About the Myrtle Beach / Grand Strand (Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC MSA + Georgetown County CSA) Market

The Grand Strand runs roughly 60 miles along the northern SC coast from Little River (NC line) to Georgetown/Pawleys Island. Horry County (Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Conway, Surfside Beach, Little River, Carolina Forest, Garden City) forms the core MSA; Georgetown County (Pawleys Island, Litchfield, Murrells Inlet's southern half, Georgetown) is joined via the combined statistical area. Residential building here is coastal-plain, hurricane-driven construction rather than mountain/WUI construction.

Counties Served

Horry County
Georgetown County

Local Climate Risk

Weather Perils in the Myrtle Beach / Grand Strand (Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC MSA + Georgetown County CSA) Area

Atlantic hurricanes and tropical storms (June-November, peak Aug-Sept)
High sustained coastal winds and wind-borne debris (roof shingle/tile blow-off is common)
Storm surge and tidal flooding in barrier-island and Intracoastal Waterway-adjacent areas
Heavy tropical downpours and inland/riverine flooding (Waccamaw, Pee Dee, Black River basins) worsened by post-hurricane rainfall
Salt-air/salt-spray corrosion on metal, fasteners, and coastal exteriors
Occasional severe thunderstorms with hail and straight-line wind
High humidity accelerating algae/moss growth and asphalt shingle degradation (a key metal-roof selling point)

Building & Permitting Notes

No SC jurisdiction uses the Florida-style 'HVHZ' designation, but Horry and Georgetown Counties sit in ASCE 7 Wind-Borne Debris Region along the immediate coast, and both counties permit under the SC Building Codes Council's adoption of the IRC/IBC with SC amendments and higher ultimate design wind speeds (roughly 140-150 mph Vult right on the oceanfront barrier islands, stepping down to ~130-140 mph inland). Permits: Horry County Building Codes Enforcement Office covers unincorporated areas (Carolina Forest, Socastee, Little River, Garden City, Murrells Inlet-Horry side); incorporated cities (Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Conway, Surfside Beach) run their own building/permitting departments with additional local wind, freeboard, and beachfront-setback requirements. Georgetown County Building Services covers Pawleys Island, Litchfield, Murrells Inlet-Georgetown side, and unincorporated Georgetown; the Town of Pawleys Island and City of Georgetown have their own permitting plus historic-district design review (Georgetown Historic District, Pawleys Island Historic District, NRHP). Coastal construction within the state's jurisdictional area also requires SC DHEC-OCRM (Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management) review for setback-line and beachfront-management compliance. FEMA flood zones AE/VE are common on barrier islands (North Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach oceanfront, Garden City, Pawleys Island, DeBordieu, Litchfield Beach), driving elevation-certificate and freeboard requirements; WUI/wildfire code overlays are not a factor in this coastal metro (unlike SC's Upstate/Blue Ridge foothills).

Popular Home Styles

Coastal Lowcountry / Coastal Cottage (elevated on pilings, wraparound porches, metal roofs standard on barrier-island builds)
Southern Colonial / Charleston-influenced single house (historic Georgetown, downtown Conway)
Modern Coastal / Coastal Contemporary (new construction in Grande Dunes, Market Common, Prince Creek)
Craftsman and Craftsman-Coastal hybrid (Carolina Forest, Socastee subdivisions)
Traditional Southern Ranch and one-story brick ranch (older Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach neighborhoods)
Golf-course/plantation-style two-story brick and Hardie-board homes (Wachesaw Plantation, Tidewater, Wild Wing)

Top Metal Roof Types in Myrtle Beach / Grand Strand (Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC MSA + Georgetown County CSA)

Standing seam steel (26-gauge, PVDF/Kynar 500 finish) - the dominant choice for coastal SC due to wind uplift performance
Standing seam aluminum - preferred within ~1-3 miles of saltwater/marsh for corrosion resistance over steel
Stone-coated steel shingle/shake profiles (mimicking cedar shake or slate) for HOA-restricted subdivisions wanting traditional curb appeal
Metal shingle panels (interlocking) for historic-district and Lowcountry cottage retrofits
26-ga exposed-fastener steel panels for detached garages, carriage houses, and outbuildings

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