Tottenville got hit harder than anywhere else on Staten Island during Sandy. Wave action knocked homes off foundations on the low-lying coastal blocks south of Hylan. Twelve years on, the response has been concrete: the $111M Living Breakwaters project — 2,400 linear feet of stone and ecological-concrete breakwaters off Conference House Park — wrapped up in late 2024.
But the inland work hasn't slowed. Coastal blocks are still getting elevation retrofits, foundation work, post-Sandy rebuilds. Centerhall Colonials and Victorians on the wider tree-lined streets are getting restoration work — slate roofs, wraparound porch carpentry, decorative trim, the kind of finish work that takes a finish carpenter who knows what he's doing. Newer homes on stilted foundations are mixing in along the coastal blocks closest to Conference House Park.
We're 35 to 45 minutes south-southwest via NY-440 → Hylan Boulevard, or the SI Expressway → Hylan. It's our longer reach. Order by 4 PM and we drop at the trailer by 7 AM. If you're on a multi-week elevation project, the standing weekly drop saves the foreman three trips up to Port Richmond.
"Coastal restoration work needs the corrosion-resistant boot uppers. Red Wing's chrome-tanned leather holds up against the salt air better than the cheap import leathers."
Coastal restoration work needs a specific kit. Marine-grade galvanized hardware doesn't apply to gear, but the corrosion-resistant boot uppers do — Red Wing's chrome-tanned leather holds up against the salt air better than the cheap import leathers. Wolverine and Timberland Pro waterproof boots for the foundation crews working in mud. Carhartt FR for any electrical retrofit on a rebuild.
Victorian restoration is its own thing. The trim guys want Thorogood American-made oxfords with a softer toe so they're not destroying century-old hardwood floors. The slate roofers want the soft-rubber Cougar Paws and a class 2 hi-vis. The painters want the Carhartt double-front canvas pants and the bib coveralls for prep season.
And the bigger USACE seawall — South Shore Coastal Storm Risk Management — is phasing into Midland Beach and Oakwood starting 2028 and 2029. Tottenville crews who've been on resilience work for a decade are going to roll into those phases. Same gear profile, longer commute. We'll deliver to whichever staging yard the contract sets up.
Tottenville is the southern tip of the borough and it's the longest haul we run. But it's a haul we know.