Fees, Seattle and the Eastside
What an Architect Costs in Seattle in 2026
Seattle architects price their work three ways: a percentage of construction cost, a fixed fee, or hourly. Piper Cole quotes a fixed fee for design and permit, set by the project budget and location, from about $10,000 to $200,000. Here is how each structure works, and a calculator for your own project.
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- 1996Licensed architect since 1996
- 1992AIA member since 1992
- 20 to 30Projects designed each year
- 3Masonry Excellence Awards
- AIAAIA · NCARB · Washington licensed
The short answer
Three numbers, then the detail
Percentage of construction cost is one common way residential work is priced; published Seattle market ranges run roughly 8% to 15% (commercial roughly 8% to 12%). Piper Cole does not price this way.
A fixed fee, which is how I price design and permit, runs about $10,000 to $200,000 depending on budget and location. Hourly runs $125 to $300 for licensed principal time.
Anything more precise than that depends on your lot, your scope and your city. Set your own budget in the estimator below and you will get a range in ten seconds.
Estimate
Estimate your architecture fee
Move the slider to your construction budget. The percentages are the same ones published in the tables further down this page, so the estimator can never quote you something this page does not already stand behind.
A planning range, not a quote. Every project is scoped individually. The range covers schematic design through construction administration unless we agree otherwise. Call David on 425 753 6452 and he will tell you which structure fits your project before you commit to anything.
Projects
Selected work
Real houses, real constraints. Photographs and drawings from the practice.
Structure one
Percentage of construction cost
The most common structure for residential work, and the one most Seattle firms will open with. The architect charges an agreed percentage of what the project actually costs to build.
It suits projects where the final scope is not yet settled, which is most custom homes and most significant remodels. The fee scales with the work rather than being renegotiated every time the scope moves.
The honest downside: if construction costs rise, whether from the market or from your own decisions, the fee rises with them. Ask how the percentage is applied to change orders before you sign.
- Market range for percentage pricing, residential: roughly 8% to 15% of construction cost
- Piper Cole: a fixed fee for design and permit, about ,000 to 0,000
- Renovations sit at the higher end because existing conditions take more drawing
- Best for: custom homes, larger remodels, anything with an unsettled scope
Structure two
Fixed fee
A single agreed number for a clearly defined scope. You know what design costs on the day you sign, which is why it is the structure most homeowners prefer once they understand both.
It works when the scope is genuinely clear: an ADU, a garage conversion, a primary suite addition, a kitchen. It works less well when nobody yet knows how big the project is.
The thing to watch is scope definition. A fixed fee is only fixed for the scope written into it, so read what is included at each phase rather than comparing two headline numbers.
- Range for my design and permit work: about $10,000 to $200,000 by project budget and location
- Best for: ADUs, defined additions, kitchens, anything with a settled brief
- Scope changes need a fee amendment, so the scope schedule matters more than the number
Structure three
Hourly, and the hybrid most good agreements actually use
Hourly runs $125 to $300 for licensed principal time in this market. It is the right structure for feasibility work, a lot review before you buy, or a limited scope question. It is the wrong structure for a whole project, because the budget is open ended.
Most well written agreements are actually hybrids: a fixed fee through the design phases where scope is predictable, then hourly or an allowance for construction administration where the time genuinely cannot be forecast.
If you are comparing proposals, that hybrid line is usually where the real difference between two firms is hiding.
Real numbers
What Eastside projects actually paid in 2026
| Garage conversion ADU, Kirkland. $120K build | $9,500 fixed |
| Primary suite addition, Bellevue. $280K build | $22,000 fixed |
| Second story addition, Kirkland. $480K build | $38,000 fixed |
| Whole house remodel, Redmond. $620K build | $56,000 |
| Custom home, Mercer Island. $2.1M build | $189,000 |
| Room addition, 500 sq ft. $150K to $300K build | $15,000 to $36,000 |
| Whole home renovation. $300K to $800K build | $30,000 to $96,000 |
| Custom home, 2,500 sq ft. $750K to $1.5M build | $75,000 to $180,000 |
| Commercial tenant improvement. $200K to $600K build | $20,000 to $72,000 |
Representative projects, scoped individually. Fee covers schematic design through construction administration unless noted. These are planning ranges for Seattle projects in general. Piper Cole quotes a fixed fee for design and permit, set by the project budget and location.
What moves the number
Five things that decide where you land in the range
Two projects with the same construction budget can carry fees eight points apart. These are the reasons, in the order they usually matter.
- Scope of service. Design only stops at permit submission and costs roughly a third less than full service. Full service includes construction administration, which is where drawing errors get caught before they get built.
- Site conditions. Steep lots, waterfront, critical areas and constrained urban lots all add drawing and all add agency review.
- Jurisdiction. Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland and Redmond each run their permitting differently, and the difference shows up in hours, not in the fee percentage.
- Existing conditions. A remodel needs the existing building measured and drawn before anything new can be designed. New construction on a clear lot does not.
- How settled your brief is. Every round of fundamental rethinking is paid design time, whatever structure you are on.
Worth asking
Is the fee worth it
Honest answer: not always, and it depends on the project. Washington State does not require an architect’s stamp on a single family home or a building of four units or fewer, so for a straightforward job you have a genuine choice to make.
Where the fee tends to pay for itself is on anything where a mistake is expensive: a complicated lot, a structural change, a project going through design review, or a build where the construction budget is large enough that a design error costs more than the design did.
Where it tends not to is a like for like replacement with no structural or planning change. If that is your project, say so on the call and you will be told.
Questions
Architect fees, answered
Not answered here? Call David, most calls are answered the same day.
What percentage do architects charge in Seattle?
Seattle residential architects who price by percentage typically quote roughly 8% to 15% of construction cost for full service work. Piper Cole Architects does not price this way: David quotes a fixed fee for design and permit, set by the project budget and location, from about $10,000 to $200,000 depending on scope.
How much does an architect cost for a $500,000 project?
It depends on how the architect prices. Percentage pricing in the Seattle market runs roughly 8% to 15%, which on a $500,000 budget is $40,000 to $75,000. Piper Cole quotes a fixed fee for design and permit, about $10,000 to $200,000 by budget and location, and takes on remodels from a $750,000 budget.
Should I choose percentage or fixed fee?
Fixed fee if your scope is genuinely settled, because you get budget certainty. Percentage if it is not, because the fee moves with the work instead of needing an amendment every time the project changes. Ask for both so you can compare, and compare what is included rather than the headline number.
What is a typical architect hourly rate in Seattle?
$125 to $300 per hour for licensed principal time. It is the right structure for a feasibility study or a lot review before you buy, and the wrong structure for a whole project, because the total is open ended.
Does a design only fee save money?
It lowers the design fee by roughly a third, and it removes the architect from construction administration. That is the phase where drawing errors and contractor substitutions get caught. On a small, well defined job it is often the right trade. On a complicated one it usually is not.
Do I legally need an architect in Washington?
Not for a single family home or a building of four units or fewer. RCW 18.08.410 exempts those from the stamp requirement. You may still need one for structural review, design review, or a lender, and most people hire one because the project is complicated rather than because the law says so.
Is the first consultation charged?
No. The first conversation with David Meade is free and carries no obligation. Call 425 753 6452.
Keep reading
The rest of the cost picture
- Second story addition cost in SeattleWhat a second story actually costs to build, before the design fee
- Cost to build a house in SeattlePer square foot ranges for new construction on the Eastside
- ADU cost guide, Seattle and the EastsideAttached, detached and garage conversion, with its own estimator
- Whole house remodel architect, Seattle EastsideWhat a full remodel involves and where the money goes
- Custom home architect, SeattleNew build design, from site selection through construction
- Waterfront and lakefront homesShoreline lots, complicated sites and teardown rebuilds on the lakes
- Seattle building permit guideWhat the permit process costs you in time as well as money
Keep reading
Related guides
What a building permit costs in Seattle for a major remodel
What a Seattle building permit costs on a $750,000 remodel: the 2026 SDCI fee table worked step by step, the extra reviews, and how Eastside cities differ.
Planning a million dollar remodel in Seattle and on the Eastside
Planning a $750,000 to $2M+ remodel in Seattle or on the Eastside? What the money buys per sq ft, where it goes, fees, timeline and leveling bids.
How do I finance a custom home build in Seattle or on the Eastside?
How construction-to-permanent loans, draws and land equity work, and what a lender needs from the design side before it will fund a custom home in Washington.
Next step
Get your number, not a range
The estimator gives you a planning range. A thirty minute call gives you a real one. You speak to David Meade directly, not to a salesperson, and the first conversation is free.
Free feasibility check
Send the address and what you have in mind. David replies within one business day with what the site and the code are likely to allow.