Client Reviews

Construction Consulting Services

“We chose OCA because of its 5 star ratings, and this was our first time building a house. We really needed the expertise of someone who has a tremendous amount of experience in construction and an eye for quality standards.

OCA made sure that our builder was accountable for quality work built to specifications and was our biggest advocate making construction run smoothly.

OCA even went the extra mile when we were having our new baby and made one of the final walkthroughs before closing while we were at the hospital. You won’t find a more trustworthy professional. Charlie will have you back every way.

We highly recommend Charlie and OCA and are deserving of OUR 5 STAR RATING.”

-Andrew and Briana Campion, Charlotte, NC

“I chose OCA because as a developer, I rely on general contractors to create and build my product. Unfortunately, I’d run into a situation with a general contractor that was misappropriating funds and I was left scrambling to finish the project on my own. OCA stepped in and immediately helped me fill in gaps and ultimately finish the project. Charlie’s multiple years in the business and over 4,000 homes built were evidenced every time we ran into an issue because odds are, he has seen and dealt with it before. OCA was invaluable in navigating the ins and outs of the permitting process and other county-related restrictions and protocols and met with County Building Inspectors and City Engineering Inspectors to approve and remove project holds and went the extra mile to ultimately get us our C/O. It is money well spent. Even the most trustworthy and honest general contractors have their own personal and company interests and agendas. You need someone who is going to advocate for your interests while also working with your contractors in an amicable way that keeps the project moving forward. The value of having someone on your side looking out for your interests is immeasurable.”

-Shaun Sanders, Jameston Development & Capital LLC

“OCA provides invaluable insight with regard to the costs from initial budgeting to the construction contract and any overruns along the way. The benefits of OCA’s services far exceed the costs. In fact, the money they saved us by catching certain builder errors more than paid for their services and allowed us to feel confident and comfortable throughout the building process. In our case, OCA made periodic visits to the site to visually inspect construction and double check the plans for any possible errors or omissions. This was invaluable to us and OCA did in fact find some corrections along the way that had to be made. OCA would present their findings to the builder who would agree to the same or discuss possible alternative solutions with OCA and then to us. We would have never had a clue as to these “oversights”. The process and this team approach worked extremely well. OCA was our advocate, but they were also a team player, with the builder and sub-contractors as well.”

-Bill & Susanne Hawthorne, Lake Wylie, SC

“I selected OCA due to Charlie’s extensive construction experience and my personal knowledge of his work and ethics. We were living out of town during the construction process and Charlie’s frequent communications and visits to the job site were invaluable in advising us on various issues and providing updates which alleviated stress. Also, he recommended several vendors to use after our original contractor was not able to move forward and in so doing, I was able to save a substantial amount of money. I happened to have had two projects going on at the same time and OCA was indispensable to me in both. At our second home, we hired a contractor to tear out and completely install a new shower. The contractor was not going to test the shower pan for leaks prior to setting the tile and I talked to Charlie about this and he was able to advise that testing for leaks was a must and told me how to handle this. As it was, the new pan did in fact leak and I was able to rectify it prior to the final tile installation that would have covered it up. This saved lots of potential headaches and money. I highly recommend OCA and would use them again.”

-Fred and Gloria Walton, Charlotte, NC

“We chose Owners Construction Advocate because we have known Charlie Strickland personally for nearly two decades, initially in his role as a respected homebuilder and developer in Charlotte and in his current role at Owners Construction Advocate.  Charlie is as reliable and honest as he is knowledgeable, truly best in class and his extensive 40 years + of industry knowledge, professionalism, integrity and genuine care for his clients’ projects and their interests gave us peace of mind. With Charlie’s direct engagement with our construction team when there were items to be corrected or suggestions, made the project more accessible for my husband and he went the extra mile sending photos, diagrams, plans/drawings for revisions, information on ADA compliance and phone calls with “follow up” thoughts.  His determination to see that this project was A++ perfect for our family after my husband’s stroke and foresight for the needs ahead was a God send.”

-Liz Simmons, Indian Land, SC

“Owners Construction Advocate was strongly recommended to us by a prior client. One of our greatest benefits was the lowering of our anxiety by having a local expert monitor the process from ground breaking to completion and providing peace of mind when we couldn’t be there (lived out of state in New York). Charlie kept our builder honest with his knowledge and of the building process.”

-John Schlitz and Kim Hicks, Indian Land, SC

Financial Institution Commercial Loans Inspection Services

“Charlie Strickland @ OCA did a fantastic job for us throughout the construction process. The inspection reports were very professional, accurate, thorough, and timely. We will use Charlie and his team again.”

-Dave Willingham, Commercial Lender and Market Leader Pinnacle Financial Partners Charlotte, NC

“OCA’s Inspection Reports consistently validated the accuracy of construction progress and provided us with the confidence that our construction loan disbursements matched work completed.

Additionally, we knew that with OCA’s detailed Inspection Reports and knowledge of commercial construction that the Bank’s and Bank’s Borrower’s loan assets were protected from over disbursing.

OCA also alerted us of any warning signs of potential problems a project might be experiencing, thus allowing for our review with the borrower.
I recommend OCA for commercial loan draw inspections.”

-Derek Vaughn, First Bank SVP Construction/Environmental Manager

“Charlie Strickland and Owners Construction Advocate has helped our bank with a construction project for some apartments and sitework that we financed. He has done our monthly inspections and helped us approving and modifying draw requests. He is very thorough and very specific in his responses. He provides pictures with detailed descriptions of what he is referencing in his report that gives us full confidence that we are not over disbursing funds for work not complete. He is always available for questions and able to help us when we need to fix something that was previously decided. I would highly recommend Charlie and OCA for any project that requires detailed inspection to assure work is being completed accurately and within budget guidelines.”

-Ken Esposito, Senior Business Banker Piedmont Federal Savings Bank Greensboro, NC

“OCA continues to perform in the 99 percentile top tier metric for inspection turnaround time and accuracy in inspecting and documenting the builder’s percent complete. This includes the representation of 12 banking institutions across the Carolinas, performing approximately 775 builder construction loan draw inspections in 2023.”

-Built Technologies, a Nashville based technology company for the management of construction lending finance

“Owners Construction Advocate has performed 19 site inspections for us, all with 100% correct completion for a five star rating. And due to this performance record, we would continue to use Owners Construction Advocate’s inspection services for future orders as they may become available.”

-Trinity Inspection Services LLC, Dallas, TX

Expert Witness Services

“Everything OCA provided was extremely thorough and helpful for identifying all of the issues and causes which helped put us in a good position to be able to resolve the case at mediation. Your expertise in the construction industry is invaluable and both you and Kelly are a pleasure to work with.

We greatly appreciate all OCA’s help and recommend Owners Construction Advocate for Expert Witness services in construction disputes.”

-Prominent Law firm in the Raleigh, NC area

“I’ve had enough experience with residential construction disputes to know that almost all of them would probably have been avoided if there had been early and consistent inspections and communication as the work progressed. Charlie’s been doing high-end residential development and construction in Charlotte since I met him in the early 1990’s, and I know him to be smart, diligent and have the eye for quality and detail that is required.”

-Prominent Attorney and Partner in a National Law Firm, Charlotte, NC

“I was referred to Owners Construction Advocate by a friend who recommended OCA for its professional expertise to assist in identifying numerous construction issues I was experiencing, specifically in area of structural concerns where the building plans were not followed and changes in the specifications were made.

Charlie made himself available to complete an assessment of my property and the situation and provided specific insight, expertise and consultation regarding Contract Documents, Mecklenburg County Permitting and inspection results and solution recommendations. This gave me the confidence to move forward with identifying the multiple issues throughout my home and on the journey to a resolution.

I absolutely recommend Charlie with 5 stars to anyone experiencing issues with a builder.”

-Erin Millican, Charlotte, NC

“The attorney representing me in my construction litigation dispute identified Owners Construction Advocate as the construction Expert Witness to represent my interests and to prepare Expert Witness report to rebut the expert report from the opposing side.

OCA ‘s report identified numerous construction deficiencies, flaws in the loosely written Cost Plus contract that seriously favored the contractor, lack of the contractor’s project management on site and in the contractor’s office, lack of contractor’s ac

counting staff’s working knowledge of QuickBooks accounting system resulting in over billing and poor accounting for cost overruns, and non-compliance with the Plans and Specifications.

I am thankful to Charlie for all he did, and for his report and one of my attorney’s wrote. “I think OCA’s report will get the case settled”. As it resulted, the report put us in a much better position for mediation to avoid trial and we were successful in settling the dispute with a favorable result for me. Thank you, Charlie!! Owners Construction Advocate rates 5 stars!”

-Prominent Physician located in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina

Construction Building Services

“We chose OCA because Charlie had built our Townhouse in Myers Park 21 years ago and we went back to him again because we knew him to be dependable, honest, hardworking and well connected. He showed the initiative and an ability to make sound decisions on our behalf in representing us and his wide experience with various sub-contractors kept work schedules moving and on track. We highly recommend OCA.”

-Worth and Sarah Williamson, Charlotte, NC

“We chose Owners Construction Advocate and Charlie because Charlie did a superb job in our initial renovation at The Cypress. OCA had the best sub-contractors for the project and scheduled them in the proper order. Even with the pandemic problems, OCA keep the project on schedule and his technical knowledge saved time and hassle for us. We absolutely recommend OCA and many thanks for a great job”

-Alpo and Margie Crane, Charlotte, NC

“We were referred to Owners Construction Advocate for our Master Bath renovation by our realtor. Throughout the construction process, we felt that the personal attention given to our project and Charlie’s knowledge of the technical aspects of construction methods and scheduling made the building process run smoother. OCA went the extra mile when it came to the follow up on critical items, such as hard to get plumbing fixtures, in making sure these materials were available when needed. We had some painting issues that we felt were substandard, but everything else was first rate and we recommend OCA.”

-Ben and Linda Hawfield, Charlotte, NC

“I chose Owners Construction Advocate because of its reputation and I would use them again. Once the design process and estimate were given, I didn’t have anything else to worry about and my schedule was taken into consideration when construction was planned. They were prompt, courteous, knowledgeable and professional, and I would use them again.”

-Dr. Richard Wing, Charlotte, NC

“We chose OCA after seeing the quality of their work and how they set expectations for all workmen to perform in compliance with plans, specifications, and schedules. Unless someone is a licensed contractor with a great deal of experience, it is essential to have someone like OCA to oversee the work to make sure it is executed in a professional and timely manner. We could not have overseen our project ourselves without perhaps getting something less than what we paid for. Ours was a relatively small job, but OCA treated it as if it were the most important work on their schedule. We will recommend them to our friends and neighbors, and I would say that when OCA is on the job, builders and subcontractors be advised that accountability for quality and timely work is job one.”

-Fred and Sandy Bright, Charlotte, NC

“We recommend using OCA on any of your remodeling jobs, they back their work, are professional and do quality work. OCA figured out how to install hardwoods in a room where an old structural beam was previously installed too high, creating a hump in the. Prior to that meeting, we did not know that we could put in hardwoods. Scheduling was smooth and timely, and the original stain color already installed on the old pine flooring was able to be matched with the new oak flooring.”

-Mark and Rebecca Riopel, Charlotte, NC

“Our realtor, who felt Owners Construction Advocate would be a good fit for our building project, recommended Charlie to us. We received expert service and guidance all through the process with a project that was completed on time and with care and attention to detail. We definitely recommend OCA and Charlie’s knowledge of construction.”

-Aaron and Aimee Borders, Charlotte, NC

“Owners Construction Advocate came highly recommended to be our advocate in the construction of our new home. With Charlie’s professional construction experience and respected reputation, we had the confidence and trust that our home would be built as agreed, giving us great peace of mind. The builders project manager did not have the detailed construction knowledge that Charlie brought to the table and this gap was filled by regular site visits to evaluate each phase of construction backed up with written reports, photos and drawings to address issues with the builder. Charlie’s confidence and extensive professional knowledge is priceless, and we would recommend him and Owners Construction Advocate. Our house is great!”

-Larry and Jennie Lacivita, Fort Mill, SC

“OCA’s sense of timing and sequencing of managing sub-contractors cut wasted time to an absolute minimum. OCA understood all aspects of the project. When there were issues, they had already anticipated them and had options for a solution. I was very pleased at how well thought-out our construction schedule was and so well executed. Their understanding of the technical and construction methods were apparent in their sequencing of subs. In addition, their communication skills — coupled with construction and technical knowledge — always putting our interests first, allowing us to achieve the best results. I wouldn’t hesitate to turn to OCA again to assure myself the best result in a seamless and efficiently run project with good value for the money spent.”

-Jim & Terry Huntley, Charlotte, NC

“My husband and I contacted Owners Construction Advocate from an advertisement, and, by the luck of the draw, we got Charlie Strickland to supervise and advocate for our interests in the renovation of our master bath. There were mold issues behind the walls and new fixtures were needed to update the look of our bathrooms and both were taken care of immediately and professionally. With both of us being over 80 years old, this could have been a very stressful endeavor, but the knowledge and care Owners Construction Advocate exhibited on our behalf made it very easy for us. We highly recommend Owners Construction Advocate.”

-R. Teachey, Charlotte, NC