From Studio DEC. That’s Intern Elf Shawn and Santa Dan.

Things are slowing down all across our economy, and residential building and remodeling is no exception. If you have the money or credit for a remodel or addition to your house, 2009 might bring lower bids from contractors, lower material prices, and much better scheduling for contractors and tradespeople that have been booked solid in years past.

The StudioDEC crew is proud to have helped another great old house escape the wrecking ball. Another Nickel Brothers Moving job, this house ended up only a short distance down the street from where it had been built in Seattle’s Madison Valley. Surrounded by a city green belt, the Seattle Parks Dept. bought the house from Fred Noland and Susan Hansen in order to extend the green belt. Part of the sale agreement was that the Parks Dept. would try and find a buyer that would move the house to save it from becoming landfill. That buyer turned out to be Fred and Susan, along with friend Karl Stillner. They found a lot just blocks away and the move was on! Nickel Brothers Moving handled the logistics, and connected StudioDEC with the homeowners. We worked with them to design a basement for the moved house that could contain a mother-in-law unit (or ADU as the city calls them). The new site was a tight fit for the moved house, and steep slopes at the sides and rear of the lot made for a difficult design and permitting adventure, and of course a tough time excavating and building retaining walls. Associated Earth Sciences was brought it to provide geo-technical expertise to the project. Currently, the framing has been finished and the house is resting on it’s new concrete foundation. Follow the entire story here (with great photos) as told by the owners friend Ed Plikaytis.

Many homeowners doing remodeling projects recycle wood trim, plumbing fixtures, cabinets, windows and more – but Steve Flynn is going to the extreme and recycling the entire house. And Dan and Shawn at Studio DEC have been busy the past few weeks helping to make it happen. We helped Steve with the drawings and permits needed, in very short notice, to deconstruct the small existing house on his lot in upper Fremont in order to make way for the new old house moving from it’s current lot on Palatine Ave N. Here’s a map of the move route. The house moves this Sunday morning, September 7th, (or Saturday night, if you are still out at a bar) and the story is covered here by Jeff McCord of Nickel Brothers Moving.

Here is the Fremont house being saved from the wrecking ball by Steve Flynn.

Incorporating locally produced “green” materials and components in your project is a sustainable practice in several ways.  By reducing the distance that materials used in your project have to travel, less fossil fuel will be burned thus reducing the carbon footprint of your development.   Shipping windows or tile from a plant in Iowa to Seattle will take many gallons of diesel, whether by truck rail or even air.  Using locally produced goods will also strengthen the local economy in which your project will exist, as well as bolstering the companies here that produce such sustainable goods enabling them to expand their product offerings.

What is local?  Materials I will discuss below are manufactured within 200 miles of the Seattle metro area.

Since there are many products not produced or harvested locally, I recommend salvage and deconstruction as a way to augment what can be found within a 200 mile zone. Continue reading ‘Going Green – locally.’

Our new home is in the heart of Capitol Hill’s Pike Pine Corridor, teeming with nightlife, old warehouse buildings, and the ever-encroaching tide of condominium buildings. Our elegant, turn of the century brick building has escaped the wrecking ball so far…

Formerly the Seattle Automobile Company showroom, it’s now home to architects, the Petit Rosso Cafe, a structural engineer, landscape architect, developer, linen importer and more.

We share our 2nd floor space with Blackbird Consulting, a sustainable building consulting firm.

To reach us:

Mail and phone remain the same.

Our new physical location (buzz at either the Pike St or 11th Ave doors):

1101 East Pike St.
Suite 200
Seattle, WA 98122

The most common and inevitable question I get from clients – and one that really can only be answered by your General Contractor. But there are rules of thumb that my experience has found to be accurate. For older (pre-1950) Seattle homes, both for remodeling and additions, remodeling ranges from $200-$275 per square foot (sf), and the new construction of additions runs $150-$225/sf.

Remodeling costs more than additions/new construction because of the time and labor to tear things apart – carefully – before the new construction can happen. Dealing with old wiring and plumbing systems, often done incorrectly, takes time.

My cost averages have several assumptions:

· Projects size of ~400sf or larger – smaller projects cost more per sf, as many subcontractors have minimum fees to come out to work on any project. Travel time, set up and clean up take time, so even a few hours of actual work can take an entire day.

· Kitchen and bath projects cost more per sf than other areas. Plumbing, electrical, built in cabinets, and expensive finishes drive the cost up in these rooms. Here’s an idea of kitchen pricing.

· These averages do not include freestanding appliances, and landscaping.

· These averages are for construction cost and do not include design and permit fees.

Homeowners often want to lower this cost by taking on parts of the project such as demolition or painting. Most demolition is best left to the Contractor, unless the owner has construction skills. Wiring and plumbing can be inside any wall, requiring skill to avoid or reroute.

One of the best things home owners can do to keep their project cost down is to keep the contractor on the job working – not spending time tracking down fixtures and materials. If you have all appliances and fixtures picked before the GC bids your job, you will get a much more accurate bid and the construction process should go quicker and cost less.

There are many articles and data about the return on your remodel project. Look for regional data instead of national surveys, such a this article in the Seattle P.I.

Here is another article on a local kitchen remodel that has some good kitchen pricing as well, and an article outlining four improvements which will add value to your home.

On August 15, Mayor Greg Nickels signed Ordinance 122190 that allows detached accessory dwelling units (sometimes called Mother-in-law units, which really refers to attached units) in single family zones in Southeast Seattle. This area is bounded by I-90 on the north and I-5 on the west, and Lake Washington on the east. Here’s a quick rundown on the specifics:

• Your lot must be 4,000 sf or more to be eligible
• Lot coverage and rear yard coverage are the same as your current single family zoning restrictions
• One off-street parking space is required
• You (the owner) must live in either your main structure or the detached unit
• The DADU is limited in height and size.

Client Assistance Memo 116B covers these new requirements.

If you want to consider turning your garage into an apartment, or adding a structure to your yard, I can help you understand the requirements and see what is possible on your lot! This is a great way to earn extra income to help offsite the expensive mortgage payments that come with buying a house in Seattle these days.
Official notice can be found at this link:

http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/news/20060830A.asp .

I often have homeowners ask me what it would take to turn their unused garage into an apartment. Under the current zoning regulations, the city doesn’t allow that in single family zones. But things could be changing. Seattle moved one step closer in allowing a pilot program for allowing detached accesory dwelling units (ADU’s) to be built in Southeast Seattle. Two Seattle Planning Commissioners testified in favor of allowing the program at a June 27th public hearing held by the city council. Steve Sheehy and commissioner M. Michelle Mattox both sang the praises of allowing detached ADU’s on single family lots. This would allow a homeowner to turn their detached garage into an apartment, or build a new structure in their backyard that could be rented out. “Detached ADU’s generally provide lower cost rental housing options, an opportunity for homeowners to augment the cost of their home ownership, and provide housing for extended family members”. Both the mayors office and the planning commission are in favor of this program, now the city council needs to get behind it and get the south east Seattle pilot program rolling. Seattle’s DPD would be responsible for overseeing the program.

Featured in the May/June issue of Northwest Home + Garden Magazine is one of my projects, a live/work loft remodel for Adam and Xiomara Weintraub. A collaborative effort with Adam, a professional photographer, the project involved turning a bleak all white apartment into a vibrant home studio. An exposed metal sleeping loft (fabricated by the craftsmen at Shadowmaker Designs) was created in the space, bringing a natural material palette into the space. Beams and concrete were exposed, a built-in cabinet under the open stair matches an existing built in book shelf and hides shoes. Milestone floors, counters and fireplace surround were installed by artisan Tina Randolph. A bold red-hued accent wall blends with Adam’s vibrant photographs and Xiomara’s Peruvian art. A spiral stair cuts through the floor to the photo studio below, which came up for sale during the construction.

Welcome to the new web home for Studio DEC. Studio DEC is the architectural design firm consisting of yours truly, Daniel Corcoran, and occasional support staff as well as a variety of design collaborators.

Thanks to Dan McComb for the Wordpress help and Matthew Grimes for the banner graphic!