About Dock Builders Sarasota
Dock Builders Sarasota designs, builds and repairs residential marine structures on the bays, bayous, canals and Intracoastal shoreline of Sarasota County and the neighboring Suncoast. The work covers new docks, boat lifts, seawall repair, dock repair, piling replacement and floating docks. Commercial marinas, multi-slip condominium projects, dredging and boat ramps are outside what we take on.
Water here is shallow, salty and warm. The tide moves only a foot or two, so a few inches of depth decide where a boat can sit at low water. Marine borers eat untreated wood, salt air works on every bolt, and a hurricane can push the bay several feet over a seawall cap. Our quotes spend as much time on those conditions as on the decking you will see.
How a job moves
- Look at the water first. We measure depth at the seawall and at the planned end of the dock, check the bottom, and look for seagrass, mangroves and the condition of the wall.
- Draw it to the rules. Plans show dock length from the mean high water line, deck height, pilings, lift locations and electrical, which is what local building departments ask to see.
- Sort the permits. The city, town or county building department, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and, on some projects, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers each have a say. We confirm which ones apply to your address before a date is set.
- Price it in parts. Pilings, framing, decking, hardware, lift, electrical and removal each get a line on the written quote.
- Build and close out. Work proceeds after permits are in hand, and inspections are scheduled as the permit requires.
Where we stop
If the water work turns up something the quote did not cover, such as a seawall that is failing behind a dock you only wanted to resurface, the job pauses until you approve the change in writing. Electrical service upgrades at the house go to an electrician, and structural engineering is done by a Florida engineer when the permit calls for sealed drawings.
Call (941) 213-5801 for a free estimate.