From riverside cottages to newer builds
The Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2020–2024) counts about 9,320 housing units in West Columbia. About 5,130 were built before 1980, including roughly 820 before 1950, and the 1950s were the biggest single decade. About 61 percent are detached single-family houses and about 55 percent are owner-occupied.
Older West Columbia houses near Meeting Street and State Street tend to be small, with simple roofs and sometimes no fascia board at all. Newer streets farther west have bigger roofs, more valleys and second stories. The gutter work differs: half-round or a new fascia for the older homes, 6-inch K-style and extra outlets for the newer ones.
West Columbia homes by decade built
American Community Survey, 2020–2024 five-year estimates
Built before 1980 Newer
Meeting Street, Sunset Boulevard and the Congaree
Meeting Street and the riverfront along the Congaree are the old core of West Columbia, and Sunset Boulevard (US 378) runs west toward Lexington. Lots near the river sit lower; lots up the hill along Sunset Boulevard drain toward the streets. On lower lots we pay close attention to where downspout water ends up, since it has fewer places to go.
Fresh fascia before the new guttersFascia on older houses
Older West Columbia houses often have fascia that has had decades of water running behind old gutters. We probe every board before hanging new gutters and replace soft sections with primed lumber. Hanging a new gutter on soft wood just means a sagging gutter in a few years.
Typical West Columbia jobs
- Fascia replacement and new seamless gutters on 1940s and 1950s houses.
- Half-round gutters on brackets for houses with exposed rafter tails.
- Extra outlets and 3x4 downspouts on newer two-story homes.
- Downspout extensions and buried lines on low lots.
Read about copper and half-round gutters, or call (803) 373-8034 about a West Columbia house.
