Lowcountry contractors don't slow down — and your books shouldn't either. From Mount Pleasant remodels to North Charleston commercial builds, we handle job-costing, multi-crew payroll, W2/1099 splits, and per-project P&Ls for Charleston general contractors and specialty trades running flat-out in a metro that hasn't stopped building.
No setup fees · Cancel anytime · Dedicated bookkeeper
The Charleston metro — across all of Charleston County and beyond — has been one of America's hottest housing and commercial markets for nearly a decade, and the crews keeping it going need books that can keep up.
The residential build-out has spread metro-wide — Mount Pleasant, Daniel Island, West Ashley, Johns Island, Summerville, and Goose Creek are all under heavy construction at once. General contractors and remodelers running multiple sites need real job costing, deposit accounting that doesn't mistake unearned cash for revenue, and clean progress-billing records so every draw matches up with what's actually been completed on each home.
On the commercial side, downtown Charleston and North Charleston run a different game — Boeing and aerospace work, port-related logistics buildouts, hospitality projects, and larger commercial GCs all pushing bigger contracts. Those jobs come with retainage holdbacks, AIA-style draw schedules, change-order paperwork, and longer cash cycles that have to be tracked separately from the rest of the business or your P&L lies to you.
Specialty trades — HVAC, electrical, plumbing, landscaping, roofing, painting — each carry their own twist: a W2/1099 mix across crews and subs, material-vs-labor splits per job, fleet and tool expenses, and the kind of seasonal swing the Lowcountry summer brings. Whether you're a one-truck operation in Charleston or running five crews across the tri-county, we set the books up around how your work actually flows.
Whether you're a solo tradesperson or running a crew, we build the bookkeeping system around how your business actually operates.
Managing subs, materials, timelines, and client billing all at once means your finances can get out of control fast. We track job-by-job profitability so you always know which contracts are worth taking.
Service calls, parts, warranties, and variable crew sizes create a bookkeeping puzzle most generalists can't solve. We understand how trades businesses operate.
Mowing, hardscaping, irrigation, tree services — high-volume, recurring contracts with equipment-heavy operations. We keep the numbers straight so you can grow your route.
Contractors and trade businesses face financial challenges that general bookkeepers routinely miss. Here's what we hear from nearly every new client.
You finish a job and it feels like a win — but after materials, labor, and subs, did you actually make money? Without job costing, you're guessing.
Big projects pay on draw schedules. Slow seasons hit hard. Without visibility into your cash position, you can't plan ahead or make smart hiring decisions.
Paying subs by check, Venmo, or cash through the year — then scrambling in January to figure out who gets a 1099. We track it all in real time.
Running to Home Depot on a personal card. Paying subs from a personal account. It feels fine until your CPA tells you it'll cost extra to sort out.
Every Tides plan includes all seven core services. Contractor clients also get specific treatment for job costing, subcontractor tracking, and equipment depreciation.
Every account reconciled, every transaction categorized, every month — without exception. You receive a clean P&L and balance sheet you can actually understand and use to make decisions about your business.
Monthly reports that show your income, expenses, and profit by category and by job — so you always know where you stand and can make smarter business decisions.
Every business account and credit card matched and verified each month. No mystery charges. No unresolved transactions. No surprises.
We track vendor bills, subcontractor payments, and outstanding invoices so your cash flow stays healthy and nothing gets missed or paid twice.
Months or years behind? We clean it all up before we start your regular monthly service — no matter how far back the backlog goes.
If you have crew members or pay subcontractors, we coordinate payroll processing and keep your tax filings clean and on schedule.
"Working with Tides has given our contracting business the financial clarity we never had before. We finally know which jobs are making money and which ones aren't."
Questions we hear from contractors and tradespeople before they sign on with Tides.
100% remote bookkeeping for small businesses across South Carolina and throughout the United States.
Tides Bookkeeping specializes in bookkeeping across 12 distinct industries. Industry-specific expertise means fewer errors, better categorization, and a bookkeeper who already understands how your business makes money.
Schedule a free 15-minute call. We'll review your current setup, answer your questions, and give you a flat monthly quote — no pressure.
No credit card required · No long-term contracts · Cancel anytime