Free tools 20+ years on the water 8 states served
Get a fast, honest ballpark for your shoreline project. Our live seawall, bulkhead, retaining-wall, pier, dock, boardwalk and pile-driving calculators estimate your cost by material and size — price per linear foot for walls and driven piles, per square foot of face for retaining walls, deck area for piers, docks and boardwalks — then let you download a branded PDF estimate. The numbers come from real Shore Protect projects; your firm price follows a site review.
Quick answer: use the seawall calculator for coastal, wave-exposed or high-wake sites; use the bulkhead calculator for calmer freshwater or sheltered banks. Typical freshwater baseline: $150–$650+ per linear foot — coastal seawalls run higher after a wave-exposure adjustment.
$150–$650+ / LF · freshwater baseline
Vinyl, wood, steel, concrete or riprap — freshwater or coastal, with a wave-exposure adjustment.
$150–$650+ / LF · freshwater baseline
Vinyl, wood, steel, concrete or riprap — freshwater baseline with an optional saltwater adjustment.
$20–$130 / SF · deck area + water depth
Pressure-treated, composite, hardwood or concrete piers — all-in price by deck area, decking material and water depth.
$20–$130 / SF + roof · deck area + cover
Open or covered docks — all-in price by deck area, decking material, water depth and a lean-to, gable or hip boathouse roof.
$20–$130 / SF · over land, water or both
Shoreline walkways & over-water boardwalks — all-in price by deck area, decking material, height and how much of the run is over water.
$10–$90 / LF · timber, steel & concrete
Driven piles only — all-in price per linear foot by pile type, size, count and driven length, plus rig mobilization and a work barge for over-water access.
$15–$70+ / SF · face area
Timber, gabion, composite, stone, concrete block, riprap, metal or brick — priced per square foot of face by material and wall height.
Every Shore Protect calculator follows the same three steps, so you get a planning ballpark in under a minute:
Each estimate covers the structure itself. Demolition of an old wall, backfill, permits and mobilization are quoted separately because they depend on site conditions — so your final, firm price comes after a site review.
| Calculator | Best for | Inputs | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seawall | Coastal, wave-exposed & high-wake shorelines | Material, length, wall height, water type | Price / LF + PDF estimate |
| Bulkhead | Calmer freshwater & sheltered banks | Material, length, wall height, water type | Price / LF + PDF estimate |
| Pier | Piers & walkways over the water | Deck area, water depth, pilings | Price range + PDF estimate |
| Dock & boathouse | Open or covered docks & boat slips | Deck area, water depth, roof / cover | Price range + PDF estimate |
| Boardwalk | Shoreline walkways & over-water boardwalks | Deck area, height, over land / water | Price range + PDF estimate |
| Pile driving | Foundations, docks & heavy structures | Pile type, size, count, driven length | Price range + PDF estimate |
| Retaining wall | Soil retention & grade changes | Material, length, wall height | Price / SF + PDF estimate |
Explore detailed pricing guides: bulkhead cost, seawall cost, pier cost, pile-driving cost, retaining-wall cost, or browse our completed waterfront projects.
Honest answers about our free calculators — what they cost, how accurate they are, which one you need, and what's coming next.
Yes — every calculator is completely free with no obligation. Estimate your price per linear foot by material, then download a branded PDF estimate to keep. If you'd like an exact quote, you can send us your project details and photos right from the tool.
They're a planning ballpark, not a binding quote. The ranges come from real Shore Protect projects and are adjusted for your material and wall height. The firm price comes after a site review of soil, access, water and wave conditions — estimates are reviewed by Roman Ross, Marine Construction Estimator at Shore Protect Construction.
Both are hard vertical shoreline walls. A bulkhead mainly retains soil on calmer, low-to-moderate energy banks, while a seawall is built to take a beating — coastal bays, the open Gulf, busy boating lakes and storm surge. If your site sees real wave or wake action, use the seawall calculator; for a sheltered inland bank, the bulkhead calculator is usually right.
Yes — all of them are live. The pier cost calculator, the dock & boathouse cost calculator and the boardwalk cost calculator price by deck area and decking material (the dock calculator also adds a lean-to, gable or hip boathouse roof, and the boardwalk calculator factors in height and how much of the run is over land or water); the pile driving cost calculator prices driven piles per linear foot by type, size and length; and the retaining-wall cost calculator prices walls per square foot of face by material and wall height. For deeper detail, see our retaining-wall cost guide, or contact us any time for a tailored estimate.
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