Full Cap Rebuild
When seawall cap replacement in Miami is the right call, we demolish the old cap, treat or replace tieback rod connections, and pour a new cap engineered to current code, including the Miami Beach 5.7 ft NAVD ordinance where applicable.
Cap replacement is full demolition and rebuild of the reinforced concrete cap that ties panels and tiebacks together at the top of the wall. It is a deeper scope than cap repair, and it is the right call when the existing cap has reached a point where patching costs would exceed two-thirds of a clean replacement.
The existing cap is saw-cut into manageable sections and removed without disturbing panels or tiebacks below. Tieback rod heads are exposed for inspection. Panel tops are cleaned to bare concrete or vinyl for the new cap interface.
Exposed tieback rods are inspected for section loss. Rods with significant corrosion are replaced or supplemented with helical pile anchors. This is often where cap replacement pays for itself, because tieback failures hidden inside an old cap can be addressed before the new cap traps them again.
New formwork is set to the design elevation, which may be the original height or, increasingly in Miami Beach, the 5.7 ft NAVD 88 code minimum. Rebar is placed with 1.5 inches minimum clear cover per ACI guidance for saltwater exposure, tied to panel and tieback connections.
Cap concrete is mixed with corrosion-inhibitor admixture and placed in a single pour where possible. Vibrated to consolidate, finished to drainage slope, and cured under wet burlap or curing compound for the full 7-day cure window.
After full cure, a silane penetrating sealer is applied to slow chloride ingress. DERM and city inspections are scheduled and the permit closed out before final payment.
Why Miami Owners Choose Us
Every replacement cap is engineered by a Florida PE, with rebar, cover, and corrosion measures sized to ACI 318 saltwater exposure category. We do not rebuild to 1975 standards.
FL PE-sealed drawings on every jobFor Miami Beach properties, we evaluate every cap replacement for 5.7 ft NAVD ordinance compliance and design accordingly. Doing it once correctly avoids a 250 to 500 dollar per day enforcement risk down the road.
Miami Beach ordinance baked inThe cap demolition is the only practical moment to inspect and treat tiebacks short of full wall replacement. We use that window every time. About 1 in 4 cap replacements we do also involve helical tieback supplementation.
25% of jobs include tieback workTypical Miami cap replacement runs 400 to 600 dollars per linear foot all-in. Ordinance elevation lift adds 15 to 25 percent.
Miami cap replacement projects increasingly include an elevation lift driven by the Miami Beach July 2025 5.7 ft NAVD ordinance, the NOAA-reported 8 inches of sea level rise since 1950, and FEMA flood zone considerations. A cap replacement is the most cost-effective window to raise the wall because demolition and rebuild costs scale only modestly with height while the structural benefit is substantial.
"Existing cap was past repair. Their team demoed it, did a full tieback inspection while we had access, and poured a new cap with corrosion-inhibitor concrete. Two helical anchors added at no extra cost when they found a corroded tieback rod."Carlos V.Bal Harbour · Seawall cap replacement
"We were re-permitting a project the previous contractor abandoned. They reviewed everything, fixed three issues DERM had flagged, and got us issued in 11 weeks. PE seal on every drawing. Clean professional package."Stephanie A.Miami Beach · Permit assistance
"Wall had visible movement and an obvious tieback failure. They installed four helical anchors with controlled pull-back and brought the cap within three quarters of an inch of plumb. 25-year warranty on the anchors. Could not tell anything had been done from the lawn side."Thomas G.Key Biscayne · Tieback and anchor repair
Cap replacement is the right call when spalling exceeds roughly 30 percent of the cap's cross-section, when rebar is corroded along the full length, when the cap has lost connection to the panels below, or when the cap needs to be raised to meet a new elevation requirement such as the Miami Beach 5.7 ft NAVD ordinance.
Yes. Cap replacement is the natural moment to raise the elevation to current code, including the Miami Beach 5.7 ft NAVD ordinance requirement. We design panel extension or new cap height into the replacement scope when ordinance compliance is needed.
Typical residential cap replacement runs 2 to 4 weeks from mobilization through 7-day cure and final inspection. Larger or higher walls can extend that timeline.
Free inspection, written estimate, permits handled.
Schedule Free Inspectionor call (555) 000-0000