If it seems like we didn’t get as much done this weekend it may be because, between the two of us, we went to Home Depot four times, Lowes twice, a trip to the Environmental Home Center, and a jaunt over to Issaquah for a Craigslist find (a used staple gun to install the shingles). […]
The good news is that we had a really productive weekend. We more or less finished painting the east and west sides, demoed all the shingles at the base, installed the basement windows and started to install the building paper and base trim. The bad news…the primer on the south side is still not dry. […]
The priming is finally finished and a 5 gallon bucket of soot awaits us! The forecast continues to call for good weather so we’re hoping we can knock out most of the painting by the end of this weekend. Compared to the oil based primer, which is like trying to brush honey on bare wood, the latex should […]
So much for priming and painting last weekend. The rain and drizzle were almost constant, but between short bouts of blue skies we were able to get 3 windows primed and painted. Fortunately, rain does not prohibit other activites…like demo and framing! Even though the kitchen won’t be moving into the back porch till at least […]
Primer finally went up on the north wall last weekend which meant we could try out our paint samples. Below are the four finalists (they start to repeat above that). The winner…the darker blue gray at the bottom. The color is from Benjamin Moore and it’s called “soot”. We also liked how it went with the […]
An architect is a qualified professional that not only designs your home or remodel but acts as your advocate throughout the entire process. A good architect will listen, they’ll be honest about how much things cost and how long things take and they’ll use their years of expertise to navigate an onerous permitting process, help vet potential contractors and be there for you during construction. If you don’t have an architect, that work is either done by you or the builder and compromises and sacrifices will inevitably happen.
This depends largely on the size and scope of the project and where you’re located. In some jurisdictions it’s easy and straightforward to get a permit, in others it can take 6 months to a year or longer. We usually advise clients to budget 3 -6 months for design for smaller projects and 12 months for larger projects. Permitting timelines can extend those estimates. Construction can take 4-6 months for small remodels or 16-18 months for custom homes.
Absolutely! We love to see what clients like (or don’t like!) and we’re used to gleaning the important info from all sorts of media – photos, sketches, diagrams – we’ve seen it all!
Maybe – this really depends on the housing market and how much time you have before you make an offer. It also depends on the property itself. If you’re looking at a house with a steep slope, we may advise that a geotechnical and structural engineer make their own evaluation. This can add more time based on people’s ability. We can usually make some basic recommendations based on our knowledge of the local codes, but it’s not a replacement for a more thorough feasibility study. If possible, we usually recommend that people make an offer contingent on a more thorough analysis. What we don’t want to do is give you a rosier outlook only to find that there were some unexpected issues with the property.
Depending on the scope of the project, phasing can be a practical approach. However, we usually advise that homeowners do everything in one phase if possible – this not only takes less time but simplifies the permitting process and is a more appealing process to contractors. When you phase a project, you have repeat mobilization costs that create a more expensive project in the end than doing it all at once. We’re happy to talk through phasing options though as each project is unique and sometimes it does make sense.
Yes! For us, interior design is an integral part of our process. We enjoy working with homeowners to think about their homes holistically and have extensive experience in all aspects of the design process.
In our experience, successful projects have homeowners that are engaged but trust us and the process. They ask questions and are clear communicators. They make timely decisions and speak up if something doesn’t feel right. They’re transparent about budget and schedule constraints so there aren’t missed expectations.
Say hello. Tell us about your project.