My husband’s family built quality custom homes in New York, and, independently, I also built and remodeled several homes in South Carolina. Upon deciding to build in Charleston, we asked local residents to recommend the area’s top contractors. A developer who has built dozens of houses in the Carolinas said, “Ryan Butler is the right choice. He listens, he’s smart, he’s experienced and he has integrity.” From our first meeting, we knew Shelter was the right match. Ryan asked insightful questions and invested much valuable time to understand our goals. Within a few days after receiving our plans, he submitted a detailed construction schedule, budget and contract. During our own due diligence, we saw evidence of his superb craftsmanship. Shelter homes were solidly built and beautifully finished. Working with the entire team at Shelter Custom-Built Living was easy. We were pleased with Shelter’s project planning, communication, expense documentation and punch-list follow-up. Recently another successful contractor in Myrtle Beach asked about our experience. “Still like your builder?” he asked. “I’ve seen many good construction relationships turn sour in those critical final weeks.” “Shelter is a great company,” I said. “We adore everyone there!” So now we own a beautiful home built on time and under budget, thanks to Shelter Custom-Built Living. What a wonderful welcome to Charleston, the best city in the world!

Mary & Mike

"We couldn’t have been more pleased with the way SHELTER managed the addition of our outdoor living space. We built our custom home five years before and poured our imagination and creative energy into every inch of it, leaving little for the patio and front yard, which never truly felt like they belonged to the rest of the home. With SHELTER’s inventive approach and willingness to innovate, we were able to transform the outdoor spaces into an elevated California Modern oasis, complete with a “floating” lanai, koi pond, hand-poured concrete pavers, and an entirely fresh, contemporary, Southwestern-inspired landscape. The outdoor living space instantly became our favorite place to gather and was our daily sanctuary of serenity during the pandemic of 2020. The SHELTER team was so impeccably organized, knowledgeable, reliable and forward-thinking, that we looked no further when the time came to build our next nest, which is currently underway and has been nothing but a pleasure with SHELTER at the helm."

The Patel Family

"I can’t say enough good things about Shelter Custom-Built Living. I have worked for the Daniel Island Company for over 13 years, and for 7 of those years, I managed the builder program so I am very familiar with most of the builders on the island. Choosing a builder was going to be a hard decision for us, at least for me because of the relationship I have with so many of them. This is the 4th home we have built on Daniel Island. I definitely didn’t want to be the one to pick the builder, so I chose 3 builders for my husband, Dan, and me to meet with to start the process. This is what I’ve always recommended our sales team do – select the 3 builders that you think are most compatible with your client’s personality, budget and style. I knew I would be comfortable with any of the 3 builders but wanted Dan to make the choice. He needed to be comfortable with our decision. He needed to like and trust the person. It took one meeting with Ryan for Dan to know he was the right builder for us. My husband is an attorney and a very good judge of character. He called me immediately after our meeting and said, “He’s a great guy. He’s honest, and I trust him.” That pretty much sealed the deal. Of course budget was one factor, but Ryan’s estimate was right where we wanted to be. We were even willing to pay more for him to build our home because we trusted that in the long run, we’d still come out ahead! We have been nothing but pleased with Ryan and his team. From start to finish, he made us feel like we were all that mattered, even though he had quite a few other homes being built at the same time. His entire team was professional and courteous. His wife, Jenny, who works with him, was a great resource for selections and design. His trim carpenter has an unbelievable gift! His work is art. Ryan himself is dependable, honest and takes pride in everything he does, especially his company and the product he delivers. We highly recommend Shelter Custom-Built Living!"

Nichole & Dan

"We are truly thrilled and overjoyed by the work Shelter/Ryan Butler has done for us and our new home. We are so grateful for his hard work and dedication we can’t wait to start again with him on our pool house. We started the home search on DI and came to the conclusion that we would remodel and place an addition on the house. The scope of the project that we wanted to under take was massive. I am a “perfectionist” so I knew we needed someone that could handle the size of the project as well as all of my endless demands. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that Ryan was the guy for us. He was very consistent with his work and on his follow through. I can honestly say that there wasn’t one day that Ryan wasn’t on the job site. He was always on time and professional in every meeting we had. He answered every question we had no matter how small and always returned phone calls and emails within minutes. I found the entire remodel and building process very easy and painless with Ryan. I actually really enjoyed the remodel process and working with him and look forward to continuing with our next project with Shelter. I can’t say enough nice things about him and the company. I would definitely recommend him to anyone that would like to build, remodel, and renovate their home. A truly caring and respectful builder."

The Hagerty Family

"When we were in the process of choosing a builder, character was one of the most important traits to us. We felt it was most important to travel this road with someone we could trust. We found that trust in Ryan Butler of Shelter Custom-Built Living. Our home building process was complex due to architectural details of our home, and extra consideration we placed on getting things “just right” for our handicapped son’s space. Ryan embraced that process head-on with us. For that we are forever grateful. He shared the desire we had to get things just the way we wanted them and just the way we needed them. Ryan is a great guy and wonderful to work with. He listened to us and made a point to follow through. He has great work ethic. He was always available to us when we needed anything, and continues to be six months after we have moved into our home. The process of building can be frustrating and exhausting, to say the least. It is also a very rewarding experience and we are happy that we had Ryan at the helm to help bring our dreams to fruition!"

Melody & Chris

"SHELTER was a pleasure to work with and I highly recommend them to anyone who desires to build a truly CUSTOM home. While building a new home can be overwhelming at times, SHELTER is there for you every step of the way, to ensure that the home they are building meets all your expectations. The great thing about the team at SHELTER is their creativity and their ability to find a way to make things happen. Over the course of our time working with SHELTER, we requested many modifications and additions, both large and small....some simple and some outrageously complex. Through all those changes, never once were we told, "I'm not sure we can do that..." or "I don't think that's going to work...". They seem to find a way to solve even the most challenging requests. The team approach that SHELTER utilizes makes the whole home building experience flow extremely smoothly for the owner and the procedures and tools that SHELTER has in place make the process very efficient. While everything about SHELTER is top-notch, their biggest asset is their people. Ryan, Jenny, Hollis, and the entire team are great people and they take the time to really get to know your family and to understand your needs. They all take great pride in what they do and it shows. I couldn't be more proud of the home that SHELTER helped us build or more happy with the decision to use SHELTER as our builder."

Collin

Thank you to Shelter for all the time, thoughtfulness and care that went into building our home. Ryan, Kecia, Shane and the entire team were incredibly attentive and always available as we navigated a complicated build thru some of the COVID impacted areas. Their attention to detail and focus on making sure we're achieving our vision was tremendous.

Andrew

SHELTER built our home this year and we couldn't be happier! The team is extremely efficient and professional, yet fun and creative. They all have gone above and beyond to make us happy and we truly are. Our home is everything we could have ever wanted thanks to SHELTER....I would love to say that this is our forever home but the experience was so wonderful, I can't say that I wouldn't do it again with them and only them!

Kate & Rick