Kitchens and bathrooms, Seattle and the Eastside
Kitchen and Bathroom Remodel Architect
Kitchens from $60,000 for a refresh to $450,000 and up for an expansion, and bathrooms from $25,000. An architect earns the fee once walls, plumbing or gas move. Before that, you may not need one.
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
Start here
Whether you need an architect depends on what moves
A kitchen or bathroom packs structure, plumbing, gas, electrical, ventilation and energy code into a small room. When none of that moves, it is a finishes project, and a kitchen designer and a good contractor can do it well without an architect.
Once the island moves, a wall comes out, plumbing relocates or gas reroutes, it becomes a permitted project with structural drawings and coordination. That is where an architect is worth the fee.
The honest first question is which of those two projects you actually have. It is usually answerable in one conversation.
Estimate
Estimate your kitchen or bathroom
Pick the project and its size. The result always sits inside the range published for that project on this site, so the estimator never quotes something the site does not already stand behind.
Planning range, not a quote. Architecture fees on a kitchen run about 8% to 12% of construction. Permit fees for a kitchen are typically $600 to $2,000. Call David on 425 753 6452 to talk about your own kitchen or bathroom.
Projects
Selected work
Real houses, real constraints. Photographs and drawings from the practice.
The numbers
Kitchen and bathroom remodel cost, 2026
The jump between a refresh and a layout change is almost never the cabinets. It is the permit, the structural work and the trades that come with moving things.
| Project | What it covers | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen refresh | Cabinets within the existing footprint, counters, appliances, lighting, backsplash. No layout change, usually no permit. | $60,000 to $120,000 |
| Kitchen with a layout change | Island moves, plumbing relocates, a wall is removed or modified, gas reroutes. Permit and structural drawings. | $120,000 to $250,000 |
| Kitchen expansion | Bumping out, absorbing an adjacent room or raising the roofline. The permitting of an addition. | $250,000 to $450,000 and up |
| Primary bathroom | Depends on finishes and whether plumbing or structure moves. | $45,000 to $120,000 |
| Hall bathroom | Same drivers, smaller room. | $25,000 to $55,000 |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column
Construction cost. Architecture fees on a kitchen run about 8% to 12% of construction. Kitchen figures match the kitchen renovation page on this site.
When it needs design
What turns a remodel into a permitted project
These are the changes that bring in a building permit, and with it the drawings and coordination an architect provides.
- Removing or modifying a load bearing wall. Structural engineering and a permit, and a beam and column layout that has to suit the kitchen, not just the structure.
- Expanding the footprint into an adjacent room or a bump out.
- Adding or moving windows or exterior doors.
- Relocating plumbing supply or drain lines.
- Rerouting gas, or adding circuits for high draw appliances.
Permits
What each city asks for
Seattle and Kirkland both require permits for structural changes, gas work and new circuits. Kirkland offers over the counter review for simple structural alterations, while more complex work runs 6 to 10 weeks of standard plan review. Bellevue residential review currently runs 4 to 8 weeks.
On older, high value homes, check Seattle’s substantial improvement threshold before design starts: renovations above 50% of a building’s assessed value require the whole structure to be brought to current code.
Worth the permit
The cheapest part of the project is the permit
Permitting a kitchen correctly typically costs $600 to $2,000 in fees. Fixing unpermitted work later, which means opening walls, an engineering assessment, correcting deficiencies and closing up again, can run $15,000 to $50,000.
It usually surfaces at sale. Buyers’ inspectors look for mismatched flooring where walls came out, electrical work with no permit record, gas connections that do not match permitted drawings and plumbing that is not to code. Any of those gives the buyer a reason to demand repairs or a lower price.
How it runs
The process, phase by phase
Every architect led kitchen follows the same sequence, and David Meade runs each phase himself.
- Programming. How you actually use the kitchen: cooking style, how many cooks at once, storage, appliances, entertaining. Conflicts get caught here, cheaply.
- Schematic design. Two or three layout options showing walls, island, major appliances and windows.
- Construction documents. The permitted set, including structural, plumbing and electrical.
- Permit submission. Managed with Seattle, Kirkland, Bellevue or whichever city you are in.
- Construction administration. Site visits and answers for the contractor, so what gets built matches what was drawn.
Questions
Kitchens and bathrooms, answered
Not answered here? Call David, most calls are answered the same day.
How much does a kitchen remodel cost in Seattle?
A refresh with no layout change runs $60,000 to $120,000, a remodel with a layout change $120,000 to $250,000, and an expansion into new space $250,000 to $450,000 and up. Architecture fees run about 8% to 12% of construction.
How much does a bathroom renovation cost?
A primary bathroom runs $45,000 to $120,000 and a hall bathroom $25,000 to $55,000, depending on finishes and whether plumbing or structure moves.
Do I need an architect for a kitchen remodel?
Not for a refresh that keeps the layout: a kitchen designer and a good contractor can do that well. Once walls, plumbing or gas move, it becomes a permitted project with structural drawings, and that is where an architect is worth it. Washington law does not require an architect’s stamp on single family work under RCW 18.08.410.
Does removing a wall need a permit?
Yes, if it is load bearing. That needs structural engineering and a building permit in both Seattle and Kirkland, and the new beam has to work with the kitchen layout as well as the structure.
What happens if I skip the permit?
It usually surfaces when you sell. Fixing unpermitted kitchen work can run $15,000 to $50,000, against $600 to $2,000 in fees to permit it properly at the start.
How long does a kitchen permit take?
Simple structural work in Kirkland can go over the counter, and more complex projects take 6 to 10 weeks. Bellevue residential review currently runs 4 to 8 weeks.
Keep reading
The detail behind the numbers
- Kitchen renovation architect, SeattleThe full kitchen guide, tier by tier
- Whole house remodel cost, EastsideWhen the kitchen is part of a bigger remodel
- Renovation and restorationWhole house renovation, with an estimator
- Home additionsWhen the kitchen needs more floor area than the house has
- Architect fees in SeattleWhat the design work costs, with a calculator
- Architect in Kirkland, WAKirkland permits, costs and projects
Next step
Find out which project you actually have
A refresh or a permitted remodel is the question that sets your budget, and it takes one conversation to answer. Call David Meade directly. The first thirty minutes are free, and if you do not need an architect you will be told.
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.