The Backyard You've Been Planning Deserves
A Contractor Who Finishes It.
DCM Outdoor designs and builds outdoor kitchens, paver patios, pergolas, landscape, fire features, and the complete outdoor living scope for homeowners across Charleston and the Lowcountry — with a written completion date in every contract and 20 years of Lowcountry experience behind every project.
What outdoor living projects usually feel like — and why DCM Outdoor is different.
Most homeowners who come to DCM Outdoor have been through at least one outdoor project with another contractor. They know what it's like to be told six weeks and wait five months. They've seen a contractor disappear in the middle of a job. They've watched a patio start sinking the year after it was installed. DCM Outdoor was built specifically around fixing all three of those problems.
What homeowners tell us they've experienced
"We were told six weeks. It took five months. The contractor disappeared for two weeks in the middle of it, wouldn't return calls, and then the pavers started sinking the following spring. We're still not done dealing with it."
What DCM Outdoor delivers instead
- Written completion date in the contract — a specific date, not "roughly 6–8 weeks depending on weather"
- Financial compensation if DCM Outdoor misses that date for reasons within our control
- One project manager who is your single point of contact from first consultation to final walkthrough
- Pavers engineered for Charleston's clay soil conditions — geotextile fabric, compacted base, concrete edge restraint
- Plants specified for your yard's actual sun and drainage conditions — not a generic regional list
- HOA and ARB submissions handled — DCM Outdoor researches your community's guidelines before any design work begins
What working with DCM Outdoor actually looks like — from first call to final walkthrough.
Free on-site consultation
A DCM Outdoor project specialist visits your property to walk the space, assess site conditions, discuss your vision and budget, and identify any site-specific considerations — drainage, live oak root zones, HOA requirements, soil conditions, existing structures. This visit is free and carries no obligation.
Design proposal with written completion date
DCM Outdoor delivers a detailed design proposal that includes the full scope description, materials specifications, permit list, cost, and a specific project completion date. The design fee starts at $750 and covers detailed layout, material specifications, and permit-ready drawings. This fee is credited in full toward your project cost if you build with DCM Outdoor within 30 days of design approval.
HOA submission if required
If your property is in a governed community, DCM Outdoor prepares and manages the full HOA or ARB submission process — researching your community's current design guidelines, preparing the compliant package, submitting on your behalf, and tracking to approval. You don't navigate this separately from your construction project.
Construction with consistent communication
Your project manager communicates progress at regular intervals throughout construction. You always know where the project stands. Any change, discovery, or issue is raised immediately — not at the end of the project. Crews clean the site at the end of every working day.
Final walkthrough — together
DCM Outdoor walks the completed project with you before considering the job finished. Any item that doesn't meet your expectations or DCM Outdoor's quality standard is addressed before we leave. You receive full permit documentation, material warranty cards, and maintenance guidelines for your new outdoor space.
Every outdoor living service — one contractor, one schedule.
The Lowcountry difference — why your contractor needs to know this specific market
Charleston's expansive clay soils, live oak root systems, HOA landscape requirements, coastal salt air, hurricane wind load requirements, and 52 inches of annual rainfall all create conditions that require specific engineering and material decisions that a contractor without Lowcountry experience gets wrong. DCM Outdoor has been building in these conditions for 20 years. Every decision we make is informed by what actually works here — not what works in California, Texas, or the generic Southeast.
What DCM Outdoor homeowners say.
"DCM Outdoor finished our patio and pergola on the exact day it said in the contract. I've been through two other outdoor projects with other contractors and have never once had that happen. The written date changes everything about how the whole experience feels."
"The outdoor kitchen has been flawless through two hurricane seasons. They explained exactly why they build in concrete block instead of a stud frame, and I could see the difference in the proposal. Everything they said they'd do, they did."
"My last landscape contractor planted things that were dead within a year. DCM Outdoor walked my yard, told me exactly what would and wouldn't work under my live oaks, and installed a planting plan that's thriving 18 months later."
"DCM Outdoor handled our entire Daniel Island ARB submission. They researched the guidelines, prepared everything, submitted it, and got approval without us having to navigate any of it. The project came in on the exact date in the contract."
What does the design fee include and how does the credit work?
DCM Outdoor's design fee starts at $750 for a residential outdoor living project and covers a detailed site assessment, layout design with dimensions, material specifications, permit-ready drawings where required, and a full cost proposal. If you build with DCM Outdoor within 30 days of approving the design, the full design fee is credited toward your project cost. If you decide not to build with DCM Outdoor, you keep the design — it's yours to use however you choose.
How far in advance do I need to schedule?
DCM Outdoor's current lead time for project start runs 4–8 weeks depending on the season and current project load. Spring (March–May) is the busiest season — projects booked in January and February typically secure better start dates. Fall (September–November) has more scheduling flexibility. DCM Outdoor will tell you the current realistic lead time during the initial consultation.
Does DCM Outdoor handle financing?
DCM Outdoor works with financing partners to offer payment plans for qualifying homeowners. If financing is a consideration for your project, mention it during the consultation and DCM Outdoor will walk you through available options and the application process.
My property is in an HOA. How does DCM Outdoor handle that?
DCM Outdoor handles all HOA and ARB submissions as a standard part of every project in a governed community. Before any design work begins, we research your community's specific current guidelines — not a general assumption about what's typically allowed. We prepare the full submission package, submit on your behalf, and manage the review process through to approval. DCM Outdoor does not begin construction until all required approvals are in hand.
Ready to build the outdoor space you've been planning?
DCM Outdoor offers free on-site estimates across Charleston and the Lowcountry. Every proposal includes a written completion date backed by our guarantee.
Schedule my free estimate →Charleston outdoor living services