Quartz CountertopsNear Moncks Corner, SC

Editor’s Note: A request for comment was sent to Lennar on March 21 to address the homeowner’s concerns. The statement was provided after the story aired; you can find it below.

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (WCSC) - As new subdivisions pop up all over the Lowcountry, the Lennar Corporation is one of the largest home construction companies working in the area.

But one Moncks Corner homeowner says she couldn’t get the company to respond to an issue with their new house. Tom Eriksen’s daughter bought a home in 2022 in Cypress Preserve. It’s a Lennar-constructed community off of Cypress Gardens Road near Highway 52.

She bought one of the first homes built in a subdivision slated to include hundreds more. But when Eriksen went to visit his daughter, he noticed something wasn’t right.

“When I first looked at the house in the summer, the sun hits the side of the house and the nails on the sheathing aren’t nailed all the way in so the vinyl expands and contracts and when the sun hits it and it looks like pimples all over,” Eriksen said.

He said he contacted Lennar immediately.

“Their super came out here, looked at the house. He says, ‘Yeah, but it’s not a manufacturer’s problem.’ I said, ‘It’s not a manufacturer’s problem? You installed it wrong. You’ve got to correct it. It looks terrible.’ And they say, ‘No, we’re not going to do anything with it.’”

After trying to contact Lennar again multiple times, Eriksen said he had nowhere else to turn. He’s been in the construction business for 40 years, which is why, even though his daughter owns the home, he has taken charge of the situation. He said it’s not a structural issue per se, but because they built it wrong, Lennar should be the ones to fix it.

“I see it every time I drive up to the house,” Eriksen said. “This is like the whole house — sides, back, front. Whenever the sun hits it.

Erickson said it’s simple: fix the homes already having problems.

“Start servicing at least the first people that moved in here,” Eriksen said. “She was one of the first buyers before anyone came in and you’re not servicing them or taking care of your problems. It’s not a good outlook for the other 800 families that are going to move in here.”

Robert Knowles has been doing inspections for decades and says he sees dozens of issues with homes he inspects. He says it all comes down to code and if there are violations against it.

Knowles says while this specific issue isn’t exactly a code issue, it could lead to one.

“There’s a very common misconception that homeowners have that the builder, after the first year, he has no responsibility to repair anything else in the house,” Knowles said. “Well, that’s not true. The law is not optional: you have to comply with the code requirements. The builder is legally required to fix anything that goes wrong with your house that is related to a code. If you bring a code violation to a builder’s attention, he needs to repair that.”

South Carolina has adopted a set of Residential Construction Standards that homebuilders must abide by.

Knowles says there are three things you should do if you are buying a new build:

Knowles says he’s definitely seeing more code violations in the houses going up these last few years.

Eriksen has yet to hear from the company regarding the concerns.

Nearly a week after this story originally aired, Lennar provided the following statement:

Lennar takes the quality of our communities seriously and has inspected this home multiple times as we work toward resolution with the owner. Expansion and contraction are common with siding, but we are committed to reviewing and addressing the concerns of our homeowners.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

A South Carolina homeowner is frustrated after poor construction left their new abode covered in “pimples.”

The new home, which was one of the first built in the Cypress Preserve subdivision in Moncks Corner, SC, shows off its flaws under direct light.

“When I first looked at the house in the summer, the sun hits the side of the house, and the nails on the sheathing aren’t nailed all the way in so the vinyl expands and contracts. And when the sun hits it, and it looks like pimples all over,” Tom Eriksen told WCSC.

Eriksen’s daughter purchased the home in 2022 and when the “pimples” were noticed, the family immediately contacted the Lennar Corporation, the company tasked with building the entire community.

But when the company’s super examined the build, he didn’t own up to the poor craftsmanship.

“’Their super came out here, looked at the house, he says, ‘Yeah, but it’s not a manufacturer’s problem.’”

“It’s not a manufacturer’s problem, you installed it wrong. You’ve got to correct it. It looks terrible,” Eriksen replied.

“They say, ‘No, we’re not going to do anything with it.’”

After the original visit to the home, Lennar hasn’t responded to any of the multiple follow-up calls the family has made, according to the outlet.

Eriksen, who owned his own construction business for 40 years, says he is helping his daughter get her home fixed because even though it’s not a “structural issue per se,” it’s Lennar’s problem because the company built it.

“I see it every time I drive up to the house,” Eriksen said. “This is like the whole house — sides, back, front. Whenever the sun hits it.”

The angry father is calling for the company to fix the problems on all the homes it built, starting with the homes of people who have lived in the community the longest.

“Start servicing at least the first people that moved in here,” he said. “She was one of the first buyers before anyone came in and you’re not servicing them or taking care of your problems.

“It’s not a good outlook for the other 800 families that are going to move in here,” Eriksen added.

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Moncks Corner is 33 miles north of Charleston.

A home inspector also called out the company for not honoring its agreement when it comes to house building, saying many builders don’t realize they have to keep up with repairs of the house beyond the one-year mark.

“There’s a very common misconception that homeowners have that the builder, after the first year, he has no responsibility to repair anything else in the house,” Robert Knowles told Live 5 News. “Well, that’s not true.

“The law is not optional: You have to comply with the code requirements. The builder is legally required to fix anything that goes wrong with your house that is related to a code.

“If you bring a code violation to a builder’s attention, he needs to repair that,” Knowles added.

The state of South Carolina has adopted the Residential Construction Standards that homebuilders must abide by, according to the outlet.

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. – (Thursday, February 1, 2024) – Berkeley County has been awarded a $1 million US Fish & Wildlife Service grant from the SC Department of Natural Resources to help fund the County’s Mega Boat Landing project, which is a partnership with Santee Cooper. The funding was announced at the Berkeley County Council meeting on Monday, January 22, 2024. See full meeting video HERE.

The Mega Boat Landing project is taking place at the former Atkins Boat Landing/Lions Beach site, located at 933 Broughton Road in Moncks Corner. The site, currently undergoing construction, spans approximately 14 acres on Lake Moultrie. Project plans include renovating and expanding the property to include the following improvements:

Santee Cooper is heading the design and permitting the project’s marine elements, including the docks and breakwater. Berkeley County Engineering is permitting the design plans in cooperation with the Town of Moncks Corner and the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control. Work on the land/parking lot is being conducted by Berkeley County Roads and Bridges.

Total cost of the project is approximately $6.5 million. In addition to the $1M grant from SC DNR, project funding stems from the Berkeley County Delegation “Water Recreation Funds,” Berkeley County Accommodations Tax Funds, and SC state budget appropriations. Additional costs are being offset by work performed in-house by Berkeley County and Santee Cooper.

On March 22, 2021, Santee Cooper’s Board of Directors approved a long-term gratis lease to Berkeley County for the project. The project is expected to be complete by summer 2025.

“County Council and I are incredibly grateful for this state grant and look forward to this project inching closer to wrapping up. We excitedly anticipate that special day, in the near future, when the County and Santee Cooper can offer the public an additional location to enjoy outdoor recreation, along with providing our other overly used boat landings some much-needed relief. Aside from local daily use, we are excited of the prospects to attract the largest freshwater fishing tournaments in the world to Berkeley County and our world class fisheries.” -Johnny Cribb, Berkeley County Supervisor

“The Santee Cooper Lakes are an incredible asset for the people of South Carolina. This funding marks the next step in the construction of the Mega Boat Landing, which will be a notable addition to the lakes when it’s completed. We’re proud to be part of this project with the County; it not only will be a gathering place and resource for local residents but also will stimulate the economy by bringing additional anglers, tourists and events to Berkeley County.” -Jimmy Staton, Santee Cooper President and CEO

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– Prepared by the Berkeley County Public Information Office –

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (WCSC) - After days of planning workshops and community feedback, the town of Moncks Corner’s 2024 Comprehensive Plan draft is ready to be brought to the council.

Officials say it’s sort of like a bucket list for the town, and the more than 100-page plan boils down to addressing nine key elements: population, economic development, cultural and natural resources, community facilities, housing, land use, transportation, and resiliency.

The law requires a comprehensive plan every 10 years and to update it every five years. Moncks Corner is at the five-year mark, but decided it was time for a whole new plan.

“We’ve gone from about 6,000 residents to around 15,000 in 20 years,” Mayor Thomas Hamilton said. “So, it’s been a big jump for a small town like Moncks Corner and we don’t want to lose the Lowcountry’s Hometown feel. That’s why we’re being proactive.”

Due to future growth pressures, part of the draft focuses on how to maintain a small-town feel that appeals to both future and current residents.

“The Lowcountry continues to expand, and we hope to absorb some of that but absorb it in a responsible manner, so our current residents don’t feel left behind and that we actually enhance their quality of life from what they already expect from us,” Moncks Corner Community Development Director Justin Westbrook said. “Great fire service, police and recreation services, and that we also add to it for our future residents.”

The mayor said results from a community survey have guided the town to focus on providing outdoor activities residents can enjoy.

“Parks, pickleball, tennis,” Hamilton said. “Things that we can bring value and to have from our residents to be able to do in Moncks Corner instead of getting in their car and going to Goose Creek or North Charleston.”

Westbrook understands that planning and executing are two different things, and said that this is not a book that will collect dust on the shelf.

“You start saving for your retirement now and when you get there it may not be exactly what you envisioned because maybe you can afford more or maybe you have to scale it back a little bit, but this is a book that helps keeps us on that road map to which we’ve already collected the community’s voices, and will hopefully continue to use as we move forward,” he said.

The next step is for the town council to consider adopting this plan, which they will discuss at their February 20th and March 19th meetings. Members will be able to make recommendations to tweak or change certain things as they see fit.

To take a look at the draft, click here.

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.

MONCKS CORNER, S.C. (WCSC) - WakeUp Carolina is a nonprofit organization that offers resources to families and individuals struggling with addiction and they recently opened a facility in Berkeley County after the area saw high numbers of overdose deaths.

WakeUp Carolina is based out of Mount Pleasant, but in 2023, Berkeley County saw record high numbers of overdose deaths and the organization saw a need for change, so they opened a new facility off of East Main St in Moncks Corner in February.

WakeUp Carolina provides harm reduction resources such as NARCAN training and fentanyl test strips, as well as support groups for families and individuals dealing with addiction or suffering from loss as a result of overdose. The organization also acts as a vessel for finding resources for recovery among other efforts to improve the issue of overdose and addiction in South Carolina. WakeUp Carolina’s whole foundation is based on the idea that no family will ever have to go through loss and overdose alone. The founder of the organization lost her son to an overdose and wanted to provide support to others in every way that she could.

Dean Stephens, the Director of Development for WakeUp Carolina’s new facility says that this first month of being open could not have gone any better than they had hoped and that the community has been extremely welcoming. One thing they have said all along about this facility is that the community will dictate what goes into the space and what is needed, and Stephens says that is exactly what they have done with the furniture that is currently filling the space.

Stephens says that they plan to bring the things their Mount Pleasant location offers to Berkeley County, but they also want to hear what the community needs so they can create a safe space for the people who need it.

“We listen. And we’ll listen to what the community wants. Because for us, we’re not going to tell people what they need or what they want. We’ll sit back and listen to what they need, what they want, what they tell us, and then we’ll create programs groups, and things like that, and partnerships I think is a big word too, to create partnerships within this community to help people who may want our help,” he says.

Stephens says he believes that addiction and overdose are things that impact everybody at all levels and he is excited to create more partnerships in the community to build and grow. He says that they have already been working with the local school districts, churches and local mental health departments to expand their outreach and engage with community members, and he has high hopes for the future as these partnerships are created. They just want to create a safe space for the community.

He says it means so much to him to be a part of an organization that does so much.

“We toss around words like blessing and gratitude, and I really mean those two words when I say them here in Berkeley County that we feel like it’s a blessing that we’re here. And we’re grateful that you know, we have the resources and the tools to be able to open up these doors and share with anybody who wants to walk in these doors,” Stephens says.

To commemorate the official opening of the facility, they will be holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday at 4 p.m. It will take place at their new facility at 325 E Main Street in Moncks Corner and the community is welcome to attend. This will kick off their community outreach, but Stephens says they have already been so welcoming and are excited for what’s to come.

“The community has been amazing, truly. And when people find out what we do, and the services that we provide, and the reach that we’ll have here in Berkeley County, it’s been, it’s been so welcoming,” he says. “We are here to help the individual, the family, the community.”

Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.