Unusual market conditions can yield innovative business startups -– how else to explain a new Charleston developer, One House a Year?
Photo by Jim Parker
The Post and Courier
C.J. Dempsey (right) and Jon Goldfarb are teaming up to build a house in Windermere, one of the first new homes in the neighborhood in years.
You read it right. Not one house a day, or 100 houses a year but one dwelling for 2011, one for 2012, etc.
C.J. Dempsey, who moved to Charleston last year after working as a real estate broker in the Midwest, launched OHAY in response to the sluggish home-construction industry. His business card lists three sites for the company: his prior home of Chicago; Michigan City, Ind.; and his new home, Charleston.
“It’s a product of opportunity,” he says.
Dempsey figures that a small developer can focus on a single home at a time, overseeing top-notch contractors while also landing buyers. He keys on “in-fill” projects in existing neighborhoods, where there’s a handful of scattered, empty lots. Older communities are popular for their neighborly surroundings and well-built houses, but those same dwellings can lack modern perks and may prove too costly to upgrade.
“We saw there was a need,” he says.
Photo by Jim Parker
The Post and Courier
The living quarters will be on the main floor.
The first local OHAY effort is at 45 Beverly Road in the upscale Windermere neighborhood west of the Ashley. Charleston venture Riverland Builders LLC is framing the 1,850-square-foot house, which will have three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths. It’s listed at $495,000.
South Carolina architect Eric Moser provided the design, which was a Southern Living House of the Year, Dempsey says. Heather Foley is landscape architect.
Groundbreaking took place in the fall, and the two-story home should be completed in the next three months or so. Features include 10-foot ceilings, hardwood floors and high-end, energy-efficient Andersen windows. A dual fireplace opens into the living quarters as well as a sun deck. The master suite will have a claw-foot tub in the bathroom. Plans call for a top-end kitchen with stainless appliances and granite countertops.
“In an ideal sense, someone can come along and somewhat customize this house,” Dempsey says.
Photo by Jim Parker
The Post and Courier
The 1,850-square foot home should be completed in the next few months.
Jon Goldfarb heads up Riverland Builders. The Citadel graduate spent a few years in various professional fields, including a stint as a lawyer, before settling on the custom-home building and renovation business seven years ago.
“It’s a good product, high-quality,” Goldfarb says. “The wall (studs) are two by six.”
Dempsey believes 45 Beverly Road would appeal to empty nesters or a young couple with a baby on the way.
While in Chicago, Dempsey worked for Equity Office, a real estate investment trust headed by noted entrepreneur Sam Zell. Dempsey was eying a move to a warmer climate and struck on Charleston. “I love it,” he says.
For more information, visit www.riverlandbuilders.net or call Goldfarb at (843) 693-2117.
Reach Jim Parker at 937-5542 or jparker@postandcourier.com