Charleston reserve study

Old buildings, new owners

Many peninsula condos are conversions: warehouses, churches, offices and old houses divided into units. Their reserve items are unusual and expensive. Slate and metal roofs, wood windows, brick repointing, piazzas and stucco repairs all need specialist trades, and lead times can be long.

In the city's historic districts, exterior changes go to the Board of Architectural Review. That affects the reserve plan in two ways: replacements may have to match the original material, which costs more, and approval adds months. Ask your provider to price like-for-like replacement, not the cheapest product.

Harbor and island high-rises

Mid-rises on the harbor, in Mount Pleasant and on Isle of Palms and Folly Beach share the problems of any coastal concrete building: balconies, facade sealants, roofs and elevators. Low-lying sites add flood-proofing items, such as flood doors, sump pumps and raised electrical gear, that belong in the inventory if the building has them.

What Hugo taught the Lowcountry

Hugo damaged roofs and windows across whole neighborhoods at once, and boards that had planned for one repair at a time were short. A reserve study does not insure a building, but it can show how much cash the association has against its insurance deductible, and boards here increasingly ask for that figure in the report.

Suburban HOAs

In Summerville, Goose Creek, James Island and Daniel Island, most associations are single-family HOAs with pools, clubhouses, ponds, docks and miles of sidewalk. Mature live oaks are an asset and a liability: storm cleanup and tree work belong in the plan.

Fees by community type are on the price ranges page. For the bigger picture, see South Carolina reserve studies.