Pre-construction and consulting
Feasibility reviews, planning budgets, permit paths and schedules for homes and commercial projects, before the plans are final or the land is bought.
Residential
Custom homes on the Kitsap Peninsula
New homes built to your plans and your lot, from site work and foundation through the final walkthrough, in Poulsbo, Bainbridge Island, Kingston and across Kitsap.
Who this is for
This service is for owners who have a lot, or are close to buying one, and want a house designed around how they live. Some arrive with finished plans from an architect or designer. Others arrive with a sketch and a budget. We work with both, and we would rather see a lot before you close on it than after. If you are still deciding whether a parcel can carry a house, start with pre-construction.
What's included
- A lot and budget review before design starts, covering access, utilities, slope, soils and critical-area limits
- Coordination with your architect, designer and engineers, including structural, civil and septic design
- A written estimate and schedule built from the drawings, with allowances and exclusions listed
- Permit application support with the city or county that has authority over your parcel
- Site work: clearing, grading, erosion control, driveway, utilities and foundation
- Framing, roofing, windows and the weather barrier, with the house dried in before interior work starts
- Plumbing, electrical, heating and ventilation built to the Washington State Energy Code, with inspections scheduled by us
- Cabinetry, tile, flooring and paint, then a walkthrough, a punch list and a closeout
How the work runs
Step 1: Lot and budget review
We visit the site with you, check access, utilities and constraints, and talk through what the house has to cost to make sense.
Step 2: Design coordination
We work with your architect or designer while the drawings take shape, pricing as we go so the plans do not outgrow the budget.
Step 3: Permits
The application goes to the city or county that has authority over your lot. Septic, well and critical-area reviews run alongside it where they apply.
Step 4: Site work and structure
Clearing, grading, foundation and framing, with erosion control in place before the first heavy rain.
Step 5: Systems, finishes and closeout
Mechanical systems and inspections, then finishes, a final walkthrough, and a punch list we work through with you.
On the Kitsap Peninsula
Most of what shapes a custom home here is decided before the first stud goes up. Much of the peninsula sits on glacial till and outwash, so drainage and foundation design change from lot to lot, and a soils report is often the first real information about a site.
Kitsap Public Health District reviews the septic system and water supply for new homes, so on a lot without public sewer the system and its reserve area can set where the house sits. Slopes, bluffs, wetlands, streams and shoreline each bring their own review under local critical-area and shoreline rules.
Which office issues the permit depends on the lot. The City of Poulsbo, the City of Bainbridge Island, Bremerton and Port Orchard run their own; Kitsap County covers the rest, including Kingston, Silverdale and Suquamish. The Washington State Energy Code sets the minimums for insulation, air tightness, ventilation and heating. Ian Laughlin is a LEED AP and a Sustainable Building Advisor, and he is glad to talk about going past those minimums. The wet season matters too: we plan site work and dry-in around it.
Permit guides
The office that issues the permit depends on the parcel. Start with the authority that covers yours.
What it costs
We price custom homes from plans, not from a price list, because two houses of the same size can land far apart. The things that move the number most are the site (slope, soils, access, and how far utilities have to be brought), the foundation and structure, the size and complexity of the roofline, the window and door package, the heating and ventilation system, and the level of cabinetry, tile and finish selections.
Septic design, retaining walls and a long driveway can add real cost before the house itself starts. We name these early and show them as separate lines in the estimate, with allowances marked, so you can see where a decision still has to be made.
Questions about this work
Do I need finished plans before I call you?
No. Some owners call with a lot and a budget, others with a full set of drawings. We can review a site and talk through scope first, then work with your architect or designer as the plans develop. A builder who prices early can catch a design that will not fit the budget.
Can you build from plans my architect drew?
Yes. We price and build from your architect or designer's drawings, and we are glad to give cost and constructability feedback while the plans are still changing. That is usually cheaper than redesigning after bids come back.
Should I have a builder look at a lot before I buy it?
If you can, yes. Access, utilities, septic or sewer, slopes, wetlands and shoreline rules can change both what you can build and what it costs. Our pre-construction service covers exactly that review.
How do I know whether my lot needs a septic system?
It depends on whether public sewer reaches the parcel. Inside many city limits it does; in much of unincorporated Kitsap County it does not. Kitsap Public Health District reviews septic designs, and we ask the question at the first site visit.
Is there a way to get a rough price before the drawings exist?
Not a reliable one for a custom home. The Estimate Desk covers 21 other project types, but a custom house depends too heavily on the lot and the design. The first real number comes from a feasibility review of your site and a short program of what you want.
Can you build an energy-efficient house?
Yes. Every new home in Washington has to meet the State Energy Code, and we can build beyond it if that is your goal. Ian Laughlin is a LEED AP and a Sustainable Building Advisor, so efficiency is a conversation we are comfortable having early.
Talk with us about custom homes
Call Ian Laughlin at (206) 226-1988, or send the details and we will set up a site visit.