We're moving forward with Version 3 design β starting next week, with your V3 visuals targeted for the first week of September.
V3 will include developed exterior renderings, updated floor plan layouts, and preliminary work on alternative means & methods of construction (based on the info you're providing).
Your updated scope, questions, and notes are all captured in the design journal below.
Project Overview
The Snapshot
ScopeDADU over garage
LocationWest Seattle, WA
Design underwayAugust 2026
Permit submittalEnd of October 2026
Permit issued (est.)Spring 2027
Ground breaksSpring 2027
Construction window6β7 months
Substantial completion~ November 2027
Build Schedule
How the schedule comes together
V1 Β· first pass
We don't build a schedule in a day β this is Version 1, a high-level first pass. Every date here is subject to decisions and next steps. As we complete conceptual design and commit to building, we lock the schedule in for real β and from there it keeps evolving as we build the team, confirm permit timelines, and work through the logistics: crews, sequencing, and coordination. Treat these dates as our best current read, not a promise set in stone.
Active nowUpcomingCompletePermit & reviewMilestone / today
How much is this going to cost?
Illustrative β shows how the range tightens, not actual pricing
A construction budget doesn't begin as one fixed price β it begins as a range and tightens every time a decision gets made. It takes six major passes at the numbers to reach your fixed cost, narrowing as we co-design, co-buy, and co-build it together. It's your home β we're here to help you make it. Hand us the whole thing or take pieces on yourself; we tailor our services to how involved you want to be. The number is widest today and locks one to two weeks after we dig in.
βNumbers come instantly. Decisions don't.β
The day a decision is made, the price follows the same day β pricing isn't the bottleneck anymore. What moves the budget is waiting on choices, not waiting on bids. So the pace is set by your decisions, and every number below updates the moment a decision lands.
Your Project Readiness
This one's all about you β how you feel about what's happening with your home and the money you're spending. Are you confident it'll turn out the way you want? It has nothing to do with how much work we have left; it's about getting you to 100%. We build this together, out in the open β transparency and design in everything we do.
56%
ready today
Commitment 60%
Design certainty 60%
Budget certainty 45%
How the numbers and your confidence come together
Six major passes at the numbers get you from a wide range to a fixed cost. Three things climb as you go β certainty of the design, certainty of the budget, and your commitment.
Design certainty β how firm the design is. Leads, through conceptual design.Budget certainty β how firm the number is. Firms up as pricing locks in through bidding and buyout.Commitment β how locked in you are to the project. It's your home, your call.Design certainty comes first, budget certainty follows it, and commitment is its own thing.
Aug 2026Before design Β· kickoff
Estimate 1 of 6
Set the budget range β DONE
We set a target range together before we draw a single line β either you bring the number, or we help you land on a realistic one for a build like this. Everything we design from here is aimed at that range.
Budget range
Design certainty25%
Budget certainty15%
Commitment30%
Early Aug 2026Schematic design
Estimate 2 of 6
Conceptual V1 β COMPLETE
Design, build, and purchasing each put a number to the first concept β everyone builds a number. It's rough on purpose: one concept, priced by every team, so you're looking at the whole project, not just a drawing.
First all-team range
Design certainty50%
Budget certainty30%
Commitment55%
Aug 2026Conceptual V2 Β· done
Estimate 3 of 6
Conceptual V2 β COMPLETE
We've been through a round, narrowed scope, and tuned the budget. At every version we re-check the design direction and the number together β the whole team reprices the new direction, not just the designer.
Refined range
Design certainty60%
Budget certainty45%
Commitment80%
Now β ~ Sep 4V3 design Β· starting
Estimate 4 of 6
Conceptual V3+ WE ARE HERECOMMIT POINT
This is your commitment point: approving V3 is where you're all in, and we build the full team. Conceptual design runs to V3 β or more, as many passes as it takes to lock the scope. Even though engineering and permitting aren't done yet, scope is well-defined, so we have a solid estimate. From here we go all-in on co-design β detailed finishes for every room, 3D renderings, VR walkthroughs, full-scale mockups β so you see everything before we build it.
Estimate on defined scope
Design certainty70%
Budget certainty60%
Commitment100%
Late Oct β spring '27Permit submittal β excavation
Estimate 5 of 6
Dynamic bidding
From permit submittal all the way through excavation, the number is live β this is where we co-buy, pricing and ordering the project right alongside you. As each piece of the design gets finalized β say the fireplace β it drops into the system and re-prices across every trade and finish automatically, broken down room by room. Change the design and the number moves with it the same day, no chasing four trades by hand. This runs right up until we start putting things back together.
Detailed, updating live
Design certainty95%
Budget certainty95%
Commitment100%
Spring 2027Start of construction Β· dig-in
Estimate 6 of 6
Excavation & demolition
This is "digging in" β excavation, plus demolition if there's anything to remove (selective, complete, or none at all on a clean new build β the scope decides). It's the last unknown: surprises live in the ground and in anything existing β bad soil, rock, water, a buried footing. If there's a costly surprise, this is where it shows up. The budget escalates here, then we pause.
Last unknown opens
Design certainty100%
Budget certainty100%
Commitment100%
~ Late Apr 20271β2 weeks after dig-in
Your fixed number
Final contract LOCKED
Once we've dug in, we pause one to two weeks, review everything, and lock it: fixed number, fixed scope. Never before excavation, because that's the last thing that can move it. From here, the number is real and it holds.
LET'SGO!
π π‘ π π₯³
π
Your final number locks one to two weeks after we dig in β not before
Up to that point you've committed to the project and you're working inside a range, with payments moving as the work does. Excavation and demo are the last unknowns: once we're in the ground with no surprises left, we take one to two weeks to review, then lock the fixed contract number and scope. That's the day the price becomes final.
Weekly Schedule
Showing this week & next β expand for the full run
Aug 17 β Aug 23, 2026This week
Moving forward with V3 design
Team folds your email notes and the Frank meeting into the V3 direction
Aug 24 β Aug 30, 2026Next week
V3 design in progress: developed exterior renderings + updated floor plan layouts
Preliminary research on alternative means & methods (panelized / BC companies)
Frank reaches out directly with any questions before finalizing V3
First week of SeptemberTarget
V3 design visuals delivered to you for review
September 2026Upcoming
Detailed design β finishes for every room, 3D renderings, VR walkthroughs
Construction documents / permit set
Engineering coordinated into the drawings
End of October 2026Milestone
Submit for permit to Seattle
Dynamic bidding opens β pricing goes live and updates with every decision
Framing, dry-in, envelope, and rough-in trades through summer
Drywall, finishes, cabinets, flooring, and fixtures through early fall
Punch list, final inspections, and substantial completion (~November) β a 6β7 month build
Project Journal β Who's Got the Ball
Every question, request, and decision lands here first β this replaces email. Click a team to see just their items; click again to collapse.
Not started 0In progress 0Complete 0
The Order Board
Where the ball sits in finalizing all material orders β who's in charge of making sure each order gets done. Selections open up as we move through design.
Not started 0In progress 0Complete 0
Design Journal
Have a question or a decision?
Add it to the journal and it goes straight to the right person on our team. No lost emails, no wondering who's handling it β you'll see it move across the board.