Construction and development consulting in Charleston.

What makes building in Charleston different

• Board of Architectural Review jurisdiction over exterior work in historic districts
• Base flood elevation and freeboard requirements that shape structure and access
• OCRM critical area jurisdiction where a property touches marsh or tidal water
• Stormwater detention on flat, high-water-table sites with limited outfall
• Utility coordination with multiple providers, each with its own lead time
• Constrained sites where staging and access drive real cost

Project types we support here

• Historic renovations and adaptive reuse downtown and on the peninsula
• Infill residential and small multifamily
• Commercial tenant improvements and small commercial ground-up
• Association and community capital projects

Where owners lose time in Charleston

Almost always the same two places: entering review boards with an incomplete package, and starting design before the site's elevation, drainage, and jurisdictional constraints are actually confirmed. Both are avoidable with a few weeks of front-end work.

Common questions

How long does permitting take in Charleston?

It varies by scope, jurisdiction, and whether design review boards are involved. The controlling factor is package completeness — resubmittals, not review queues, are what usually extend the timeline. Our permitting article walks through what to expect by jurisdiction.