A Beach Restored
by Renee Freier, Principal
Tidepool House nestles into the restored shoreline landscape.
Situated on Puget Sound with sweeping views to the east and the mountains beyond, this 3.3 acre shoreline at Tidepool House was separated from the water below by a 300-foot-long and 4’-8’ high failing concrete seawall. The site was the historic location of a commercial cannery including marine dock and loading facilities long ago removed. The seawall now needed replacement and the homeowners wished for direct access to the beach. To do this we worked with the coastal geological engineers to grade the land back down to the water’s edge and expand the beach for both boat access and to improve shoreline habitat.
The old seawall was removed along with a crumbling stairway, concrete ramp, and seven concrete groins that extended out into the beach some 10’-20’.
In its place a new 120’ boulder bulkhead and a 170’ sand and gravel beach were constructed.
The bulkhead was configured into a more natural organic shape to reduce reflected wave energy. The new beach reaches into the site approximately 80’ rising from the original beach level of approximately elevation 8’ to elevation 17’. The imported gravel was sized to improve surf smelt spawning and was placed along the entire shoreline from the mean high water line (MHHW) 10’ waterward.
The upper portion of the new beach received a smaller sand and gravel mix that was planted with dune grasses and augmented with logs pinned into place and large boulders nestled into the slope.
Dune grasses can be seen getting a start on the beach and meadow grasses and swaths of native wildflowers that sweep from the shoreline to the areas above the wall are just being planted in this photo taken in the spring of 2023.
An image of the restored beach in 2025 shows the established dune and meadow grasses.
Native trees, shrubs, and perennials were planted above the new bulkhead with the meadow grasses seen beyond in this photo taken summer 2025.
2026 marks the 5th year since the beach was installed.
The plants have filled in wonderfully in the upper beach and driftwood regularly accumulates below.
Tidepool House’s restored beach and renovated seawall can be seen on the left edge of the photo.