Our ask a designer posts.

Sliding mirrors in the master bath. – Remodel in a Tudor-style home: Morning Light Master – Board & Vellum
Ask a Designer, Custom Residential

What Really Adds Cost To Your Home Remodel?

Have you ever heard that moving a toilet is a budget-busting home improvement? Would it surprise you to learn that we think this is debatable? There’s no doubt that home remodels cost money, but the big-ticket changes might not be what you expect. So what’s really going to impact your project budget?

Learn more.
Looking into the dining area of The Urban Sanctuary. There's a small cat cut out in the bench seating at the table and a brick wall in the background.
Ask a Designer, Commercial, Custom Residential, Multifamily Residential

Storytelling in Design

What inspires designers to create beautiful projects? Just like making a fantastic dish to eat, it’s about more than the individual ingredients — it’s about how they all work together! In design, it’s so much more than meeting the basic programmatic needs of our clients. It’s about telling a story.

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A close-up of Jeff reviewing a construction estimate on a white table.
Ask a Designer, Custom Residential

Dos and Don’ts of the Pricing Process

We see all the time how a good and thorough Schematic Pricing set helps us avoid the pitfalls of waiting too long to get an official pricing estimate. Still, we understand how the process can be overwhelming and confusing for clients. We’ve got your back with a list of our dos and don’ts for sailing through pricing like a pro.

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An 8.5x11 architectural floor plan sits on top of a dark wood table. There's a pen sitting on the paper.
Ask a Designer

Why and How We Get Pricing Early

If you’ve started a design project in the last few years, you’ve likely experienced an unfortunate shock when the pricing estimate rolls in. We hate that feeling, just as much as you. Instead of leaving it to chance, we take a different approach to helping our clients navigate the confusing and variable world of construction costs.

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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.

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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.

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Would you like to learn a little more about us?

We’re pleased you’re interested. Explore more about us and our work via the pages below.

Our Story

Client-centered authenticity is our north star, and we continue to prove that great design doesn’t require great ego.

What Really Adds Cost To Your Home Remodel?

Have you ever heard that moving a toilet is a budget-busting home improvement? Would it surprise you to learn that we think this is debatable? There’s no doubt that home remodels cost money, but the big-ticket changes might not be what you expect. So what’s really going to impact your project budget?

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.