Board & Vellum has moved to Seattle’s iconic Smith Tower in Pioneer Square. Learn more.
Services
Disciplines
Additional Options
A close up of a whiteboard with a sketched floor plan stuck to it with a magnet. A few figures are blurring in the background.
Ask a Designer, Custom Residential

Hiring an Architect vs. a Design-Build Firm

It’s a question that comes up fairly often: “Should I hire an architect and a separate general contractor, or hire a design-build firm as a one-stop-shop to both design and build my space?” There are pros and cons to each; but, before we jump in, let’s pause for a moment and take this conversation more slowly.

Learn more.
A table stands center on a deck with built-in bench seating. There are three chairs at the table and it's decorated for a simple evening gathering. The trees surrounding the scene are illuminated with twinkle lights.
Custom Residential, Landscape Architecture

Planning All-Season Outdoor Spaces

Who says yards are just for summer? Here at Board & Vellum, we believe your outdoor spaces should be beautiful, functional, and awesome to hang out in no matter the season or weather. With a few special considerations, you can have an outdoor living space that's comfortable all year long — rain or shine.

Learn more.
A large canvas tent is nestled within a grouping of trees and flowers. There are two people sitting inside it, drinking from mugs, sheltered from the weather.
Custom Residential, Landscape Architecture

Seven Tips for Enjoying Your Outdoor Spaces All Winter Long

We think embracing the outdoors is key to fully enjoying the winter season. If you live in Seattle, you might be scratching your head. Enjoying the outdoors in all this rain? In short, yes! There’s so much to enjoy this time of year, so take a leaf out of Scandinavia’s book and prepare to get cozy.

Learn more.
Looking out over a Seattle marina in September 2020 during the wildfires. There's low smoke obscuring the view.
Ask a Designer, Custom Residential, Multifamily Residential

Tips for Ensuring Your Home Has Good Air Quality

With wildfire season continuing into the late fall and a global pandemic still keeping millions of people indoors, there's a lot going on in the world. Both these natural disasters have brought to the forefront the importance of ventilation for your health: well-designed ventilation in buildings is important to address present and future pandemics, wildfires, and other airborne pollutants.

Learn more.
Inside the wall of a home under construction. There's a heat recovery system being installed.
Ask a Designer, Custom Residential, Multifamily Residential

How a Heat Recovery Ventilator Can Make Your Home Healthier

Indoor air quality has never been a more pressing or popular target than it is today. With smoke from wildfires all over the West and the continuing global pandemic of COVID-19, many of us are wondering whether our indoor air is safe. The good news is: it can be, with the right systems in place.

Learn more.
A rendering of a home with the HVAC systems colored in purple and blue to show their routing through the home.
Ask a Designer, Custom Residential

Options for Updating Your HVAC System for Better Indoor Air Quality

There have been a lot of discussions and varied information on how the built environment affects the spread of COVID-19. Now, we are also seeing more intense wildfires and smoke than we’ve seen in the past decade. With both these environmental issues keeping people indoors, healthy ventilation strategies are more important than ever.

Learn more.
A close-up shot of a table covered in papers with the hands of people marking them up.
The Business of Design

How a Philosophy of High Performance is Changing the Way We Work

Designing a home or building is one thing. Designing the work experience of your employees is quite another. But the design mentality we bring to our projects also allows us to adapt and innovate how we operate as a team. Though our firm has evolved over the years, our values have not, guiding us to adopt the philosophy of a high-performance team.

Learn more.
A wall-mount toilet in a grey-blue bathroom with a grey tile floor. There's a magazine holder built into the wall.
Custom Residential, Interior Design

The Pros and Cons of Different Types of Toilets

Toilet options are a frequently asked question around here. Where do you start with so many options on the market? We picked our interior designers’ brains about everything toilets so you can go into your bathroom remodel with the info you need to pick the option right for you.

Learn more.
Ask a Designer, Custom Residential

Five Takeaways From Remodeling Our Home As Our Own Contractor

With construction costs rising (and construction budgets feeling the pinch) it’s becoming more and more popular to self-perform at least some of the work on a remodel that might normally be left for a general contractor. Luckily, Kaysie did just that not too long ago, and she’s sharing her five takeaways from the experience.

Learn more.

Or, if chronology isn’t your thing…

Here are a couple of posts to get you started. Of course, it’s hard to choose, so feel free to poke around; we hope to have a little something for everyone. And, if you have a burning question you’d like us to cover in a future post, please let us know!

Questions to ask an architect at an interview. – Board & Vellum

Questions to Ask an Architect in an Interview: Advice for Clients

What should you ask a designer you are interviewing for your project? A good personality fit helps, but to help you hire with confidence, here are ten questions worth asking.

Questions to Ask a Landscape Architect or Site Design Team in an Interview – Board & Vellum

Questions to Ask a Landscape Architect or Site Design Team in an Interview

What should you ask a landscape architect you are interviewing? From design to fee, to timeline and more, here are ten questions you should ask before you hire.

Get in touch

Considering a project, or curious about something?

Say hello, and send us your questions via the form below. We’re always pleased to make new connections, and eager to get to know you, your project, and your goals.

Get in touch
Board & Vellum is honored to be a Gray Awards Finalist for landscape design, earning the recognition for the rooftop garden at the Lucille on Roosevelt.

Honored as a finalist for residential landscape design.

LEED Certified in White

Our team includes LEED-accredited professionals.

Certified Passive House Consultant in White

Our team includes certified Passive House consultants.

NGLCC Certified as LGBT Business Enterprise – Board & Vellum Recognition

A Certified LGBT Business Enterprise Since 2016.

PSBJ’s Top 25 LGBTQ-Owned Businesses 2016 in White

Honoring companies that lead in promoting equality.