Our Shoreline Innovations & Imitators
To create an erosion-resistant shoreline that looks both new and timeless requires both an ancient kind of craftsmanship, and the occasional small “breakthrough” in shoreline technology. Our names probably won’t share a page with Jonas Salk or the Wright Brothers, but Lakeshore Guys®‘ innovations are pretty consequential if your goal is to have a shoreline that stands the test of time and looks wondrous.
You’ve probably seen what our shorelines look like, discovered what makes them so durable, and read what our customers say about our craftsmanship and their finished shorelines. But you might wonder whether that’s just because we’re strictly shoreline guys and are better at “putting the pieces together” than the next company is.
No. That’s only the beginning. Our shorelines last longer and look better partly because of execution, but mainly it’s because of the shoreline-engineering practices we developed. We developed certain methods over decades of hard work, experience, trial and error, shoreline engineering, and kaizen. Our innovations are a large part of what makes a Lakeshore Guys® shoreline the perfect shoreline for you.
What are those innovations, exactly? Here are a few biggies (click on any link to read more):
Calendered fabric. A type of ultra-tough synthetic fabric that both allows water to pass through it and stretches just the right amount, allowing it to absorb impact from waves and ice, rather than break under the stress and allow erosion. And because it’s calendered (which no other shoreline company knows about, let alone understand and use) your shoreline will not only be tougher, but it will also resist weed growth much more effectively than a barrier of standard filter-fabric can.
Frost-Break™. A thin strip of river-grade rock that we place in the “toe” of your new shoreline (the “toe” is submerged in the water, right before riprap stones). You may want to read our page on Frost-Break™, but essentially it creates a strategic fault-line in the giant sheet of ice. In so doing, it makes the ever-expanding sheet more likely to slide up your shoreline rather than to plow right into it.
Adaptable riprap transport. Most landscapers and other non-experts have a truck and a standard bobcat skid steer. We have no fewer than 6 ways to get your riprap to your shoreline with minimal or no damage to your property. (On the off-chance damage is unavoidable, we’ll tell you so, and will repair the damage and not ask for payment until we’ve exceeded your expectations.)
Interlocking™ riprap. Most landscapers and other non-experts dump the riprap stones and assume those stones landed in the right places. We do not assume. We spend the time to hand-place each stone. Upon completion we “interlock” the riprap with smaller 1.5” stone (matching the same color and type of riprap used). Interlocking™ your riprap with smaller stone acts the way sand does in a paver stone patio: it locks all the larger stones together, creating a stronger whole. Our Interlocking™ method reduces wiggle room between each of the larger stones. In watching our Lakeshore Guys® put each riprap stone in the perfect place, you might think we’re building a life-sized Rolls Royce out of Legos.
Muskrat-Mesh™. A way to muskrat-proof and generally critter-proof your shoreline. We’ll install a proprietary PVC-coated wire mesh on your fabric before laying down the riprap. We’ve yet to see a furry rascal breach our wire mesh barrier.
(Please note: some of our innovations are optional and may cost extra. Read your estimate thoroughly to see what is and what is not included.)
Many of the 16 differences we describe on our Armored Shorelines page are innovations or proprietary practices. If you hear other companies use terms like “calendered fabric,” “Muskrat-Mesh™”, “Interlocking™”, “Frost-Break™” etc. they’re imitating Lakeshore Guys®. (We’d stop them if we could, but we’ll take it as a compliment.)
In figuring out whom you’d like to hire for your shoreline, you can work with the innovators, the imitators, or the guys who just don’t care what you call them (as long as you pay them).