Bay Head Yacht Club

Built in the early 1920’s, the Bay Head Yacht Club is a historic landmark and center for seaside activities on Barnegat Bay in Bay Head, New Jersey. Originally constructed on wood pilings at the water’s edge, the clubhouse and its foundation had reached the point of failure after years of rising sea levels and the disastrous effects of Hurricane Sandy.
SBI Consultants provided technical and advisory solutions to the Bay Head Yacht Club for a major rehabilitation of the clubhouse that involved raising, rebuilding and restoring the 100 year old structure. This challenging project consisted of elevating the clubhouse by 11-feet to minimize damage from future storm floods and renovating the entire building while preserving its charm and rich traditions.
Working closely with the Project team, SBI delivered essential project and risk management strategies throughout the life cycle of the project. These services were particularly crucial when Hurricane Sandy struck during the design phase, which resulted in continuous revisions of the project’s planning criteria to meet the rapidly changing FEMA criteria. SBI also provided effective scheduling strategies to ensure that key construction goals were reached during the summer that the clubhouse was closed to its members.
In a series of carefully orchestrated maneuvers, the clubhouse was raised off its deteriorating wood pilings and transported to dry land while more than 100 new steel and concrete pilings were driven to a depth of 60’ in Barnegat Bay. The top of the new pilings—now 11’ above the mean water level—were connected by a filigree system with beams up to 3’ deep and a concrete slab covering over 10,000 square feet. Once resettled on its new foundation, the clubhouse stood a full story higher than it was before.
The renovation of the clubhouse included construction of a new 2-story kitchen wing, offices, a bar and a dining room, as well as full restoration of the wrap-around terraces, historic facades and refurbishing of the interior.
SBI’s essential project management, risk management and scheduling services enabled the Bay Head Yacht Club to accomplish its goal of building a high quality clubhouse that retained its original charm and traditions within budget and on schedule, returning this seaside resort to its vital role in the community.