We were contracted by the Wilsey family to replace their rotting wooden stairs leading down to the main dock at their beautiful waterfront cottage. In addition to the new granite steps, they asked us to remove overgrown vegetation along the front of the cottage and install a substantial armour stone retaining wall along the waterfront edge, backfilled with gravel and finished with a paver path to create a generous, level gathering area.

We also replaced two additional sets of steps on either side of the driveway, built another set of granite steps leading to a second dock, and installed armour stone in front of their bunkie. Two new gravel paths were cleared and stabilized with heavy-duty weed fabric — one running midway along the waterfront and another leading to the bunkie. All steps and walls were carefully tied into the existing landscape using river rock for a natural, seamless finish.

The biggest challenge was the curved and steep main staircase to the dock, which included a midway landing. Using our excavator with precision, we levelled the landing, secured the raised side with armour stone, and hand-selected each granite step to follow the natural curve. Despite working across multiple areas of the property, we carefully sequenced the work to stay on schedule. The entire project was completed in record time so the Wilseys could close the cottage for the season.

The Wilsey family was thrilled with the transformation — their cottage now features safe, attractive access and significantly lower maintenance. They’re looking forward to many relaxing years enjoying their upgraded waterfront space.