We employed local artist, Jackson Sterling, to create an oyster chandelier to complement this custom Bluffton kitchen. The upper cabinets house a lit display area for fine kitchen ware. Amiri Geuka Farris jazzed up the walls with his lowcountry paintings.
Townhome vs Single-family Detached Home
In early 2013, Jim Moore, approached me regarding building townhomes on Goethe Road in Downtown Bluffton, South Carolina. My initial impression was to convince him to stay away from townhomes and build single-family detached homes. Afterall, everyone wants their own house and they don’t want their house touching their neighbors. We ate lunch and talked it over with another friend who had an interest in the development, Mr Kumar Viswanathan. They explained the advantages of townhomes and the cost advantages of building three homes in one building at a time rather than building one house at a time. I was still not convinced there would be a market for townhomes vs stand alone homes. We broke ground in December 2014. Pictures is the last of 36 townhomes we completed in 2017. Not only did all 36 homes sell before they were completed, we could have sold twice as many if we had room to build them. It was a great location and buyers loved the concept of living in a small, new, well-designed community. The takeaway for me was not everyone wants to live out in the sticks, with a boat (that doesn’t run) in the yard, and stack of firewood on the front porch.
Colored Epoxy Paint
Perhaps there are options other than Glidden, but I’ve had great success with Glidden’s colored epoxy paint. Most paint stores can’t add color to match epoxy paint. Glidden does custom colors. It cost $200 per gallon, but it’s worth it.
Deck Stain vs Deck Paint
The Lowcountry air that blows off the ocean and rivers can be brutal on wood and paint jobs. The salt in the air eats away at almost everything on a house. Pictured here is a walkway leading from a house to the beach on Hilton Head. For the past 8 years, I’ve cared for the walkway by sanding, scraping, and repainting it. No matter how careful I am, the paint continues to flake as the water finds a way through cracks and gets under the paint and causes the paint to come loose. Last year I decided to strip the paint away and go with a high quality deck stain. The difference is the stain does not flake. The stain wears over time, but in this application, stain is superior to paint. Ashley Ingram, General Contractor 843 986 1000
Every Home Should Have One
When I’m away from home, I long for my tempurpedic bed and my BainUltra bathtub overlooking the Chechessee River. Being home makes me feel good inside. Long days at work or after a long campout, I’m cold and tired, I can rest in front of the fireplace and warm my bones with a bowl of spicy shrimp gumbo. Whether it’s a well placed bathtub, a cozy den, or well designed kitchen, not every house has that happy spot where you can relax in some hot water while enjoying a Lowcountry view, but every home should. Ashley Ingram, General Contractor 843 986 1000
Mrs Ed Wiggin’s Pluff Mud Wine Bar
Barbara Wiggins would slap me if I called her Mrs Ed Wiggins. She was the wife of Ed, but she was a very independent lady. Ed roomed with my Dad at Clemson when my Dad was the Tiger mascot back in the 50’s, and our families have been friends since. Ed helped me design my home 20 years ago. He was the father of Hilton Head style architecture. Barbara and I became close friends in 2014 when I started building her home in Bluffton. We had a lot in common (both born and educated in Georgia and we both love design/ building). Like me, she loved to buy junk at the auction house in Hardeeville. She bought an old dresser and had me customize it for a wet bar. Above the bar we made a wine rack from wood that Hurricane Matthew washed-up at my house on the Chechessee River. She then supervised us mixing motor to match pluff mud, and told us how to stick oyster shells in it. I had a Jamaican friend, Mr. Lacy, helping me do it. When I got back from lunch Lacy was finished and he hadn’t done it exactly the way Barbara wanted. When she saw it she smiled and said, “It’ll do.” I miss her. Ashley Ingram, General Contractor 843 986 1000
Custom Lowcountry Home
My family was fortunate enough to be able to afford a brand new home two years ago. We were so excited to start our family there and own something of our very own. Ashley Ingram was our builder and not only did he provide us a house, he took great strides to provide us our home. Ashley and his team were right there with us every step of the way as we chose options and made changes along the way. The quality of our home and the quality of his service made the process exciting and enjoyable. Not one time did we have a question or challenge that he couldn’t answer or rise to. I feel fortunate and grateful that Ashley was the one God put in our lives during what could have been a stressful time. We will in part owe our happiness here to his dedication and thoughtfulness to our dream. Thank you Ashley for our home.
Mollie and Jason Baile
Roofing Supply Warehouse
In 2009, there were not very many commercial jobs going up in the Lowcountry. We were fortunate to get the contract for Rowe Supply’s warehouse just outside Bluffton, South Carolina. Malphrus Construction mucked the site and brought in over 200 loads of good compactable material. Malphrus warned us that if we didn’t use an expensive french drain system under our concrete parking lot, it would crack to pieces. They were wrong. The concrete parking lot is 8 inches thick and it has withstood over a decade of heavy tractor trailers loaded with roofing material and forklift abuse. Under the concrete is 6 inches of compacted granite crusher run. We started pouring the slab and parking lot at 1:30 am and finished them around lunch time the next day. Buddy Stone helped with the steel building. Ed Ingram did the build out on the Kitchen. Chase Ingram designed the diamond plate countertops- they should last a lifetime. Ashley Ingram, General Contractor 843 986 1000
White Picket Fences
Picket fences are not all alike. Beaufort, South Carolina has an assortment of stylish fences in the historic downtown district. Pictured is a popsicle stick look. Regardless of the style, the wood must be protected or it will soon rot. Centuries ago, wood was much harder due to slow-growth tight rings. Today wood is grown fast and harvested frequently; it’s softer. Even pressure treated lumber will rot if not properly protected from the elements- just ask Marlon Sheffield. Picket fences need to be coated with high quality oil based primer and high quality latex based paints. Multi coats of paint and frequent painting will hold off rot. Ashley Ingram, General Contractor 843 986 1000
Little League Concession Stand
Growing up in Ridgeland, South Carolina, one of my favorite places was the Little League ballpark. 30 years latter, I was able to pull permits for the new multi field complex with a fancy concession stand. I can still smell the popcorn and hear Mrs Ruth Altman screaming at Troy. I played for Kleckley Gas and Mr. Todd was my coach. One year my step brother, Tony McGeary, asked me to play on his Hilton Head team. Mrs Altman and Bootsie Roach were in the stands. I got an earful! Ashley Ingram, General Contractor 843 986 1000