Location Kiawah Island, South Carolina Architect Christopher Rose Architects, P.A.

Christopher A. Rose, AIA, ASID

christopherrosearchitects.com

843-559-7670

Construction Buffington Homes, L.P.

Dan Buffington, Owner

buffingtonhomes.com

843-377-1822

Structural Engineer Henry N Shepard Ii Pe

843-766-9497

Being a doctor for 20 years before going into the business of building, Dan Buffington is no stranger to diagnosing problems, and there is no shortage of those when building in a harsh coastal climate. He practiced medicine in Southern California and served on the city council, where he was first exposed to opportunities for development. When he and his wife relocated to South Carolina, they saw an opportunity to make a career move.

Or rather, his wife Cathy saw the opportunity: "She knew this is something I have always wanted to do and she talked me into it,
he says. "She told me to just build one home, and if it doesn't sell then we'll move into it ourselves. If it does, you're a builder.
It did in fact sell, during the drywall phase. He then got to work on a second home, which sold during framing. Business has grown from there and he is now custom building all over Kiawah Island. "When we started, the real estate agent told us we were asking too much for our homes and they would never sell. But we were putting detail work into each one that not many people were doing at the time.
This kind of quality is a result of literally building a house that you would want to live in yourself.

The complications that come up when building in this climate has proven to be one of Buffington's favorite things about the job. "I'm very detail oriented and really enjoy the process, for me it isn't about getting the house done, he says. These considerations include finding the right materials to fight off the termites that plague the area, or using stainless steel nails in the exterior to prevent rust. The technical aspects fascinate Buffington. In fact, he once got a contract from the Department of Energy to build a test facility that would do studies on things like moisture permeability or dew points in walls.

For the home on our cover, the owners came to Buffington with a 12-page list of things they thought would make their dream home, detailing each room. Buffington was happy to take on the challenge. "Trying to figure out the wood framing was my favorite part, he says. "The plans we got from the architect didn't show a lot of the details, so we had to make everything work out. And this is the largest house I've ever framed that didn't have steel supports.

The use of curved lines throughout is a reflection of the nearby ocean waves. Most notably is the coarse cedar siding on the exterior, where each piece had to be hand cut to make the undulating pattern, not to mention the groin-vaulted porte cochere on the front that gives the first impression of the home. The brick foundation was all handmade. A nice effect was created inside the powder room by installing lighting behind translucent stone.

Buffington was able to meet the list requirements of the homeowner, and even pick up an award for "Best One-of-a-Kind Custom Home
in the process. "I just feel blessed to be able to make this work a success,
says Buffington.