in the spring, the water was much lower last fall when we kayaked by there. We have just put in three new cribs and will finish the stringers and decking this spring. The last picture in your article was taken in front of our place.

  23. brenda lodge
    brenda lodge says:

    It was interesting reading your article. I want to build cribbing on a property we own. It is located in the center of the harbour in a historic community. We lost the old cribbing & wharf through neglect & a series of storms – IGOR being the worst of them! Your article was very helpful as it helps explain the process involved. Our situation is a little bit different because ice & high seas are more of a concern – we live in one of the most easterly points on the Atlantic Ocean. We are hoping to cut down on the cost by cutting our own logs & using old light poles for the top under the decking.

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