Seattle, from Madison Park to West Seattle
Architect in Seattle, WA
Custom homes, additions, ADUs and whole house remodels across Seattle, planned around SDCI permitting, steep slope and view corridor rules, and the land use review that shoreline and hillside lots trigger.
The first feasibility check is free and usually takes about a day.
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.
- 1996Licensed architect since 1996
- 1992AIA member since 1992
- 20 to 30Projects designed each year
- 3Masonry Excellence Awards
- AIAAIA · NCARB · Washington licensed
Why local matters
Seattle permitting is its own discipline
Every building permit in the city goes through the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections. The review is thorough, the tracks are different depending on the project, and the timelines are longer than most of the Eastside.
The land adds its own layer. Much of Seattle sits in Landslide Hazard Areas or Steep Slope overlays, properties near the water face view corridor height limits, and anything within 200 feet of Puget Sound, a major lake or a stream falls under the shoreline rules.
None of that is a reason to avoid building here. It is the reason to work out which permit track and which overlays apply before the design is fixed.
What gets designed here
Work in Seattle
Seattle housing stock is varied, from craftsman bungalows in Ballard and Columbia City to mid century houses in Magnolia and view properties on Queen Anne. Most projects fall into five kinds.
- Custom homes. New construction on Seattle lots, working through FAR limits, setbacks, height limits, tree canopy rules and stormwater requirements, starting with a feasibility check before you close on land.
- Additions. Second stories, rear family room expansions and primary suites that fix what older Seattle houses lack without losing their character.
- ADUs and DADUs. Seattle allows two ADUs per lot, a backyard cottage plus an attached or internal unit, with DADUs up to 1,000 sq ft and no owner occupancy requirement.
- Whole house remodels. Including historic homes, where the character is worth keeping and the systems are not.
- View and waterfront homes. Madison Park, Laurelhurst, Leschi and Magnolia, where view corridors and shoreline rules shape the massing.
Projects
Recent work on the Eastside
Real houses, real constraints. Photographs and drawings from the practice.
On the water
Hillside, view and shoreline lots
Landslide Hazard Areas and Steep Slope overlays require geotechnical reports and often special structural requirements. Properties near Puget Sound, Lake Washington, Lake Union or the Ship Canal face height limits that protect neighbors’ view corridors, and those are studied in schematic design rather than discovered at review.
Shoreline, critical area and variance projects usually need a Master Use Permit before the building permit, which adds 3 to 6 months. That is the single biggest schedule fact on a Seattle waterfront or hillside project.
Permits
Seattle permit timelines
All Seattle permits go through SDCI. Initial review is only the first step: correction cycles, and any land use review, are what set the date a permit is actually issued.
| Project | Typical review |
|---|---|
| Initial plan review, standard residential | 6 to 10 weeks |
| Streamlined review, qualifying additions and ADUs | about 3 to 4 months to issuance |
| Standard review, new house or major addition | about 5 to 7 months to issuance |
| Master Use Permit, shoreline, critical area, variance | adds 3 to 6 months |
| Design review, where triggered | adds 2 to 4 months |
Figures as published on this site for SDCI’s 2026 process. Permit fees are tied to valuation: a $500,000 addition carries roughly $8,000 to $14,000 in permit fees.
Site constraints
What decides what a Seattle lot will carry
Five things, all checkable before design money is spent.
- Zoning and FAR. Floor area limits, setbacks and height limits set the envelope before anything else.
- Steep slope and landslide overlays. Geotechnical review and structural requirements follow.
- View corridors. Height limits near Puget Sound, Lake Washington, Lake Union and the Ship Canal.
- Shoreline and SEPA. Within 200 feet of the water, or above SEPA thresholds, land use review comes first.
- Historic districts. Capitol Hill, First Hill and Pioneer Square carry their own design standards.
Budget
What projects cost, in round numbers
These are the same figures used everywhere on this site. The estimators on the linked pages turn them into a number for your size and scope.
| Project | Typical range | Estimator |
|---|---|---|
| Architect led custom home | $500 to $800 per sq ft | cost to build page |
| High end custom or waterfront | $800 to $1,200 and up per sq ft | cost to build page |
| Whole house remodel | $300 to $550 per sq ft | whole house remodel page |
| Home addition | $350 to $650 per sq ft | home addition cost page |
| Detached ADU | $200,000 to $400,000 | ADU cost guide |
| Architecture fee | Fixed fee, about ,000 to 0,000 | architect fees page |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column
Eastside figures from the cost pages on this site, each of which has an estimator that gives you your own number. Land, site work and permits sit on top of construction.
Where
Seattle neighborhoods
Seattle work spans Capitol Hill, First Hill, Madrona, Leschi, Madison Park, Laurelhurst, Montlake, Queen Anne, Magnolia, Fremont, Wallingford, Green Lake, Ballard, Phinney Ridge, Crown Hill, West Seattle, Columbia City, Beacon Hill, Rainier Valley and Mount Baker.
Questions
Building in Seattle, answered
Not answered here? Call David, most calls are answered the same day.
Do you work in Seattle?
Yes. Piper Cole Architects is based in Kirkland and Seattle is part of the regular work. The office is in Kirkland, about 30 minutes from most Seattle neighborhoods, and Seattle permitting through SDCI is regular work.
How long does a permit take in Seattle?
Initial plan review is about 6 to 10 weeks. Allow about 3 to 4 months to issuance on the streamlined track and 5 to 7 months on standard review. Shoreline, critical area and variance projects add 3 to 6 months for a Master Use Permit, and design review adds 2 to 4 months where it applies.
What does an architect cost in Seattle?
Piper Cole Architects quotes a fixed fee for design and permit, set by the project budget and location, from about ,000 to 0,000 depending on scope. The first feasibility check is free and usually takes about a day; an in-depth analysis is ,500.
Do I need an architect for a house in Washington?
Not by law. RCW 18.08.410 exempts single family homes and buildings of four units or fewer from the stamp requirement. You will need permitted drawings and usually structural engineering. People hire an architect because the lot, the code or the design is complicated, not because the law requires one.
What happens on the first call?
You describe the property and what you want to do. David Meade tells you what the site and the code are likely to allow, what it tends to cost and what to check first. The first feasibility check is free and usually takes about a day.
How many ADUs can I build on a Seattle lot?
Two: a detached backyard cottage and an attached or internal unit. A Seattle DADU can be up to 1,000 sq ft, with no owner occupancy requirement.
What are Seattle permit fees?
They are tied to project valuation. A $500,000 addition typically carries about $8,000 to $14,000 in permit fees.
Plan the project
Cost and service pages
- Cost to build a house in SeattleNew build cost by tier, with an estimator
- Architect feesWhat the design work costs, with a calculator
- Home addition costEvery addition type, with an estimator
- Whole house remodel costCost by depth, and the code trigger that moves budgets
- Custom home designNew houses on the lakes and on difficult lots
- Home additionsOut or up, and what it costs
- ADU and DADU designGarage conversions to backyard cottages
- Waterfront and lakefront homesShoreline lots and teardown rebuilds on the lakes
Nearby
Nearby cities
- Architect in Shoreline, WALocal permits, costs and the kind of work done there
- Architect in Lake Forest Park, WALocal permits, costs and the kind of work done there
- Architect in Mercer Island, WALocal permits, costs and the kind of work done there
- Architect in Bellevue, WALocal permits, costs and the kind of work done there
- Architect in Kirkland, WALocal permits, costs and the kind of work done there
- Architect in Renton, WALocal permits, costs and the kind of work done there
Our Architecture Services
Full-service architecture for Seattle Residential Architect: Custom Homes and Additions and the greater Seattle area:
Service area
Other cities we work in
Based in Kirkland. Each city page covers local permits, zoning, shoreline rules and costs.
Studio, KirklandEastsideSeattle and the NorthSouth King and Pierce
Next step
Talk about your Seattle property
Describe the lot and what you want to do with it. You speak to David Meade directly, and the first feasibility check is free and usually takes about a day.
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.