I am caring for my father-in-laws oceanfront summer house located in Scituate, MA. The house is directly on the water. The deck butts up to a 8 foot seawall. In the winter, this house gets battered. Two of the last three years, the deck has received structural damage from high tides that come over the seawall and punish the deck. All decks in my neighborhood have removal sections of decking so that when the water hits, it goes through the deck instead of into it. This year, the water continued under the deck and hit the house with such force that it ripped the deck joists off the house. Question 1 – Is there hardware similiar to what is used in hurricane applications that could be used to reinforce the deck structure?
The siding on this house is over 25 years old and needs to be replaced. Wood shingles are not a good choice because they often get ripped off the house when waves hit the house. What would be a good choice for siding? Could vinyl siding hold up to this type of abuse?
Replies
Vinyl is definitely NOT what you want to use. Probably some sort of composite.
Raise the cottage and/or move it back. Rising sea levels due to melting ice caps are not a joke. You're fighting a losing battle.