Estero, Lee County
Look at the wall, dock and lift together before deciding what your Estero project includes. A new walking surface does not answer questions about the supports below it. This page helps you read contractor activity, sort the work into clear categories and prepare a request that each visiting contractor can address in writing.
Estero's ranking uses unincorporated Lee County permits because its ZIP sample is too small; village permits are not yet tracked. Cape Coral and Lee County are our nearest tracked records. Volume measures activity, not quality. Check the license and compare quotes.
| 1 | WB Williamson Bros | 78 | 27 | 18 | 27 | 6 | 81 | $32,800 | 68% |
| 2 | Honc Docks & Lifts | 64 | 34 | 20 | 0 | 10 | 75 | $39,200 | 65% |
| 3 | Honc Marine Contracting | 54 | 0 | 1 | 53 | 0 | 54 | $32,800 | 66% |
| 4 | Stokes Marine | 46 | 15 | 14 | 4 | 13 | 51 | $29,500 | 66% |
| 5 | Crocker Marine Services | 38 | 7 | 15 | 14 | 2 | 43 | $44,000 | 34% |
| 6 | Rusnell Marine Construction | 36 | 18 | 9 | 1 | 8 | 40 | $29,700 | 71% |
| 7 | Hawley Construction | 19 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 19 | $22,800 | 70% |
| 8 | J and M Boatlift and Repair | 15 | 3 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 15 | $16,600 | 80% |
| 9 | SWFL Dock and Lift | 15 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 15 | $30,000 | 45% |
| 10 | Williamson and Sons Marine Construction | 15 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 15 | $18,000 | 71% |
| 11 | Submerged Consultants | 12 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 14 | $24,600 | 57% |
| 12 | Mauney Marine Construction | 12 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12 | $15,000 | 61% |
Source: Lee County permit records (Dock and Shoreline permits) across the unincorporated county. Fewer than 10 marine permits were filed in Estero ZIP codes, so this table shows the county. Ranked by dock, boat lift and seawall permits issued or filed Nov 2025 - Oct 2026; all marine permits also counts lift covers and other marine work. Median job = the median value declared on the contractor's dock, lift and seawall permits here. Finaled = share of all its permits that passed final inspection or closed. How we rank.
78 dock, lift and seawall permits in Lee County
Where it works most: Cape Coral (213), Lee County (48), Cypress Lake (12), North Fort Myers (9)
License CGC1512211 · Full profile
64 dock, lift and seawall permits in Lee County
Where it works most: Cape Coral (227), Lee County (57), Cypress Lake (8), North Fort Myers (7)
License CGC1535844 · Full profile
54 dock, lift and seawall permits in Lee County
Where it works most: Lee County (39), North Fort Myers (6), Cape Coral (4), Cypress Lake (4)
Removal deserves its own place in an Estero shoreline proposal. Before comparing materials or lift equipment, ask what must come out and how it leaves the property. That answer helps define the dock or wall the contractor will actually price.
| Job | Median permit value | Middle half of jobs | Permits | Data from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dock + boat lift | $45,000 | $29,600 - $64,800 | 618 | Cape Coral + Lee County |
| Dock | $24,000 | $12,500 - $40,000 | 493 | Cape Coral + Lee County |
| Seawall | $20,000 | $14,000 - $33,000 | 545 | Cape Coral + Lee County |
| Boat lift | $16,600 | $8,360 - $25,200 | 176 | Cape Coral + Lee County |
| Lift cover or canopy | $2,490 | $2,280 - $6,280 | 475 | Cape Coral + Lee County |
Values are what contractors declared on public permits (job value at filing). They are local averages for information, not a quote: only a contractor who sees your shoreline can price your job.
Seawalls in Cape Coral and Lee County: a median of $240 per linear foot on 417 permits that state a length (middle half $184-$375); the typical wall was 80 feet.
Start a wall discussion with the existing cap, panels and ground behind them. If you have seen cracking, leaning or lost fill, point to each location during the inspection. Ask the contractor to explain whether the written proposal describes repair or replacement and which material is being removed. A wall heading alone does not tell you how much of the old structure will remain.
The combined dock-and-lift category has a median declared permit value of $45,000 in the Cape Coral and Lee County sample. Those are values entered on applications, not invoices for completed work or an Estero price list. The cost table already separates the categories. Use that separation to keep a deck project, lift project and complete dock-and-lift proposal from being treated as the same job.
For the new dock, settle the proposed size, wood or composite decking, and piling work in the scope. For a lift, list capacity, motor, cables and any canopy. Equipment access also needs a look at your own lot. A contractor who sees those conditions can prepare its price; neither the regional median nor a neighboring project's scope describes the work at your shoreline.
The permit office named for your Estero project is the Village of Estero. Have the hired contractor confirm the filing requirements with that office. Keep permit responsibility, the number before construction and the final check visible in your written agreement.
Permit office: Village of Estero
Your contractor pulls the permit; you can look it up afterwards by address in the office's public permit search.
Begin with the office responsible for the address, rather than copying the application steps from a contractor's county project. Ask the Village of Estero how to find your property's permit record by address and use the permit number to follow your own job. Read the filed work description beside the contract and ask the contractor about any difference before construction begins at the property.
The contractor you hire pulls the permit for its work. If an owner-builder application enters the conversation, know that it is for your own home and makes you responsible for the contractor's duties. Larger Florida projects also use a Notice of Commencement, recorded with the county before work starts and posted at the site. Ask how that document will be handled while the job is being prepared.
Build the final inspection into the payment discussion at the start. Ask for the permit number before construction, retain it with your agreement and check the record for the final before the last payment. Seeing a finished deck or an operating lift does not show the permit's status. Have the contractor point out the final entry so you can connect completed construction with the official record.
Check the license before you narrow the Estero shortlist around a particular proposal. Then read the permit mix for the kind of work you need. The ranking supplies activity records; your comparison needs a scope, written quotes and a clear final payment step.
For a project involving both a wall and a dock, WB Williamson Bros has a recorded mix that includes 27 seawall permits and 27 dock-and-lift permits in the displayed area. That mix tells you about filed work, not a design for your property. Ask the person visiting to address each part of your project in the proposal so the wall does not disappear inside a general dock description.
A finaled share is the portion of tracked records that reached final inspection or the county completion status. Read it together with the number of permits behind it. It does not replace the license lookup or tell you how a contractor will finish your decking. At the proposal stage, focus on stated materials, retained supports, demolition and a payment agreement that includes checking your own permit's final.
Pick up to 3 contractors on the request form and they will contact you to look at the Estero property. Send each the same account of the problem and the same material choices. When the written quotes arrive, compare included work before comparing their amounts. The contractor you hire provides the price, enters the contract, obtains the permit and carries out the construction.
Estero is in Lee County, near San Carlos Park and Bonita Springs. Those town links help you read nearby activity. For the property visit, focus on how your particular waterfront is used and what the existing structure shows above and below the deck.
San Carlos Park and Bonita Springs sit among the nearby links, with Villas and Cypress Lake also available for comparison. Keep the source labels beside their figures when looking across pages. Estero's own permits are not in our records yet, so no Estero ZIP codes are counted here.A contractor's recorded activity nearby is useful background, while the inspection at your address establishes what needs to be included in your own agreement.
Tell the visiting contractor what water your dock faces, whether you observe wakes and how the boat uses the structure. Salt, barnacles and sun wear marine components, with the actual exposure depending on the property. Show any lift parts or pilings you hope to retain. Have their treatment stated in writing so the proposal distinguishes existing equipment from the equipment being supplied for the job.
Storm rebuilding across Southwest Florida is a reason to inspect the whole structure instead of only the visible deck. At an older seawall, point out a leaning section, cracks or places where fill has dropped. Ask the contractor to relate the proposed work to those observations. You need a description of the conditions at the lot, followed by a defined repair or replacement scope.
We count the marine permits each contractor pulled, from the city and county permit offices' public records.
The contractor named on the permit gets the credit. You can look up any permit by address yourself.
Contractors can't buy a higher rank. Network partners get a call button; the order stays the data's.
Have the contractor you hire confirm it with the Village of Estero, the office named for this page. Ask how to find your property's record by address and obtain the permit number before construction. Keep that number so you can check the final before paying the last installment.
It provides context from declared permit values, not a price for your home. The regional median does not establish your dock size, remaining supports, lift equipment or removal work. A contractor needs to inspect your shoreline and write the intended scope before assigning its price to your project.
The displayed mix includes wall work and combined dock-and-lift work. Read those categories to see recorded activity relevant to your questions. They do not establish workmanship or tell you which wall material to choose. Use the visit and matching written proposals to assess the work offered for your property.
Ask for both to be clear in the written scope. Identify the existing structure to be removed, the new panel material and the length involved. Have each bidder describe access and disposal too, so you can tell whether the proposals address the same replacement work.
Yes. Florida allows it for your own home, but you take on the contractor's responsibilities. When you hire a contractor for the work, that contractor pulls its permit. Discuss who handles the application and related paperwork before agreeing to the construction scope or signing documents.
Use the quote form to select the contractors you want contacted about the job. Describe the wall, dock or lift and include the conditions you want inspected. During each visit, use the same scope so the resulting written quotes give you a useful comparison of the proposed work.
Tell us about your waterfront and pick who you want to hear from. Our local marine contractors look at your dock, lift or seawall and price the job themselves. Free, no obligation.
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