Roofing for Awendaw homes: replacement, leaks and storm damage. In Awendaw, the 2021 IRC is in force and 2% of the 818 homes went up before 1940. Any permit the job needs is ours to pull.
Awendaw runs to about 17.3 square miles and roughly 1,772 people. It sits about 21 miles northeast of downtown Charleston. The community dates back to 1992. We cover ZIP code 29429.
No completed roof in Awendaw is logged in our job records yet.
Awendaw is a small rural fishing town along U.S. 17 in northeastern Charleston County, near the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge and the Francis Marion National Forest. It was settled in 1696 as Wappetaw by settlers from Salem, Massachusetts, stayed rural through most of the 20th century, and was heavily damaged by Hurricane Hugo in 1989.
Most newer homes in Awendaw have OSB decking, architectural shingles and a real ridge vent, so they start ahead. What varies is the grade of shingle: much of the 2000s building used builder-grade product whose warranty on paper outlasts its working life, and those roofs are wearing out now. Hail is the other variable. A young roof can still be bruised, and a damaged mat may look perfect from the driveway for a couple of years before it starts to fail, so a roof never checked after a storm is due a look.
Awendaw has 818 homes in the Census Bureau's count and a median year built of 2001. 17 of them (2%) went up before 1940 — 15th of 28 places on this site for pre-1940 share — and 430 (53%) in 2000 or later. The 2000s were the busiest decade, adding 201 of today's homes (25%). That is below Charleston County's 5%.
The rule of thumb in HUD's Residential Rehabilitation Inspection Guide is a service life of about 20 years for an asphalt shingle roof. By that measure, 47% of Awendaw's homes — the 388 built before 2000 — are past their first roof; 179 of them (22%) predate 1970, old enough for two replacements already. Homes from the 2000s (201 in Awendaw) are reaching their first replacement, while the 229 built since 2010 are mostly still on the roof they were built with.
Detached single-family houses make up 83% (677); attached houses and townhouses 1% (9). The count also takes in 124 mobile homes, which are a different kind of roof job. 94% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, 6% rented. Read together, those figures point toward first replacements on 2000s builder-grade shingles and hail checks on newer roofs that look fine from the driveway.
| Built | Homes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1940 | 17 | 2% | |
| 1940s | 36 | 4% | |
| 1950s | 40 | 5% | |
| 1960s | 86 | 11% | |
| 1970s | 37 | 5% | |
| 1980s | 80 | 10% | |
| 1990s | 92 | 11% | |
| 2000s | 201 | 25% | |
| 2010s | 197 | 24% | |
| 2020 or later | 32 | 4% |
Census ACS 2020–2024, tables B25034, B25035, B25024 and B25003: 818 homes, 746 occupied. Survey estimates.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center logged no reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 5 miles of Awendaw’s center from 2016 through 2025. That is a gap in the reports rather than proof that no hail fell: reports come from spotters and the public.
Awendaw requires building permits for all structures built, rebuilt, erected or modified in town, and for any other work or trade that needs a building inspection. Charleston County issues the permits, collects the fees under its own fee schedule, and lists roofing as a standard permit on its trade permit form. Before applying to the county, owners must get a Town of Awendaw zoning permit, which the Town requires for all new construction, renovation, modifications and maintenance, including work that may not need a county building permit.
Awendaw enforces the 2021 IRC. Charleston County, which enforces building codes in Awendaw, has used the 2021 International Residential Code and 2021 International Building Code with South Carolina modifications since January 1, 2023, with the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code. Projects submitted to the county on or after January 1, 2027 must meet the 2024 codes.
The published number is 843-202-6930. Charleston County Building Inspection Services enforces the building code in Awendaw; county forms name Hakim Bayyoud as the department's Director. The department page is here.
Design wind here is set by location, not one figure for the whole area: across greater Charleston the published ultimate design wind speeds run 133–150 mph, depending on where a house stands. The building department for Awendaw can tell you which figure applies. What it does to a roof is in the roofing code guide.
Also in Charleston County:
| City | Re-roof permit | Code | Median built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awendaw | Yes | 2021 IRC | 2001 |
| Adams Run | Yes | 2021 IRC | 1984 |
| Charleston | Yes | 2021 IRC | 1995 |
| Unincorporated Charleston County | Yes | 2021 IRC | — |
| Edisto Island | Yes | 2021 IRC | — |
| Folly Beach | Yes | 2021 IRC | 1990 |
| Hollywood | Not published | 2021 IRC | 2003 |
All 22 Charleston County cities side by side →
Awendaw requires building permits for all structures built, rebuilt, erected or modified in town, and for any other work or trade that needs a building inspection. Charleston County issues the permits, collects the fees under its own fee schedule, and lists roofing as a standard permit on its trade permit form. Before applying to the county, owners must get a Town of Awendaw zoning permit, which the Town requires for all new construction, renovation, modifications and maintenance, including work that may not need a county building permit.
Awendaw enforces the 2021 IRC. Charleston County, which enforces building codes in Awendaw, has used the 2021 International Residential Code and 2021 International Building Code with South Carolina modifications since January 1, 2023, with the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code. Projects submitted to the county on or after January 1, 2027 must meet the 2024 codes.
Older than most people guess: the Census puts 47% of Awendaw's homes before 2000 and 22% before 1970, with a median year built of 2001 (2020–2024 estimates). A roof usually lasts about 20 years, so the deck and the layers get checked before any quote.
Not yet: no completed roof in Awendaw is in our job records, so this page shows no job count.
Researched 2026-10-24; housing, Census ACS 2020–2024; hail, NOAA SPC. Sources: www.townofawendawsc.org · www.townofawendawsc.org · www.charlestoncounty.gov · www.charlestoncounty.gov · www.charlestoncounty.gov · www.charlestoncounty.org · en.wikipedia.org · www.townofawendawsc.org · www.townofawendawsc.org · en.wikipedia.org · www.scstatehouse.gov · www2.census.gov · data.census.gov · www.spc.noaa.gov. Rules and staff change; check with the jurisdiction.
