Project Case Study — Lake McQueeney, Southside
A new property owner’s complete waterfront, executed across mixed dry-bed and standing-water conditions during the Lake McQueeney dam drawdown — 300+ feet of CLOC vinyl bulkhead, a double boathouse with bank excavation to extend the footprint, two 20 by 20 ft swim platforms with steel water entry stairs, and a 5-foot concrete sidewalk bulkhead cap.
Lake McQueeney — Southside
2025
Approximately 10 weeks
Built during the Lake McQueeney dam drawdown on dry, exposed lakebed
A new property owner on the south side of Lake McQueeney engaged Waterfront Unlimited for a complete waterfront build. The existing waterfront was a failing wood dock on rail piling and an aging wood bulkhead system that had reached the end of its functional life. The bulkhead was no longer holding the shoreline reliably, and the wood dock was unsafe for continued use.
The owner wanted the full upgrade: a new double boathouse for a wake boat and pontoon, two separate 20 by 20 ft swim platforms with water entry stairs, more than 300 feet of new vinyl bulkhead, and a finished concrete walkway along the lakefront tying it all together. Construction began during the Lake McQueeney dam drawdown, when a portion of the lakebed at this property was exposed and dry while the remaining waterfront sat in standing water — a mixed-condition site that shaped how the project was sequenced.
Removed the failing wood dock and aging wood bulkhead system. Demolition material was hauled off-site, with all recyclable materials separated and recycled rather than landfilled.
New CLOC vinyl sheet pile bulkhead installed across the full shoreline frontage. Driven by excavator-mounted hammer to consistent depth across mixed dry-bed and standing-water site conditions. Galvanized steel rods tied back to deadmen anchors set 10 to 12 feet behind the wall.
Excavated approximately 8 feet into the existing bank to extend the boathouse footprint deeper into the lot. This created room for a longer boathouse than the original shoreline geometry allowed.
Steel pipe pilings driven to refusal in the lakebed, steel framing, poured concrete deck, and metal roofing. Two slips configured for the homeowner’s wake boat and pontoon, each with an integrated cradle lift sized to the specific watercraft.
Two cantilevered concrete swim platforms on steel pipe pilings — one attached to the boathouse, one positioned approximately 100 feet up-river along the same shoreline. Built for swimming, sunning, and lake access.
Steel stairs descending from the swim platforms into the water — built for safe lake entry from the platform deck into swimming depth.
Continuous 5-foot wide poured concrete walkway along the top of the bulkhead, tying the boathouse, both swim platforms, and the property edge into a single finished waterfront surface.
Every Waterfront Unlimited boathouse and dock starts with steel pipe pilings driven to refusal — the point at which the piling will not advance further into the substrate. On this Southside property, that approach created the foundation for the double boathouse, both swim platforms, and the bulkhead tieback system. Steel framing, poured concrete decks, and metal roofing were specified for durability — these are the materials that perform through the flood events the Guadalupe River lakes see, and they are the materials that allow this waterfront to function for decades without the maintenance cycle that wood requires.
The CLOC bulkhead was driven by excavator-mounted hammer rather than by hand, which delivers consistent panel depth across the full 300-foot run. Tieback rods were galvanized steel anchored to deadmen set 10 to 12 feet behind the wall — the configuration that holds the bulkhead in place against lateral soil and water pressure over time. Construction conditions varied across the site: portions of the work were performed on exposed, dry lakebed while the dam was drawn down, and other portions were executed in standing water along the shoreline that did not fully recede. The crew adjusted equipment and sequencing to the conditions at each section of the run.
The bank excavation extended the boathouse footprint deeper into the property than the original shoreline geometry would have allowed. Rather than reduce the boathouse to fit the existing bank, Waterfront Unlimited cut approximately 8 feet into the upland side, capturing the slip length the owner needed. The bulkhead was then installed at the new shoreline location and tied back into the cut bank.
The two swim platforms were configured to give the property both immediate boathouse-side water access and a separate lounging platform 100 feet up-river. Cantilevered concrete on steel pipe pilings, with steel water entry stairs, sized at 20 by 20 ft each. The 5-foot concrete sidewalk along the top of the bulkhead ties both platforms and the boathouse into a continuous finished surface.
The Southside property has a complete new waterfront purpose-built around how the owner intended to use it — covered slips for the wake boat and pontoon under a steel-and-concrete boathouse, two dedicated 20 by 20 ft swim platforms with steel water entry stairs, more than 300 feet of CLOC vinyl bulkhead protecting the shoreline, and a 5-foot concrete walkway tying the entire waterfront together. The boathouse footprint is longer than the original shoreline would have allowed, and the bulkhead is rated for decades of service.
Lake McQueeney refilled in 2026. The waterfront on this property was built for that water level — and for the next several decades of Central Texas seasons after it.
Whether replacing an existing structure or building new, Waterfront Unlimited welcomes the conversation.
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