Commercial Construction in Charleston County, SC
Design-Build · Ground-Up Construction · Metal Buildings · Additions & Upfits
Design Build Construction is a Ladson-based, design-build commercial general contractor. Charleston County is home, and it’s where we’ve done most of our work. We’ve built aerospace manufacturing space on Palmetto Commerce Parkway, a new school campus in West Ashley, churches, showrooms and headquarters buildings across North Charleston.
Owners hire us when they want one team to take a project from first sketch to certificate of occupancy, with a budget that holds up along the way.
Commercial Construction Services in Charleston County
- Design-build. We manage design, engineering, permitting and construction under one contract. When an architect’s design comes in over budget, we can redesign it to fit, as we did for Ottohaus.
- Pre-engineered metal buildings. Warehouses, plants and shops, plus showrooms and offices finished in EIFS, brick or cement board so they don’t read as metal buildings.
- Ground-up construction. Schools, churches, headquarters, retail centers and industrial facilities, including tilt-up concrete.
- Additions and upfits. Expansions and renovations phased around your operations so you can stay open.
- Pre-construction planning. Budgeting, scheduling and feasibility on constrained or flood-prone sites.
Charleston County Projects
A 130,000-square-foot aerospace manufacturing facility built ground-up. We coordinated delivery and installation of the owner’s equipment during construction to meet a tight move-in date.
A 30,000-square-foot school campus with classrooms, a gym, a cafeteria and two commercial kitchens, built next to the existing school so classes could continue. The schedule was set by the start of the school year.
A 30,000-square-foot building with a 3,000-square-foot office and two 10-ton bridge cranes. We built this client’s first building in 2005 and came back to design and build this one 20 years later.
A 15,000-square-foot church on Dorchester Road. The congregation had parted ways with earlier firms before bringing us in. We got the project back on track and finished on time and on budget.
The original design for this 8,000-square-foot automotive building came in at more than double the owner’s budget. We redesigned it as a pre-engineered metal building with an EIFS-clad curtain wall and fit it on a tight site.
More Charleston County work: Marinex headquarters (tilt-up), Staff Zone, Duncan-Parnell (addition built while the building stayed occupied), Fogel Services (26,000 sq ft), and a warehouse for the North Charleston Sewer District.
Where We Build in Charleston County
North Charleston
Most of our Charleston County portfolio is here: Palmetto Commerce Parkway, the airport area off West Montague, Remount Road, Dorchester Road and the Park Circle area.
Ladson
Our office is here on Hamburg Road, and we’ve built along US-78 and Ladson Road.
West Ashley
Schools, showrooms and offices along Sam Rittenberg Boulevard, Savannah Highway and the Wallenberg corridor.
Downtown Charleston
Interior upfits and renovations on the peninsula, where exterior work in the historic districts goes before the City of Charleston Board of Architectural Review.
Mount Pleasant, James Island and Johns Island
Office, medical and retail projects east of the Cooper and on the sea islands, where flood elevation and wind design shape the building from day one. We also serve Hollywood, Ravenel and the rest of the county.
Building in Charleston County
Flood zones. Much of the county is in a FEMA flood zone. Commercial buildings there must be elevated or floodproofed, which affects foundation design, cost and schedule, so we plan for it in pre-construction.
Wind design. Coastal wind loads drive the structure, roof and cladding choices. Pre-engineered metal buildings are engineered to the site’s required wind speed.
Multiple jurisdictions. The City of Charleston, City of North Charleston, Town of Mount Pleasant and Charleston County each run their own permitting and inspections.
Tight sites. Infill lots mean careful layout, staging and neighbor coordination, as on Ottohaus and Addlestone.
Industries We Serve
Aerospace and manufacturing, industrial and logistics, education, churches, automotive and showrooms, marine, professional services, medical and municipal.
manufacturing
logistics
and showrooms
services
municipal
Why Owners Choose DBC
A lot of our Charleston County work is repeat business. Vitoria came back after 20 years, and Addlestone hired us again. We give clear numbers early and keep you informed the whole way through.
Charleston County Construction FAQs
Can a metal building look like a finished commercial building?
Yes. Ottohaus in West Ashley and Ladson Crossing are both pre-engineered metal buildings finished in EIFS and other cladding. You get PEMB cost and speed with a storefront-quality exterior.
Can you build in a flood zone?
Yes. We plan the foundation and floor elevation, or floodproofing, around the site’s flood zone and local requirements during pre-construction, before costs are locked in.
Can we stay open during an addition or renovation?
In most cases, yes. Duncan-Parnell stayed in its building while we built the addition and completed the interior and exterior upfit.
Our architect's design is over budget. Can you help?
Often, yes. On Ottohaus the original design came in at more than double the budget, and we redesigned it to fit without giving up what the owner needed.
Start Your Charleston County Project
Call (843) 851-1449 or tell us about your project below. We’ll talk through scope, budget and timeline before you commit to anything.
Design Build Construction · 9561 Hamburg Rd, Ladson, SC 29456 · (843) 851-1449