Under Construction- December
While other parts of the country put construction projects on hold so they can dig themselves out of the snow, our projects are moving full-steam ahead! See the latest site visit photos in our December construction update.
Benjie went down to St. Simon's Island for his first site visit there this week. We are excited that this project is getting started. And we approve of dog-help on job sites!
Spring Island
The Spring Island house is coming along very nicely. Currently, Esposito Construction is installing interior trim and wood floors. They are going to begin installing cabinets and tile next week.
Port Royal Plantation
There has been good progress at the Port Royal Plantation house. I love the front elevation, its really going to look great with a bright red front door!
Long Cove Renovation
Our major renovation in Long Cove has drywall hung and they will begin installing trim soon.
Factory Creek House
All the drywall is hung in the Factory Creek House and the painters are beginning to prime the walls. The views from this house are stellar, the clients are going to love having all those windows!
Factory Creek House 2
This Factory Creek house should be finishing up soon.
Brays Island Renovation
We are counting the days until this renovation is complete. 
April Construction Photos
Spring is in the air in the lowcountry! Every day, the marsh gets greener and our clients get closer to living in their dream homes! Here are a some progress photos from a few of our current projects:
Spring Island
Framing is progressing nicely at the Spring Island house. Spring Island is one of our favorite communities in Beaufort County. We love their dedication to preserving the natural beauty of the island!
Port Royal Plantation
It's always fun to see the view that our clients will enjoy from the elevated height. Quite a view from this house!
Factory Creek
Framing on the garage for this project is nearly complete, and beginning for the main house.
Fripp Island
This renovation project is almost finished. We started construction over a year ago by raising the house 5 ' to get it out of the flood plain. Here is the post of when we raised it.
Do I stay or do I go?
Whether to renovate, rebuild or move in Beaufort County, South Carolina
The skills and expertise of your architect can help you in your decision to renovate, rebuilt or move. There are some great properties in Beaufort County with houses that are way past their prime and require such decisions. These houses often include; dated kitchens, small non-functional bathrooms with ugly tile, mean little windows overlooking a great view and rooms built below FEMA’s base flood elevation. Maybe you own one of these properties or are considering buying one for the view. Homeowners of older properties often come to the point where they have three options:
1. Renovate and/or add an addition to the existing house (and this might include raising the house), This is the most sustainable option when you consider the amount of construction waste kept out of the landfill.
2. Tear the existing house down and build a new house on the same property, or
3. Move.
To help you decide whether you should stay or go, consider the following:
- Do you love the location?
- Do you have a great view?
- Is the house built above FEMAs base flood elevation requirements? If it is below you are limited to spending 50% of the value of the house on the renovation or the house has to be raised.
- Is the house built behind the current OCRM coastal or municipality river buffer setbacks? If your house is in the setback, you are not allowed to add any additional square footage in the setback but you can keep what is there, which might be an advantage.
- Will current zoning laws allow you to add onto your house?
- Will you over-build for the neighborhood?
A few years ago, we had clients who owned a beach front house in Port Royal Plantation. The property was in foreclosure when they purchased it at a great price, but it needed a lot of work. The question was should they tear the house down and build new or renovate the existing?
We listened to what they like about the house: besides the great location, they liked the feel of the spaces, the flow of the rooms and the relationship of the rooms to the ocean. Two other positive conditions were the first floor was above the required base flood elevation and the zoning allowed us to add the needed square footage. It was apparent that renovating the existing house and adding a small amount of square footage was the right approach. The project turned out beautifully.
Tearing down a house and starting over is a big step. The cost analysis of what is salvageable compared to the desired result is a good place to begin. Sometimes it is not obvious what the best path is at the beginning of a project or the conditions might change. For example, current Port Royal Plantation clients’ initial project was redesigning the windows in the great room. While documenting the existing conditions we discovered some structural beams in failure. In consultation with our clients and structural engineer we decided to reinforce the foundation.
Then Hurricane Matthew hit. There was water damage throughout the house; and the roof and foundation were compromised. After considering the amount of work to repair and renovate compared to starting over, our clients decided to build new. A big advantage in this project is the new house is placed to enhance the views of the Sound.