Homes shaped by the land

Build, buy or renovate

Renovation keeps a location you love; building offers full control; buying a finished home offers speed. Compare cost, time and disruption for each against your priorities.

Teardown considerations

On established peninsula lots, replacing an older home can be an option. Check setbacks, tree protections, HOA rules and utility capacity before planning.

Assemble the team early

A builder, designer and technology integrator working together from the start reduce change orders and delays.

Let the site lead

On Tega Cay's rolling, wooded lots, topography, trees and drainage should shape the house before style does. A plan drawn for a flat lot often struggles on a sloped one.

Walk the site with the builder and designer together, and ask how the home will meet grade, handle runoff and frame the best views.

• Survey, topography and tree locations
• Setbacks, easements and covenants
• Drainage paths and soil conditions
• Sun path and prevailing views
• Driveway grade and access

Renovate, add on or rebuild

The right answer depends on the home's structure, the lot and your goals. Professional estimates for each path make the comparison concrete.

Compare three paths honestly

An addition preserves much of the existing home but can inherit its structural and mechanical limits. A whole-home renovation offers a fresh plan while retaining parts of the building. A rebuild offers more freedom but brings a different set of approvals and site costs.

Ask the team to compare each path using the same priorities: usable space, disruption, schedule, structural unknowns and what the lot actually permits. A design that depends on a larger footprint should be checked against setbacks and covenants before it becomes the favored option.

• What must remain and what can change
• Unknowns behind existing walls
• Site and approval constraints
• Where the family lives during construction