New House Design Process
We’re excited to be starting on the design of a new house in the San Juan Islands. We’d love to be designing this one for ourselves! Check back in every week and […]
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CTA Blog
CTA wins Remodeling Excellence Award from Master Builders Association
2011 Remodeling Excellence Awards Winners Major Remodel Excellence: Residential Partial House/Addition less than $300,000 CTA Design Builders: Craftsman Charmer Our challenge was to design a second story addition to this
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Mid-century Modern: it’s all about (de) light!
We were asked to design and build a second story addition to this 1954 rambler in Magnolia. It’s a small-size house located in a lovely garden setting with a drop-dead
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Kirkland Family Compound Update
We’re excited to see our latest new house emerging from the ground! Our client is an aficionado of Frank Lloyd Wright, and he wanted his new home to be modeled
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Why Architect Led Design Build?
WHY ARCHITECT LED DESIGN BUILD ? We get questions from potential clients as to why we think our “master builder” model for residential design and construction is best. So although
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Construction Methodology and Cost Controls
People have asked us what are we doing differently in the recession? Our biggest change is in reducing costs by controlling costs. From initial design through move in, cost often
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Good Design Proves Its Value!
Unfortunately one of our clients had to sell their house and they were concerned that in this recession they would get far less than its real value. However, that was
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Square Foot Costs – New Construction Versus Remodeling
We had an inquiry recently about square foot costs “As a homeowner trying to make some very important decisions about what to do with our housing situation, we just feel
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Living Small by Intention
I work with a lot of clients that subscribe to the belief that bigger isn’t necessarily better. As a believer in this myself, it’s been a privilege to be featured
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Lead Safe Practices and The Certified Renovator
“What are Lead Safe Practices and what is a Certified Renovator and why is it important?” New EPA regulations come into effect April 22nd, regarding how we test and treat
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How to Compare Contractors & Builders
There are many forms, formulas and websites where you can go to check out the remodeling and building contractors in your area. If you’re in Washington State, you would first
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Sunny & Cold Means Warm Inside
We’ve been fortunate to have had a blast of artic cold and sunny weather here in Seattle — it’s demonstrated to even the most non believer of non believers the
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To remodel, move, or build new?
A question we commonly get from clients is asking whether they should remodel or add on, build anew, or move. While we’re architects and builders and not real estate agents,
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Energy Tax Credits for Building and Remodeling
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has created energy tax credits, which are different than tax deductions in that they apply directly to reduce taxes. The broad categories for these
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2009 Remodeled Homes Tour – The Aftermath!
Thank you to everybody that was able to stop by our remodel project on Saturday and Sunday. In the two days of the Tour, we had almost 300 visitors! Even
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Reminder! Upcoming Remodeled Home Tour
We’re only a week a half away from the Remodeled Home Tour & Benefit! This is a self guided tour to 19 newly remodeled houses in the metropolitan Seattle area,
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Life in a Construction Office’s “Back Office”
One thing you have to love when you work in a general contractor’s office is paperwork! It’s at every turn of every day and it’s all to protect our clients
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Getting What You Really Want … Master Planning
Often, we think about adding a room, expanding our kitchen, or reconfiguring the spaces in our home by removing a few walls here and there. We may call a contractor
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Building Green / Building Sensibly!
There’s so much talk these days about “building green”; how does one sort through the spin and hype? I personally think that so much of this buzz is generated primarily
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Ways to Get Your Remodeling or New Construction Project Built and Save Money
Although prices have come down in the recession, many of our incomes have too. So I thought it might be interesting to mention how you can save some money in
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