Guides

How to budget and phase a lake bank repair

To budget a lake bank repair, a Florida HOA board should get a written scope in early summer, gather quotes in July and August, and adopt the first phase in its October budget. Most communities phase the work by lake, starting with the sections closest to fences, patios and pool decks, and put the rest into the next 1 or 2 budgets. That turns one large bill into a plan the board can fund and explain.

Most boards do not put off a lake bank repair because they do not care. They put it off because the number on the first quote is large, and it is easier to wait one more year. Here is how boards get it done without one large bill.

1. Start with the calendar

The wet season runs May through October, and that is when banks move the most. Florida boards gather quotes in July and August and adopt their budgets in October. A bank that is not in next year's budget goes through another full wet season as it is.

How the year lines up

Boards that miss this window usually start the conversation in the fall, after the budget is set. By the time a number is ready, the next wet season has already started. The simplest fix is to put the lake banks on the board's calendar for the spring meeting every year.

What waiting 1 year costs

Erosion cuts the waterline first, and each wet season takes more soil from the bottom of the slope. A section that is 10 feet from a fence this year may be 7 feet from it next year. As the bank pulls back, more soil has to go back in to rebuild it, and the work gets closer to private property. Waiting rarely makes the repair smaller.

2. Get a scope before you get prices

If every contractor bids their own idea, you cannot compare the bids. A written scope that lists each section, its length and its condition lets every bidder price the same work, and your comparison holds up when a resident asks why you chose who you chose.

What a good scope includes

• A map or list of every section of bank, identified by lake and by the lots it sits behind.
• The length of each section in feet.
• The condition of each section, including how far the bank has pulled back and how steep it is at the water.
• What the finished bank should look like, including the target slope and the grass.
• How residents' yards, fences and irrigation will be protected during the work.
• The warranty the board expects and the inspections that come with it.

Our guide on how to write a lake bank repair scope goes through each item. If you do not have current measurements, our free lake bank walk measures and photographs every section and gives the board a written report it can use whether it hires us or not. Many boards use that report as the base for the scope, so every bidder prices the same work.

Common mistakes in bidding

• Letting each bidder walk the lake and write their own scope. The bids will cover different footage and different methods, and the lowest number is often the one that left the most out.
• Comparing a total price without comparing feet. Ask each bidder to price by section so the board can see what is included.
• Skipping the warranty question. A low bid with no written warranty can cost more over 5 years than a higher bid that comes back to fix what moves.

3. Phase by lake, worst sections first

You do not have to fix every bank in 1 year. Most communities phase the work by lake, starting with the sections closest to fences, patios and pool decks. The rest goes into the next 1 or 2 budgets.

How to rank the sections

Rank each section on 3 questions:

1. How close is the edge to a fence, patio, pool deck, sidewalk or pipe?
2. How fast has it moved since the last inspection?
3. How steep is it at the water, and could someone have trouble climbing out?

Sections that score high on any of the 3 go in phase 1. Sections that are moving but still have room go in phase 2. Stable sections stay on the inspection list.

Why phasing by lake works better than phasing by lot

Fixing the bank behind 1 or 2 homes at a time looks cheaper, but it leaves an unrepaired edge on each side of the new work, and water keeps cutting at those edges. Finishing a whole lake, or a full stretch of one, gives a clean result residents can see and makes the warranty easier to track. It also avoids the question every board dreads: why did my neighbor get a new bank and I did not?

How a phased plan plays out

In a typical plan, year 1 covers the worst lake or the worst stretch of shore. Year 2 picks up the next lake on the list, and year 3 finishes the remaining sections. Each year's inspection updates the ranking, so a section that moved faster than expected can move up. The board adopts each phase in its October budget, and the minutes show a plan that moves forward every year.

4. Start with a Proof Section

About 100 feet of repair at a spot your residents can see lets the board see the result before it votes on the rest. With us, the fee for the Proof Section is credited to the full job.

A Proof Section answers the questions a board cannot answer from a brochure. What does the work look like while it is underway? How long does it take? Do residents complain? How does the grass look after a few months, and after the first wet season? Pick a spot near a clubhouse, a walking path or a home whose owner has been asking about the bank, so the people with the most questions can see it for themselves.

5. Plan for upkeep, not just the repair

Ask what the warranty covers and for how long, and who comes back to check the work. Our work carries a 5 year material and 5 year labor warranty, with inspections in years 3, 5, 7 and 9, each with a written report for your minutes.

Upkeep is where many repairs fail. A bank that is regraded and sodded with nothing holding the soil at the waterline can look good for a season and then slide back. Our guide on why regrade and sod fails explains why. When comparing bids, ask each bidder what holds the slope after the grass goes in, and what happens if a section moves in year 2.

We rebuild the slope from the waterline up with leading edge technology that lets the grass root into the bank so it holds. We do every foot of the work ourselves with no subcontracted crews, and we keep the work at the bank and out of residents' yards.

6. Decide how to fund it

Boards usually pay for a phased repair from reserves, the operating budget or a special assessment. Your manager and association counsel can tell you which your documents allow.

Questions to settle before the budget meeting

• Is there a reserve line for lakes or common area grounds, and is the bank repair the kind of work it was set aside for?
• If the repair comes from the operating budget, which other projects move to make room?
• If a special assessment is on the table, what notice and vote do the governing documents require?
• Would a phased plan let the board avoid a special assessment by spreading the cost across 2 or 3 budgets?

How to document the plan

The record matters as much as the repair. For each phase, keep the inspection report, the scope, the bids, the board's decision and the warranty in one file. Put a short summary in the minutes when the phase is adopted, when the work is finished and when each warranty inspection report comes in. Over several years, that file shows owners, insurers and future boards exactly what was done and why.

To see where your community stands today, the Lake Bank Risk Score asks a few questions about your banks and your records and gives the board a starting point. Our guide on who is responsible for lake bank erosion explains why those records matter.

Questions boards ask

When should we start getting quotes for a lake bank repair?

Have a written scope ready by early summer and collect quotes in July and August. That gives the board time to compare bids and put the first phase into the budget it adopts in October. Starting in the fall usually pushes the repair a full year.

Do we have to repair every bank at once?

No. Most communities phase the work by lake, starting with the sections closest to fences, patios and pool decks, and spread the rest over the next 1 or 2 budgets. A written phased plan in the minutes shows the board made a decision.

How do we compare bids that use different methods?

Give every bidder the same written scope and ask them to price by section. Then compare what each method does at the waterline, what residents will see during the work, and what the warranty covers. A lower price that only covers the problem is not a better price.

What is a Proof Section?

It is about 100 feet of repair at a spot residents can see, done before the board votes on the full job. It lets the board judge the result through at least part of a wet season. With us, the Proof Section fee is credited to the full job.

Should we use reserves or a special assessment?

That depends on your reserve study, your budget and what your governing documents allow. Your manager and association counsel should answer it. Phasing the work over 2 or 3 years often lets boards fund it without a special assessment.

How do we know the repair will last?

Ask for a written warranty that covers both material and labor, and ask who comes back to inspect and when. Our work carries a 5 year material and 5 year labor warranty, with inspections in years 3, 5, 7 and 9, each with a written report for your minutes.

More guides

• Why lake banks erode, and how to tell if yours is
• Retention pond bank repair: what boards and managers need to know
• Why regrading and sodding a lake bank does not last