The Charleston Lowcountry and York County on the South Carolina side of the Charlotte metro, across Charleston, Dorchester and York counties. Each town below has its own permit authority and its own housing stock, and both change what the work involves.
Water damage, mold, asbestos and lead — assessed by us, abated by licensed specialists.
Two of these we do and two we do not, and the distinction matters. Water damage drying and the reconstruction afterwards are general contracting. Asbestos and lead abatement are separately licensed activities in South Carolina, and we bring in a licensed abatement contractor rather than performing them.
The rule that runs through all of it is that the cause comes before the cleanup. Mold removed without finding the moisture returns in the same place, and a house dried on the basis of what looks wet stays wet where it matters.
Restoration goes wrong when it is done out of order, and the order does not change between Charleston and Fort Mill. Stop the water. Establish what is wet with a meter rather than a hand, because wall cavities, insulation and subfloors hold water long after a surface feels dry. Dry to a measured target and document it. In a building of any age, test before demolition rather than during it. Then rebuild.
What does vary by market is what tends to have caused it. In the Lowcountry a recurring source is mechanical rather than dramatic — a condensate line, ductwork sweating in a crawl space, humidity that never leaves — which is why a mould problem here so often survives a clean that did not change the conditions. Inland, a plumbing failure or a roof event is a larger share of the calls.
The drying and assessment stages are not permitted work. The rebuild frequently is, and each permitted element is pulled by the licensed trade performing it, in their own name, from the office with jurisdiction over the address.
Between them, the towns above fall under 6 separate permit authorities.
In the Lowcountry, permits come from the City of Charleston for Charleston, the Town of Mount Pleasant for Mount Pleasant, the Town of Summerville for Summerville and Charleston County for Johns Island.
In York and Lancaster counties, from the City of Rock Hill for Rock Hill and the Town of Fort Mill for Fort Mill.
On a restoration job it matters at the rebuild rather than at the drying, and it is worth establishing early because an insurance scope and a permit schedule have to agree.
Asbestos abatement sits outside all of this: it is separately licensed work in South Carolina and we do not self-perform it. We identify it, stop, bring in a licensed abatement contractor, and resume afterwards.
Until the material reaches its target, established by readings rather than by a fixed number of days.
Anyone who commits to a duration before taking a reading is committing to something they cannot know.
No. Asbestos abatement is separately licensed in South Carolina and we bring in a licensed abatement contractor.
On lead, the federal rule governs: work disturbing painted surfaces in a home built before 1978 must be done by a certified firm using trained renovators.
Because the moisture that grew it is still there. In this climate that is often a crawl space or ductwork sweating rather than a leak.
A clean that does not change the conditions is a schedule rather than a fix.