Who Builds New Construction Homes Near Kiawah Island or Johns Island SC?

If you're searching for new construction homes near Kiawah Island or Johns Island SC, there are several very different ways to get into a new home.

You can buy a completed new construction or spec home (see active listings below), buy a homesite and build a custom home, or in some cases buy an older Kiawah Island home and renovate it instead (which makes it just like new).

And there is an important distinction that gets lost on a lot of the big real estate websites:

Kiawah Island and Johns Island (unless you're in Briar's Creek or Kiawah River Neighborhood) are not the same new-construction market. So let's dig in... 

There are many builders actively building throughout Johns Island, including larger builders such as Dream Finders Homes, Stanley Martin Homes, New Leaf Builders, DR Horton, Pulte and David Weekley Homes. Basically your recognized national or regional tract home builders. The selection is much different when you're talking about building an actual custom home on Kiawah Island. Current builder directories show a much broader Johns Island market than Kiawah Island itself. If you're definitely set on building new, then you're going to want to see the lots for sale on Kiawah Island prior to starting the builder interview process because they don't come up for sale often. You may want to consider Seabrook Island as another option if you're interested in gated resort type vibes. 

Current Kiawah Island New Construction Homes for Sale

The listings above are updated from the MLS every 15 mins, so this is where I would start if your primary goal is simply to buy a new construction home rather than build one yourself.

That is actually my first recommendation for many buyers.

There is a big difference between saying, "I want a brand-new house," and saying, "I want to go through the process of designing and building a house."

Those are two completely different things.

A completed or nearly completed spec home lets you see exactly what you're buying, where it sits, the view, the lot, the finished product, and what you're paying for it.

Building a custom home gives you much more control, but it also gives you much more responsibility, more decisions and more opportunities for the project to change along the way.

Who Builds Custom Homes on Kiawah Island?

There are a number of builders who work in the Kiawah Island market, but I would be careful about simply pulling a list of "Kiawah builders" from Google or a national new-home website.

A builder who builds beautiful homes in Charleston, Mount Pleasant or Johns Island is not automatically the right builder for a Kiawah Island project.

Kiawah has its own architectural review and construction requirements, and new construction requires approval before construction begins. The Kiawah Island Architectural Review Board requires specific construction documents, site information, deposits and other approvals, and a Kiawah Island building permit is required before clearing, material delivery or construction can begin. As you can imagine not just any home gets approved when building on the island, there are size and height requirements along with design elements that have to be signed off on. All to make sure the home aligns with the aesthetic of the island. 

Dolphin Architects + Builders

Dolphin is one of the better-known custom design-build companies in the Charleston area and has a substantial portfolio of Kiawah Island projects, including work in The Settlement, The Preserve, Vanderhorst Plantation and other Kiawah areas.

Dolphin describes its business as an integrated design-build operation, with architecture, interior design and construction handled under one company. Its portfolio specifically includes multiple Kiawah Island projects. 

Ravenel Construction Group

Ravenel Construction Group is another Charleston-area custom builder with documented experience building on Kiawah Island as well as Johns Island, Daniel Island and Isle of Palms. Chris the owner is a Charleston native who has built high-end homes all over the islands around the Charleston area, including Kiawah Island.

The company handles custom home construction and design and has been operating in the Charleston market since 2000. 

Buffington Homes

Buffington Homes focuses on custom and luxury homes and specifically identifies Kiawah Island as one of its primary markets. The company is family-owned and has a long history of working with Kiawah homeowners. 

Sea Island Builders

Sea Island Builders is another Charleston-area custom design-build company that specifically lists Kiawah Island among the areas it serves.

The company handles everything from land acquisition and land planning through design and construction, which can be particularly useful when a buyer is starting with a homesite rather than an existing house. 

This isn't intended to be a complete list of every contractor who can build a house on Kiawah Island. In fact, I would be suspicious of any website claiming to have a definitive list. These are just a few that we know have the experience you can trust. 

Builders change, projects change and availability changes.

More importantly, a builder being capable of building a luxury house somewhere in the Charleston area doesn't necessarily mean that builder is experienced with the specific requirements of a Kiawah Island project.

That distinction matters.

Why Building on Kiawah Can Be More Complicated

Kiawah is a gated resort island, and getting materials, workers and subcontractors onto the island isn't the same as sending a crew to a house in a typical Charleston subdivision.

There are also architectural and environmental requirements that have to be considered before construction.

The ARB process requires site plans, construction drawings, lot-coverage information, tree protection and other documentation, and Kiawah's construction rules govern everything from the permitting process to job-site requirements. [ Kiawah ARB]

And then there is the physical lot itself.

Before I would get too excited about a Kiawah homesite, I would want to see the survey and elevation certificate.

Those documents can tell you a lot more about the opportunity than simply looking at the lot dimensions on an MLS listing.

Buying a Kiawah Homesite? Look Beyond the List Price

A $1 million homesite isn't necessarily a better deal than a $1.2 million homesite.

The question is what can you actually do with it?

I would want to understand things such as:

• The actual lot dimensions and configuration
• Elevation and flood-related considerations
• Buildable area
• Setbacks and other restrictions
• Existing trees and vegetation
• Where the house can realistically sit
• How much house the site can accommodate
• The location within Kiawah
• Golf, lagoon, marsh or ocean proximity
• Views and privacy
• Whether the lot has an associated club membership
• Whether plans already exist
• Whether those plans have been approved
• What type and size of house makes sense for the property

This is one reason I don't like valuing a Kiawah homesite by simply looking at what another lot sold for.

Two lots can look similar on paper and be very different opportunities once you start looking at what can actually be built.

Should You Build a New Home or Buy an Existing Kiawah Home?

This is probably the biggest question I would ask before you ever select a builder.

Sometimes building is absolutely the right answer.

Sometimes I would tell you not to build.

For example, if you tell me you have a $2 million total budget but want a 4,000+ square-foot house, five bedrooms, a swimming pool and a golf-course view, I may start looking at existing Kiawah homes before I start looking at vacant lots.

Why?

Because an older home may already have something that is extremely difficult to recreate:

the right location and the right lot.

You may be able to buy an older house, remove what you don't like, completely renovate the interior and create a home that gives you much of what you wanted from new construction without starting from scratch.

That's not always the answer.