Seattle Architecture Services

Architecture services offered by design firms can be confusing and hard to compare from one firm to the next. I recently spoke with a potential client who was comparing our pricing to another firm. We were higher, but when I looked at their services, it was for a basic permit set of drawings, which is not enough information for the typical homeowner to construct a project. Our proposal was for full services. When we compared apples to apples, we were almost the same cost. So, when comparing architecture services, it's important to understand what you are getting. For more information visit Seattle Architects and read more.

Hiring an architect

Need help hiring an architect? Here are some tips.

Green Design

Green design is not just something you do because it's hip or the 'in thing to do'. It's something we do because it's the right thing to do. All good architects have always incorporated certain green design principals into design, like using materials efficiently, siting the home correctly, and providing appropriate shading and day lighting. Today there are many more things to be concerned about like the embedded energy in a product. It's much more complicated today because there is a lot more information to sort through. And there is a lot more hype too, so it's important to wade through the hype to get to the facts. To learn more about green design visit seattle architects.

Lumen ID Custom Wood Switchplates

We've been in contact with Rand Soellner Architects in North Carolina who wants to offer custom wood engraved switchplates to his clients. He designs beautiful rustic wood homes usually in the mountains or other rural areas. We produced this sample for his clients to consider using in their homes (see image on right). We tried a variety of the fonts, but settled on Papyrus, which coincidentally is Rand's font on his letterhead. It just seems to feel right with the casual and natural quality of the wood. For more information visit Lumen ID.

Seattle Basement Remodel

So many homes in Seattle need their basements remodeled. Often remodeling the basement will double the living space of a home. And the space already exists! We're finding in this down economy that smaller projects like basement remodels become more popular since they are more affordable to complete, and it's a quick way to add usable space to a home.

One challenge we find is what to do with all the stuff people have accumulated in the basement. One couple wanted to turn their garage into a room to use as a crafts room and storage. Be careful with this, because in Seattle you usually have to have one legal parking space on you property for a single family residence (2 spaces if you have an ADU - mother-in-law apartment). The legal parking space cannot be in the street or in your front yard setback. Of course you can keep your garage and just fill it with all your stuff! You just can't take away that garage door and make it interior living space.

For more information about Seattle basement remodels visit Seattle Architects.

Remodeling your entire house?

Completing a whole house remodel is a challenging project! We've added an article to our website about remodeling the entire house that walks you through the steps and introduces some ideas to think about as you plan your project. For more information visit Seattle Architects Motionspace Architecture + Design PLLC.

Adding a Second Story Addition to your Home

We've added a new article to our website that helps describe the process of adding a second story addition to your home. We're getting a lot of calls for second story additions in Seattle probably because of the lack of land. Often homes are already built to the setbacks, so going up is the only place to add space to an existing home. It can be expensive, though. Usually we budget at least $200/sf (that's a minimum) for construction cost. For more information visit Seattle Architects Motionspace Architecture + Design PLLC.