Commercial Roof Repair in Summers Corner, SC

SUMMERVILLE — Some Dorchester County residents spent the first two weeks of September without receiving any mail, and they’re still uncertain if the problem has been resolved.

On the outskirts of Summerville, homeowners in the new Azalea Ridge portion of the Summers Corner neighborhood have been experiencing ongoing issues with mail delivery, emergency assistance and school registration.

Residents were told the problem comes from a mistake made when the ZIP codes were being realigned. The mistake has resulted in mail delays and packages being sent to wrong addresses across town.

One of those residents, Livia Perez, said her family recently had issues with registering their kids for school and getting help from the Dorchester County Fire Rescue after their carbon monoxide detector went off.

“It took 25 minutes for the fire department to get to our house,” she said.

The Perez family had to contact the department to let them know about the Ridgeville and Summerville address mix-up.

They bought the home with the original understanding that it would have a Summerville address. When they went to close on the home the day after Memorial Day, that’s when they were informed the ZIP code was now a Ridgeville one.

The deed to their home lists the address as Ridgeville. The change also led to a $500 annual increase in their home insurance costs.

Jason Byham, the local division president for Lennar, the developers over Summers Corner, said in 2015 the U.S. Postal Service approved all of the development to be in the 29485 Summerville ZIP code.

The Ridgeville ZIP code change was done without Lennar being notified in advance. Lennar changed the deeds to Ridgeville to allow residents to close on their homes and move in.

Byham said they were informed that the change was a mistake around USPS overlooking the 2015 agreement.

“It unfortunately caused major disruption in homeowners’ lives,” he said.

Lennar was able to reaffirm with USPS the Summerville address. Lennar is also taking on the costs of changing residents’ deeds back to Summerville.

Rick Badie, a USPS spokesman in South Carolina, said some of the address data provided to USPS representatives was incorrect and that’s what ultimately led to the mishap.

Badie didn’t confirm who sent the incorrect data.

“The issue is being resolved and we regret any inconvenience to our customers,” he said.

Some residents are still apprehensive as to whether the situation has been handled. Perez said it’s because they’ve been hearing that since May.

Their biggest concern is with the election coming up.

Some of the postal workers are aware of the situation so they have been able to successfully complete some deliveries.

Other times, some of the mail is sent to the Oakbrook Post Office and some is sent to the Ridgeville one. Residents have also received delivery notifications from Amazon with photos of packages delivered across town.

“We’re definitely not getting all of our mail,” Perez said.

DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCIV) — Last week, a fire devastated the Apel family's home in the Summers Corner community.

A GoFundMe was quickly started to support the Apel family and in just a few hours, the $5,000 goal had already been reached.

Yet people continued to donate and in 24 hours? The fund had reached about $11,000.

Read More: Flames envelop home in Summers Corner community of Dorchester County

As of Monday morning, donations were just over $12,530, with people still actively donating.

The GoFundMe states the money will help the family replace all that was lost in the house fire and support them until they reestablish a new home.

The photo used on the page shows two adults and four children.

Read More: Dozens give back in North Charleston on Easter Sunday

Flames could be seen shooting out of the kitchen of the home on Gnarly Oak lane at around 5 p.m. Friday.

The homeowner said the fire started on the porch of the home and quickly spread. Fire officials said the cause was an apparent electrical issue.

Everyone home at the time was able to escape without injury.

SUMMERS CORNER, SC (WCIV) — Imagine a real Hallmark Movie.

That's what a Summers Corner home looks like this holiday season. It's the type of decked-out holiday display to immediately catch the eyes of everyone driving by. It's hard to look left or right without seeing lights or decorations.

The most unique part is that each item has a story. Some of them traveled by car for nearly 17 hours in order to make it to the Lowcountry, and others would only fit in a rental car. Even the Grinch himself, can't steal this Christmas spirit.

"I think it’s wonderful what they are doing and if this was a decoration competition. I would say they win," neighbor Stella Taber said.

Reindeers, snowmen, and even Santa Claus are seasonal neighbors.

"Santa actually writes back to the kids, and the hot cocoa, and all of the treats they are so lovely to put together for everyone in the neighborhood," Neighbor Karina Aymerich said.

It's a holiday tradition for the O'Hea family. Brandy O'Hea said, "It started with one decoration and led to another."

Though, O'Hea said a new HOA wants to tone down the merry and bright.

"We got a letter that was dated 16th of November stating it was our second letter, we were in violation because we had decorations on the adjoining property. At that time of the letter, there was nothing out there," she said.

The letter asked the O'Hea family to have a "reasonable number of holiday and religious lights." It also said a fine of $25 dollars has been applied to their account. A third violation is 50 dollars.

"I don’t know what the definition of reasonable is," O'Hea said.

Some neighbors said it's a display of holiday magic.

"My son here Zachary has autism. He doesn't like gifts. A couple of years ago we were walking, and we walked past every single day by that pig that didn’t say Zach’s pig. We came back up a week later and it said Zach’s pig on it. I don’t like to admit this but I started tearing up because it hit me in my heart that these wonderful people are doing it not just for them, they are doing it for other people," neighbor Dino Pustalka said.

It's a gift that keeps on giving.

"This is the last thing that happens this year that we have hope. That we can feel a little bit or normality. We have had a horrible year. This is bringing everything that was normal back," Aymerich added.

Homeowners said they don't plan to take it down.

"I want the HOA to come here and see the joy that these kids have...running through taking pictures. Hugging the unicorns. And then see what it's like if you take it away from them," O'Hea said.

Kids in Summers Corner shared their personal display favorites with hopes of keeping joy alive this holiday season.

"I like the mermaids, and the angel. I think the mermaid is guidance and the angel is hope," Taber said.

There is a petition online that asks the HOA to change its mind about the Summers Corner holiday display.

ABC News 4 called the homeowners association and left a voicemail. An email was also sent to the office for a response to the neighborhood complaints. As of Wednesday evening, there has been no response. The story will be updated as soon as there is.

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCIV) — A Summerville family says their $535,000 dream house has turned into a nightmare.

“This is what we wanted. We fell in love with the outside, the exterior, everything,” said Michael O’Hea, who moved into the house in the Summers Corner neighborhood in June of 2017. He says immediately after moving in, he and his wife noticed defects cropping up throughout the house.

“You see the cracks in the wall you see the cabinets coming off the wall,” Brandy O’Hea told ABC News 4.

Floors are also uneven in several parts of the home, and two cracks have formed on the both sides of the home’s exterior.

The O’Heas also described mold issues with the home and drainage problems that required the installation of a French drain.

Dan Ryan Builders constructed the home, which the O’Hea’s say is a "Keenleand II" plan.

ABC News 4 called and emailed Dan Ryan builders requesting an interview and asking if the home was being examined for structural issues. Dan Ryan’s regional president emailed the following:

“We are aware of the O’Hea’s concerns with respect to their house. We are in the process of scheduling an engineer to inspect the house and will take appropriate action thereafter.”

The O’Hea’s say Dan Ryan Building sent two structural engineers in the spring who performed a visual inspection of the home, but those engineers were no-shows at the next scheduled appointment.

“We’ve had no shows. Contractors showing up with no materials, no paint,” Michael O’Hea said. “We had seven different personnel but it’s past that now.”

The O’Heas said several of their neighbors are experiencing similar issues with the Keeneland II model. Representatives from Dan Ryan have not yet commented on that.

As it stands, the O’Heas simply want their little slice of suburbia back in one piece.

“I want my home,” Brandy O’Hea said. “I want the home we paid for. We put everything in this home.”

The Better Business Bureau’s website shows 57 complaints filed against Dan Ryan Builders in the last three years, but it also rates the company an A+.

The BBB’s website lists some of the criteria for that score as pertaining to how quickly and appropriately the company has handled complaints.

Dan Ryan told us the building company scheduled its structural engineer to inspect their home less than two days after we contacted them for this story, but that engineer is scheduled for October.

The O’Heas say they’re considering a class action lawsuit.

The restaurant and retail business continues to evolve across the Charleston region with one venue closing, four others in the works and another relocating.

South of Summerville, the only restaurant in the developing Summers Corner community will soon turn out the lights.

Corner House Café at 1609 Beech Hill Road is slated to close April 3, according to a shop owner Jacki Mariest.

Mariest said she was notified by a lawyer with homebuilder Lennar, which owns and is developing Summers Corner, in early March that the company would not be renewing her lease when it expires in June. Rather than wait until then, and to give her 10 employees an earlier chance to land a new job, Mariest said she decided to go ahead and close.

Mariest said Lennar did not offer a reason for not renewing the lease after the restaurant’s nearly four years at the location.

“A lot of homeowners are real upset because this was one of their amenities,” Mariest said.

A Lennar representative did not offer a reason for not renewing the lease but said a new occupant could be announced soon.

“We have a number of prospective new tenants we believe will be embraced and enjoyed by the community,” said Jason Byham, Charleston division president. “We have no intention of leaving it vacant.”

In a Facebook post, Mariest thanked her customers for their support over the past four years.

“You have always stood by our side, especially during COVID,” she said. “We are not closing due to COVID or a lack of community support.”

An online petition to try to change the landlord’s mind had garnered roughly 2,000 signatures by March 30.

Lennar has about 500 houses in Summers Corner with another 100 under construction and hundreds more planned, Byham said.

What’s cooking?

A Mount Pleasant restaurant and bar that’s been closed since last summer plans to welcome customers once again.

Mainland Container Co. plans to reopen by the end of April at 1528 Ben Sawyer Blvd., a restaurant representative said.

Under new ownership, a company called BCG Holdings LLC recently applied for a state permit to sell alcohol on site. The property has been undergoing a mild facelift. New wooden fencing was recently installed around the patio area.

The restaurant representative said more information will be announced soon.

Also, a brewing company plans to open in the former Kickin’ Chicken restaurant site in downtown Charleston.

King Street Brewing Co. LLC has applied for a license to see beer, wine and liquor at 337 King St., between Calhoun and George streets.

The firm is associated with Nate Tomforde, owner of Pour Taproom at 560 King St. Tomforde did not respond for further comment on an opening time frame.

Kickin’ Chicken moved out of the proposed bar location last April after 21 years on King Street. It plans to reopen in a new site by July on the upper peninsula in a reworked former automotive garage at 45 Romney St. near the Charleston Tech Center.

And in Mount Pleasant, Second State Coffee is planning to open a new shop.

The café is upfitting a space at 1410 Shucker Circle next to apparel shop Love Bella in Oyster Park. It also plans to serve beer and wine.

Second State has two other locations: at 766 S. Shelmore Blvd. in Mount Pleasant and at 70½ Beaufain St. in downtown Charleston.

In northern Mount Pleasant, another restaurant is on the way.

Emoji Poke recently leased 1,255 square feet in The Bend at Carolina Park. It plans to open in the spring of 2022 in the developing strip center at Faison Road and Park Avenue Boulevard across from Costco Wholesale, according to the commercial real estate firm Belk|Lucy.

It will be located between The Front Porch Coffeehouse & Creamery and Blue Sky Endurance, which recently signed leases as well.

Relocating

A decade-old gift and furniture shop plans to relocate in Mount Pleasant.

Coralberry Cottage will build a new facility at 1135 Chuck Dawley Blvd. It currently operates at 976 Houston Northcutt Blvd. in Northcutt Plaza.

The current lease expires in June and, until the new building is constructed, the business plans to operate virtually when it moves out of the shopping center, according to Rutledge Carter, who co-owns the business with Melissa Hempstead and Liz Baker.

The new site, next to Clay Cottage and Art Studio, also has three small apartments that will remain and be called Indigo Studios.

Carter said they hope to be in the new location by the end of the summer, adding the project has been held up by a number of factors, including the coronavirus.

Getting fit

A Chicago-area fitness franchise is bringing its first South Carolina location to the Lowcountry.

Franchisee John Youngblood will open Spenga in a 4,000-square-foot space in the Publix-anchored Queensborough Shopping Center in Mount Pleasant by late summer, according to Jeff Yurfest with The Shopping Center Group.

Spenga, combining spin, strength training and yoga and also forming the brand name, will be located in three of the four available spaces in the recently completed building where Maple Street Biscuit Co. opened in December at 996 Johnnie Dodds Blvd.

Youngblood plans to be open by mid-August after upfitting of the space is completed. Future Spenga sites are planned for northern Mount Pleasant, James Island, Summerville and West Ashley.

Also, a new boutique fitness studio is opening on Johns Island.

Everybody Zen Yoga & Fitness tentatively plans to move in April 1 to a 2,000-square-foot space at 1715 Hollydale Court at Maybank Landing, according to the commercial real estate firms NAI Charleston and ERA Wilder Realty.