Title: Columbia Pools, Inc. v. Moon
Citation: 284 S.C. 145, 325 S.E.2d 540
Docket Number: 22222
State: south-carolina
Issuer: south-carolina Supreme Court
Date: January 28, 1985

284 S.C. 145 (1985) 325 S.E.2d 540 COLUMBIA POOLS, INC., Appellant, v. William C. MOON, Sr., Respondent. 22222 Supreme Court of South Carolina. Heard December 12, 1984. Decided January 28, 1985. *146 George Allen Graab, Jr., Columbia, for appellant. Carolyn B. Steigner, Columbia, for respondent. Heard Dec. 12, 1984. Decided Jan. 28, 1985. NESS, Justice: This is an action by appellant Columbia Pools, Inc. to recover full payment for its construction of an indoor swimming pool and surrounding sunroom added on to respondent Moon's residence. Columbia Pools was not licensed in South Carolina as a general contractor or residential home builder when the contract was executed. The trial court dismissed the action holding an unlicensed home builder's enforcement suit was barred under S.C. Code § 40-59-130 and Duckworth v. Cameron, 270 S.C. 647, 244 S.E. (2d) 217 (1978). We affirm. The appellant was licensed as a general contractor in the State of Michigan. He also obtained his South Carolina license prior to the completion of the structure but after the contract was signed and construction commenced. The sole issue is whether the trial court erred in classifying appellant as a residential home builder. Section 40-59-10 defines a residential home builder as: We hold the addition of a sunroom containing a heated swimming pool onto a residence was properly classified as residential home building. We adopt the holding Duckworth v. Cameron, supra, at 649, 244 S.E. (2d) 217, "[a]ny builder who violates the chapter (§ 40-59-130) by entering into a contract for home construction without obtaining the required license simply cannot enforce the contract." Affirmed. LITTLEJOHN, C.J., and GREGORY, HARWELL, and CHANDLER, JJ., concur.