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Welcome to Let’s Build with Armada, the podcast where Washington homeowners learn how to remodel with clarity, strategy, and confidence—on a schedule that follows real projects, not a rigid calendar.
I’m Charlie Carter from Armada Design & Build. After years of working across the greater Seattle area, I’ve learned that successful remodeling isn’t about luck. It’s about planning, transparent conversations, and understanding how every decision—from windows to insurance to material selections—affects long-term value.
In each episode, I sit down with experts to answer the questions homeowners genuinely care about:
- Why your PNW windows cry every winter
- Financing options that actually make sense in 2026
- How to not get burned by a cheap insurance quote
- What adds value in Seattle… and what just burns cash
- How to plan a DADU without turning your backyard into a 2-year construction zone
Whether you’re preparing for a kitchen or bathroom remodel, planning a full-home upgrade, or exploring a backyard DADU for equity or rental income, this podcast gives you the clarity you need to move forward confidently.
Listen here, watch more real projects on our YouTube channel, and visit us when you’re ready to build with confidence.
And don’t forget to follow the show—so you never miss an episode that could save you time, money, and stress.
Visit the Armada Design Center in Bellevue when you’re ready to start planning your own home transformation!
📍 15600 NE 8th St. Suite O2, Bellevue, WA 98008
📞 425-587-8286
🌐 https://armadabuild.com/?utm_source=transistor
Welcome back to Let's Build with Armada, our podcast series that we're doing talking about all kinds of things related to and regarding building, renovation, management of a home in in your place and what you need, things you need to learn. And today we have a really special guest. This is Tori Hagar. She works with us here at Armada. She is our in-house architect. We'll talk about that a little bit more, but uh we want to talk about today what is one, when do you need them, why do I need them, what is the benefit, should I get somebody else, those kind of things. Why do I need that? So, we're going to really dive into that. I'm looking forward to it and very excited about having her here. She's one of my favorite people. She really knows what she's talking about. So, and she's a real good problem solver. So, very, very excited. But before we dive in that, don't forget to like, subscribe, comment down below, tell us what you think, give us ideas for other episodes and subjects that we want to cover. Um, rate and review on all the podcast platforms. Everywhere you get your podcast or you like the podcast, we're there. Go check it out. YouTube to watch us. Um, and give us a thumbs up. All right, we appreciate it. So, let's get going. Tory Hagar almost an architect almost almost an architect. So let's go right there. So an architect that is a very specific word that means something that carries some weight some weight. It's like you are a doctor or you're not a doctor, right? So you are an architect or you not. So technically you're you have the education, right? So that's part of becoming an architect. And then there's this big giant test with a bunch of things and parts and pieces. Seven modules. Is that what they're section? Seven different exams. And you are through and passed the bulk of those. Five. Yep. Five of seven. And you're doing the last two coming up here in the next month or two, right? I know you're by April. April. Okay. So then you pass that and you get through that. Then you are a licensed architect. Licensed architect in the state of Washington. Now this is state lensure right? It's actually uh nationwide. However, every state has their own regulation uh a supplemental exam. So Washington doesn't but you just apply to be licensed in the state of Washington and then they give you your license after you've done all the correct the test. Correct. Right. Right. So you got to take it's just a little bit like a PE for an engineer or a CPA or the bar exam. Right. Sort of equivalent like that after little golden stamp. Get your stamp. Okay. So then once you are a licensed architect, sooner than later by the way, what will you be able to do that a non-licensed architect can do? In most cities within um Washington like Belleview and Seattle, they require a licensed architect for over a certain amount of square footage for usually 5,000 square feet of a home, then you have to be licensed. Um and then also commercial TIS and commercial architecture. So almost all commercial work requires a licensed architect. Correct. Now everybody who works on that project might not be a licensed architect but the that golden stamp the person of record within an architectural firm that's signing off on it and responsible for it is the licensed architect. Okay. Right. So that's the same thing if you're an engineer or a lawyer. Right. Not everybody that touches your file is a lawyer, but ultimately the lawyer is responsible. So for residential, you don't need that. For residential, that's the thing. So for residential work, renovations, additions, things like that, even new construction up to a certain point, a licensed architect is not required to draw the plans. Correct. Correct. So I I could draw my own plan for a house, even a new construction house up to the state under the square footage break as long as the quality of the plans were such that they felt like all the information was there. And I would need though, however, a structural engineer. Yes. Anytime there's any kind of engineering, which is load calculations for floors and roofs and beams and foundations and all of those kind of things, a structural engineer is always required, but not necessarily a licensed architect. Correct. Yeah. Correct. Okay. All right. So, that'll clear that up a little bit that you don't necessarily need a licensed architect to design and build your addition. Correct. or design and build your DADU or your ADU or your new home or your new home up to certain aspects with other licensed professionals as part of the team though are required. Yes, you might need a geotechnical engineer, you might need a civil engineer, you might need a mechanical engineer, you might need an arborist, right? you know, all of these different teams which working with Armada Design and Build Tori would coordinate, we would coordinate all of those other experts for you and pull that together and manage that and make sure the right people are septic. Yeah, septic. We have a lot of I don't know where you guys are, but here in the greater Seattle area, there are surprisingly a lot of homes that are on septic systems. I mean, if you're tight in the little city or downtown, that's sewer stuff, but you don't have to go very far in lots of places to have septic systems, which are totally different situation dealing with the sewage and the plumbing and when you want to make an addition to the house, make it bigger, etc. So, that's another key expert survey, right? A licensed land surveyor, you got to have those. Tori would coordinate all of those people for you to get the ultimate package that we need to submit to the building department, whether it's the city or the county, get it through the permit process, and ultimately get the permit or permits in lots of instances. It's more than one permit, right? It's not just a permit. There's demo permits, building permits, electrical permits, grading permits, y tree removal permits, right? What else am I missing? um mechanical gas septic permits, right? Yeah, they're all these separate permits. So, it's not just a permit. And she would help. And sometimes they're combined, sometimes they're separate. So, really depends on the city. What are the benefits, right, for people at home watching this that like, do I need an architect? Right? So, we kind of covered that, but what are the benefits of an architect versus not an architect? You know, I know a number of guys here in town that I've worked with that are professional building designers, right? That's a designation here in the state. They are not licensed architects, but they have that building designer designation and they draw plans like architects. So, what's the benefit really of that golden stamp like you said if you're in a situation that an architect's not required? the expertise that a designer and architect can bring to the table is just the knowledge behind, you know, spatial configurations and really how to like lay out something efficiently. Um, and kind of have all that knowledge and backing because we've been doing this for a long time. So, I think that like we just bring that general knowledge to the table and kind of make your house your home. Um, and I think that some people definitely have the skills and background, I think, to be able to do so without, but um, I think that we're able to kind of shine a light on on areas where maybe you're not thinking about or give you a new idea that you didn't think could happen. So, I think that, you know, we're the creatives that kind of bring it all to the table, right? more education, more experience, just some more overall tools maybe in the tool bag, things that you can draw and you're fast, right? Speaking of that, how So, I'm old enough, okay? And I know you know this and she loves to give me grief about how old I am on the regular, but I'm old enough to remember when all architectural plans were essentially drawn with a pencil. Yeah. Right. a pencil and a T-square and the triangles and the scales and all of that kind of thing on vellum and then real blueprints. Yeah, my great uncle I just came from his house in San Francisco. He has all these blueprints. It's amazing to see. But yeah, everything's done now with BIM modeling um which is basically threedimensional modeling so that you can kind of see it and feel it in, you know, you can get your get into that space and really see and feel how that looks. and um just spatially you know what that's representing. What does BIM stand for? Uh building information modeling. Okay. So that's like a that's like PDF or Word doc or something like that's a computer language or format or something like that. So let's go let's go back a second. So when when we were still drawing with pencil and paper and rulers and things like that, then it evolved and the first CAD computer stuff started, right? That was CAD. That was 2D. Correct. That was just computer lines, right? There was no BIM component. There wasn't a 3D variant to that. It was just very flat 2D. you would draw two lines parallel to make a wall and a window and a door and all of that kind of thing. And so what you're saying now then that's evolved that the 2D CAD world is really kind of yesterday's news. Am I hearing you correct? Right. Okay. So now what's would someone BIM would that be like Revit? Yeah. Like Okay. SketchUp. Yep. And then some of these are free things like that like you can go on whatever and get I'm sure uh SketchUp is a really easy tool for anyone to right and that's a lightweight like you can probably buy a more robust version of that a professional version right kind of thing like Photoshop you can get basic Photoshop or spend a lot for a much more powerful Photoshop and then the BIM world is the same correct yeah and what are we're using we're using Revit but Your favorite is Chief, right? So, and I think is Chief not one of the early BIM adopters where it was kind of in the beginning of that 3D modeling. Yeah. And it was developed by an architect. However, I don't see it much out in the architectural world. This is honestly the first place that we I've started to use it. Right. It's a it's a great program, but I think uh Revit is the tool of the future and it has a lot of plugins. I can get in there and then I can render it to be like a really beautiful finished rendering. Right. And we're starting to dabble with the models, the VR, the virtual reality. In fact, we'll have at the home show. Yeah, we're there's a home show coming up this weekend here in Seattle at the Northwestern Modeling Expo. Well, by the time you see this, it'll be over, but that's where we're going. We're taking what you're doing with Revit, right? And now we're able to render it so that you can show someone what their kitchen or their addition or their whole home. They can put it on and see it and go into the space. Yeah, totally. Right. I mean, the future is now, right? And this is really cool. So, we're actually going to have that for people to try out at the home show coming up. The very first time that we've done this. So, we are trying to be on that cutting edge, which I know pushes Tori a little bit where she's like, "Hey, we gota, hey, let's try this new super cool thing that you have to go figure out because we don't know how to figure it out." And she's right. But after you get good with like you said, expert, professional, need to use it every day, but find it very capable once you kind of get your head around it. And unlike CAD, when you put a window in, it generates a schedule. it will change it in the elevations the floor plan. So it's not like you have to go to the elevations in CAD and change the elevation to match the plan. So now it's all just one information model that you know talks to each other. That's a great point. I remember back in the early days of CAD and then someone was like, "Oh, we want to we want to change the size of that window." And the architect would be like, "Oh my lord." because then they would have to change it in every place that that window was shown. Whether it's a floor plan where you're looking down on top of it or an elevation is when you see the outside or the face of the building, right? So then they would have to go and there might be four or five pages that had that window in representing different things and they had to go to every single place and change that window so that it was correct for the new idea. So more issues end up coming up. Oh yeah. Wait, you miss it. You make a mistake. It all kinds of I totally remember that. So now what you're saying is if you go to that window, you change that window, any other place that window exists, cracks that whatever you've done to it, it now is the new size or opens the different way. All places. Yep. The only place that that doesn't apply is when you printed it. What do you Oh, yeah. Yeah. Like if you printed it out, right, and then it PDFs still do it, but anything from that point forward, it's one change. Yes. Which obviously is faster, less mistakes, and it generates here's all the windows that we need based on what you put in the drawing. It pulls those out and it can tell you how many square feet of this and how many lineal feet of that base trim or door trim and correct types of flooring automatically generating that information. Yep. Okay. So, that's very very cool. Um, okay. So, now let's dive into one of the really hot topics that you and I have spent so much time talking about and I feel will continue to talk about is this ADU D AU world, right? And and what that means to you, right? And what what are you dealing with and going through and having to manage with regard to that? So, briefly, if you don't know, and maybe at this point you've been living under a rock if you don't know, but ADU stands for accessory dwelling unit. And that's like the old school mother-in-law where you have really a separate living quarters, you know, kind of full functioning, maybe a kitchen or kitchenet, bathroom, bedroom, living room, maybe laundry, that kind of thing attached to your house or partitioned off as part of your house. These are very popular for aging parents, for young kids to come back after college, some of that kind of thing. So, they have their own place, but it's not their own place kind of thing. They're close at hand. Rental income, just the value of the property itself. And then D AU is essentially the same idea, but it's detached accessory dwelling unit. So, that is where you're from in California, or not, she's not from there. She's a Pacific Northwest gal. She went to California for a while, worked down there in the sun in San Diego. Built some beautiful homes down there. By the way, if you're interested, you come in and take a look at some of the stuff she did in San Diego. Woo! Woo! Big deal. Beach stuff. Very nice. But anyways, DADU is detached accessory dwelling unit and it's like a cassita or a tiny house or but it is a freestanding structure built on your property. secondary building home to the main house that is full function. It can be a studio size, one or two bedrooms, have a kitchen, bathroom, more than one bathroom, multi-story, all that kind of stuff, right? So, those are very very popular for a number of reasons. And I think, and you chime in here, but I think the a big part of the popularity of those, at least around here in Seattle, is that the regulations that allow you to build them have been relaxed. Yes. So, they're easier to get a permit for. Yes. And even in the last months, they've gotten even more relaxed, right? They continue to change the rules, which makes this so challenging. Yeah, it does make it challenging to keep up on what you can and can't get. Exactly. So, some people live in this city and they have different rules than that city. And so, how are you keeping up? What? Yeah, I mean, it's dayto-day. Every project that comes up, I make sure I do my due diligence and really look at the zoning codes and talk to, you know, city officials as needed to make sure that my client is getting what they want to out of their project and making sure I can and can't, you know, where I can and can't do them really before I start design. Of course, that's my number one thing is kind of making sure that I can get that done, right? And that's a big big part, right? And I think that's the feasibility. We refer to that as the feasibility study phase or D1 design phase one often where what we're really trying to do there is to determine what it is you can do. You know, how big can it be? How close to that property line can it be? How how many can you have? How many can you have? you know, how many floors, how much parking requires parking requirements, just all of these kind of things. What is the would you say the single biggest challenge with regard to that? I would say probably um site constraints more so. I mean, there's um some sites that are on ecological, you know, have streams going through them and that makes your buildable area smaller. Sometimes some cities do uh count that towards your floor area ratio. So um that restricts the size that you can have. Um I think it's every site has its own challenges. So it's hard to have really be able to pinpoint one, but I think yeah more site constraints than anything, right? And it's and it's zoning essentially the zoning and land use here is kind of how they call it. So the the process of figuring that out, right, is is what would be the first step if someone came to you and said, "Hey, we want to think about doing this." So what would be the first thing you would do? I go on to the county website and look up their property and I see what zone they're in, what jurisdiction they're in, and then I what zone like you mean like what is their zoning? They are R5 or R2 or seven or in Kirkland in Belleview. And so you determine what zoning classification, correct? which then gives you a set of rules for that thing. Now, is it true that inside say R4 that the rules may change depending on how big the lot is? Like, oh yeah, up to 8,000 square ft of lot area, here's a set of rules. Yes. R4 8,01 to I'm making this up 12,000 square feet still R4 different set of rules 100%. Okay. So, not only do you need to know the zoning, you need to know the lot size. The lot size. Is that the second thing you really need to determine on the when I go on to the county website will give me the lot size, the existing house size as well, which helps me determine, you know, that floor area ratio, right? So, I deduct what the house currently is, the square footage of the house. I have to dig into that zoning to make sure, does the garage count? Is it inside the house? Is it outside the There are exceptions all the time like in one place the garage doesn't count or it does count or it counts up to 200 feet. Exactly. Like the first 300 ft don't count and if your garage is 400 ft you count 100 of it cuz the first three no count. And then basement you know if they're 4 feet you know below grade then they don't count. So every how high decks are off the ground. Man every site every jurisdiction every zone every lot size is very different. Right. It's important. It's a big deal. We want to get it right. So, the way we like to approach it and we think that's the most equitable way to do it is that that would really be the first thing we do is get in there and figure out what we can do. And then once we know like, okay, we can build I may, you know, a 400 ft footprint, but you could go two stories and maybe get 800 total living square feet is fine, but you can really only have a footprint of this big. Right. And then here you kind of kind of be because that's lock coverage impervious area in this area. You can't go past this. You can't go past this. You can't go here. Like so in this area if you can make it fit, you're good to go under these conditions. Yeah. Yep. Oh wow. That's a lot of work. It's frustrating and there's a lot to get through and honestly if you call the city and ask, sometimes they don't give you all the information. Most of the time they will as a homeowner, but you really have to know what questions to ask. And if you don't ask the right questions, it may, you know, send you down a rabbit hole of things that you can't do. You know, if you don't know that it's in, you know, there's a stream or a steep slope or stuff like that really ends up determining what you can and can't can affected badly. Yeah. Steep slopes, that's a big thing, right? Okay. So, this this whole land use and what you can do and doing that research, the zoning is important. So once we understand that then and only then do we really want to start spending time i.e. your money to for Tori to spend her time and bring her expertise to the table to start coming up with solutions. There's no point in drawing, drawing, drawing, drawing, designing stuff if we can't build it, right? Or it's too big. Or you spend a bunch of time designing something that's 800 square feet when the maximum is 600, right? Let's know that early and just design to 600. And maybe you decide, well, if it's only going to be 600, we're not going to do anything. Yeah. Okay. Well, then you know quickly and it didn't take a lot of time or a lot of money to figure that out.
Now let's get into a little bit about sort of just the design like things that are people talk about like natural light and what way the sun faces and the way the the building is exposed to the sun. Here we're particularly sensitive to that because of a lot of time of year we don't have a ton of sun. Our days are short for a lot of time and it's great. So, how much do those things come into play? The the natural like the flow, the use of space. Is that high on the list? Is it low on the list? Is it client driven? Like what some of that stuff? I mean, I always like to make sure that, you know, there is quite a bit of natural light, but it really is client driven. Mhm. You know, there's going to be rooms where you prioritize that and rooms that you don't, like living spaces. And the spaces you spend most of your day time in, right? Your home wake, right? Your living spaces. And so those living spaces, I think, should have a little bit more daylight, bigger windows, um, and really prioritize how it's oriented on the site in order to capture that for the most part. And roof overhangs, and you know, you want patios, but sometimes those patio coverings can take away from the sun. So then let's put some skylights in. So I think there's there's ways to help that out. But I think yeah, it is client driven. There's going to be priorities I think per per person per and sometimes you got to make it face the wrong way where you wish you could do but just because of the orientation of the lot or something like that. Like you know it would be better this way but it this is really the only way that works. So, but that's the kind of thing you share with your client like make sure like hey and that BIM modeling we can put in the real address and the real sun and do a sun study as well. So, okay another feature of that um big design challenges in small spaces ADUs DADUs tend to be smaller spaces right there not many 5,000 square foot DADUs in the world right at least not yet. So, what are some challenges there? How do you overcome them? you know, people are asking for, you know, you to put 10 pounds of stuff in a five pound bag, right? Kind of thing. Like, how how do you manage that? How do you help people through that to understand that there are limitations? Yeah, I mean, I think small spaces are tough. Um, but I try to I mean I think honestly limiting circulation space in my opinion is the optimal way to go because you are that square footage that um ends up being not useful, right? I mean like so trying to find ways to configure a space where it feels open and but and there's like little moments of vestibules that you go into the bedroom so it's not just a door off of your living room or a bathroom off your kitchen. Terrible, right? So you really try to maximize those rules but all and then also hallways, right? Like hallways going all winding. That's very inefficient use of space. Correct. Yeah. Yeah. Um, so and then I I obviously DADUs and ADUs um are limited sizes. So I think yeah, that again that kind of open floor plan for living spaces is always nice. Higher ceilings offset some of that, right? Big windows if if you can maybe some transoms and skylights. What is one feature you would say that every ADU DADU should have like that? That's a tough one. Um, obviously a kitchen and I think it's required. Um, I like to try to make it not feel cramped either. Um, but I I do think again that open layout I think is really important and um configuration I guess. I don't I don't know there's this one specific thing but yeah because it's so client specific like what are my needs right? I would say one of the things for me is that in a small space I think that sort of a disproportionate amount of closet or storage is really handy because you don't have a lot of places to put stuff. Yeah. Right. And people have stuff. So if though it's not a huge bedroom, but if it did have a maybe not gigantic but oversized closet like I can do a lot of things in that closet. I can put my winter gear and my summer gear and maybe some camping gear, you know, cuz I don't maybe have a garage or some of that. I think those bigger storage spaces, linen closets, I know you're big on those. Like, got to have a place for that stuff when I don't have all these other spaces. I need my sheets and my towels and whether that be a cabinet or a closet, but we like to think about that stuff. Where's that going? And pantry space. I mean, pantry space isn't always, you know, you're not able to fit them into those small spaces, but if you do a tall cabinet, you can always have that as pantry space. It doesn't have to be a full walk-in pantry. So, okay. Um, what about outdoor space connection and outdoor space? Is that more of a client-driven thing? Is it something you like to think about and get? Because sometimes I see clients don't think about certain things. they just oh they're kind of focused on one bit and then as you broaden their view something comes like oh wa we didn't think of that right and so how would you sort of rank outdoor connection or space or flow type of thing is that a big thing for you I mean for me I love being outside and I love having doors to the outside and I think it I think it's important again it could be client driven maybe they that's not a priority for them But I do think that having a connection to the exterior um is important and you I think and here in the Northwest you want it sheltered honestly. You kind of want cover outdoor space is really common because of the amount of rain we get. It's not generally very often really really cold and not really really hot kind of tends to be but it is wet a lot. So some covered outdoor space where you can be outside and have a roof and skylights and that kind of thing. They get fancy with kitchens and fireplaces. They have sun rooms are huge right now and especially very popular. So, I agree that I like to make sure that we at least and I think you do a great job this when we're working with clients is at least get them to think about some of those things that they maybe hadn't thought about or at least hadn't talked about yet. Well, what about outdoor space? What about this? And then someone will go, not important at all. Yeah. I don't want to spend a nickel on it. It's not important. I want to spend all my money on this thing. This is the most important. Okay. But then there are those that are like, "Oh, I didn't even think of that." And then realize how important that actually might be to them. So that we help them cover that. What about the difference how you would think about or recommend for a client the difference between this DADU ad is pur purely for rental. This is for family or a mix. Yeah. I mean, I guess it depends on the clientele, but um cuz if they're aging in place, really want to think about um access and accessibility and how that works for because a lot of people want their ADUs for family or for themselves to be able to age in place. So, I think accessibility is important to think about in that. So accessibility, when you're using that term, you essentially mean that's um universal design, ADA design. It used to be referred to as handicap design, right? So making accommodation for and thinking about someone who might be in a wheelchair or might have to get around with a walker, you know, wider doorways, grab bars, uh, no curb showers, maybe no sink, no cabinet below a sink so you can roll a wheelchair up to it. Elevators, putting elevators in homes. You'd be surprised how much more prominent that's become. Yeah. Is elevators in homes. Yeah, that huge surprisingly regular and not at the like ultra uber wealthy high-end. I mean in you know what you would be surprised like you know 20 years ago never consider in a moderate level home putting elevators in them or and I know you and I have done this is that we don't want to put the elevator in right now but if we get to the situation that we might need an elevator because we plan on being here a long time then we design it so that we've got the two closets that are now going to be closets stacked right on top of each other that can then simply with some minor modification converted into an elevator. Totally right. So, we do we do a lot of that these days talking about that and making that accommodation. Yeah. And then I think finishes too like you know if you're going to rent it then maybe you put in you know more cost-effective finishes and then if you it's for you then you put in some nicer stuff maybe nicer stuff a little bit more costly better looking kind of thing. I think on the rental side, one of the important was the the balancing act there for people that I try to help them with because Tori helps with material selection, but she's more about the technical side, the layout, the flow, the function, but then as we get into fit and finish, is that you most people don't want to put in the least expensive thing because they tend to not last as long. They're not as durable. So, it's that balance of cost and durability and lowmaintenance. You know, like LVP flooring is the king these days, right? It is essentially bulletproof. Very cost effective, looks good, lasts a long time. Carpet replaced, right? Carpet you got to clean. It gets gunky. People have pets, they pee, they, you know, dirt, things like that. LVP, you mop it, you clean it, you're move on with your day. It's waterproof. Yeah, totally waterproof. So those kind of things is that balance. Um in terms of functional beyond material selections, right, from a from a ADU rental, other things would you say are important? Laundry. Laundry, right? More storage, you know, some of that kind of vaulted ceilings. Yeah. Um what is the biggest mistake you see in adu design? things that you're correcting or people are leaving out that they need to add that's a mistake or they've put something in that they don't need or you know whatever that you seems to be is there a recurring theme or I don't really think I mean I haven't really corrected many ADUs but um I think that probably again that we go back to circulation space when you're you are adamant about having a bathroom here and your kitchen here and then they have to you have to somehow get to the two. Right. So, you have to have more hallway space which just becomes, you know, inefficient use of the space you have. Exactly. So, okay. So, use of space, efficiency. I think that's Yeah. Right. That that you can really improve it. The bedroom could get bigger. You could get more closet out of the same overall footprint if laid out perhaps a little bit differently and you're down to a lot less hallway. Yeah. And what I love what you did in your ADU in your backyard is you put the shower in the toilet room and it's just, you know, just and then the sink is outside and you use the kitchen sink. We did the one sink, right? Yeah. We did a little little thing really for the kids to kind of hang out and it's just one space and we It's like a boat. The toilet is in there. The shower the shower rarely gets used. Um but it's there if you need it, right? And it wasn't that big a deal to add it. So um yeah, that was that was cool. And then we were having the battle about, oh, we need a sink in there. I'm like, no, we got a sink right there, like right outside, immediately around the corner. You can wash your hands there very easily. Yeah.
Utilities. Yeah. All right. Water, power, gas. Now, when it's an ADU and it's part of the house, it's connected much easier. Yeah. Yeah. When it's a DADU, it's out in the yard. Pull it out to there. Yeah, it's a totally different kettle of fish right now. Can sometimes the DADU be connected to the house to share some of those things or does it need its own or is there a preference? Are there rules? Does it vary? I think it varies, but I think you probably know more about that than I do. Um, I do think that uh there are times where you can pull the same utilities together, but there's it's also can be metered separately, which I think a lot of people want because if they're renting it out, then they can meter that, you know, unit itself. Yeah. Typically on the DADU, it's almost always separate electrical. It's rare that I've seen that they'll let you connect a detached building to the main building for the electric. water and water typically is okay. Sewer often is okay where you can run it in. Gas depends. That one can be iffy. And those often are not determinations that we are the homeowner can make. The utility company tells us what we're going to do, right? Like no, you have to do this and then okay, we're living with that decision. um power, water, get uh internet, you know, connecting the low voltage stuff. I'm gonna How am I hooking my internet up? You know, not a lot of people have cable anymore. Yeah. Parking requirements, right? That's a zoning thing, right? That's part of the rules, right? Now, I know, and this I think goes back to even before you came back from San Diego a few years ago, that the city of Seattle was sort of anti-du.
And one of the ways they made it very difficult to get a permit for that was that they required one off-street parking space per additional unit. And a lot of houses in Seattle don't even have one for the house. and which isn't really a requirement anymore. So that's right. And so that was one of the rules they changed to make it such that it was plausible or possible to actually get a permit. You could qualify. Well, and nowadays like Kirkland and Belleview and I think Seattle, if you go over a certain square footage or bedroom count, then you are required to have one off- streetet parking dedicated for that ADU. So or D AU. Absolutely. Yeah, that's a big that's part of them slackening the requirements the requirements the degree of difficulty which is an indication that they're now they're good with it. They like the idea. They want to allow more density so people aren't having to be as far away. Bring down in theory create more housing units so that costs can come down for people to live. And Seattle is now allowing up to I think it's like 1,500 square feet, which is almost a whole new house. Another house. Yeah. Okay. Now, that just prompted a thought for me is that I have talked to a lot of people. There are a lot of people that are interested in this and but for whatever reason I think we got some work as an industry to do in this regard is that people think that I can come build a 7 800 square foot DADU 500 ft,000 square foot for 200 grand. Yeah. 250 grand 100 grand. Like where is this? What's going on with that? Like what's that? What's the story? Why? I mean, do you have some insiders, some thoughts on that? I know you deal with it the same I do. You know, I think some of the cities will have these pre-approved plans on their and they even list sometimes what they think it would be to build it. And I think it's giving people probably the wrong impression because every lot again is different. So, it's not like every lot has its own, you know, challenges to be able to build those pre-approved plans even. And cost of materials, I think it kind of gives people a false sense of square footage costs because honestly, even if it's small, um, it still costs a certain amount per square foot to build. Well, and you're That's totally true. And people ask, how much do you charge per square foot? Like how many times have we heard that that that question or that it's dependent. It totally depends. You know, you have a retaining wall on one side of your We don't we don't charge a certain amount per square foot. We figure out what it's going to cost to build what it is that you want in that spot and then we add it all up and say here's what it cost and then if you want to know what it costs per square foot, divide that number by the number of square feet and boom, there you go. Yeah. Yeah. But I mean, we can give people a sense of it that they typically run kind of in here, but we very much could have a situation, particularly with these pre-approved plans. And this is happening here. We're working with a couple right now in the city of Reton, Washington, just south suburb, that Renton has a whole cadre of pre-approved plans. So, we could build the glacier on lot A and it cost a certain amount and then we go over three blocks away, build the same thing and it could be $100,000 more. Yeah. Because their sight conditions are different. It's sloped or it's sloped or it's we got to dig 150 ft of trenches to get the power in the water. And the other one we're digging 27 ft of trenches, right? That kind of thing. If there's lots like this, there's 42 trees to remove. I mean, there's just so many things. Now, once you kind of get the foundation in the ground and you start coming out of the ground after that, they're kind of the same, right? It's that sight condition issue, you know, that once you get from there on, then they tend to run about the same. A rule, this is important, a rule is that typically as they get smaller, as the building gets smaller, the per square foot price goes up. Mhm. Right. Cuz when I'm building a 3,000t house, I've got a kitchen and two or three bathrooms and a laundry room in those areas, what we refer to as high cost concentration spaces. And I might have three or four bedrooms and a dining room and a living room and a family room. and those lower cost spaces which are just finished floor, carpet, walls, windows. Yeah. To bring down the average of the high cost spaces. Yeah. But as the place gets smaller, you still got a kitchen and you still got a bathroom, but now you don't have anywhere else to dilute those cost per square foot. Right. Right. So that's why the smaller they are typically the more the price per square foot as it goes up once you do the math. Right. And you would concur, right? That's totally We just had some people in. We were talking about one twostory couple thousand square feet big garage didn't count kind of thing. But that was what were we 350 under 350 a square foot something like that which was surprisingly low around here. So they can be done but they got to get bigger right they got to get bigger. You do you want to build 400 square ft. Yeah. Could be 1,000 bucks a square foot kind of thing. and dependent on lot conditions. Right. All right, we're getting down to the end. Tori's got to go. She's got a Zoom meeting with a zoning official. A zoning official that she's got to go talk to somebody at the city of Kirkland, I think you said, or whatever. One of our local municipalities that she has a stream on it. Scheduled a meeting with them on Zoom with a stream to try and get a permit or figure out what we can do from a permit for a client right now this afternoon yet. So, we got to get her out of here. So before we wrap up, thank you very much for coming in. I know you were very nervous. It was a little bit of a battle to get her to agree to do this. That was dirty looks. Yes, she was. But I'm so glad you did. I thought it was great. A lot of really good information. I appreciate it. But before we go, is there something maybe a a thing that we didn't talk about that you think's important or that people think about or that they be aware of or do this or do that? I mean, I don't know. Whatever that might be, whether it's ADU related, whether it's permit related, whether it's technical rel
Okay. Yeah. I think aesthetics and feel, you know, how it feels, how the space feels is very important. And I think being able to portray that to the client and show them how beautiful something can be or how, you know, spacious a small space can feel, you know, I think is is what I strive to do every day, you know, is just make sure that clients are happy with layouts and I will work in, you know, five, 10, 12 months to make sure that you get what you want out of your design. That's a great point and I think what you're talking about from the BIM stuff, the software, the technology that we're that's becoming more available and lower cost and you know for people to use and interact with is that I think that that's a really good point. What you kind of said but didn't say specifically but I heard you is that we look at plans all day long. you have an amazing sense of the three like I we're talking about something you picture it in your brain your brain just works that way mine does a little bit and how that is but I think that it's hard for people clients that don't do this every day and that don't have that spatial relation when you show them a flat plain floor plan and you look at them and you're like they don't get it they don't understand they don't really they not doing a Good. And it's not a It's hard to imagine. It's hard to imagine to turn that 2D thing into I'm in this space in my brain, right? And I think that what you're doing and how we're trying to get through with and utilize this newer cutting edge technology making that better for people to be clear and understand. I've always said, long said that I really don't want to get into a situation with a client after the project's done and they're like, "Oh, that's different than I thought or that's, you know, long as it's different, better, oh, it's bigger, it's cooler, it's nicer, those are great, but it's smaller or it's more cramped or it's this or that, then I don't feel like I necessarily did a good job explaining and we didn't have the tools that we have now, you know, to be able to help them see it and imagine it in 3D kind of thing. So, it was more complicated to do. Um, I think that's getting a little easier. But I think that's really important that people these are major investments. Yeah. Yeah. Can you imagine spending hundreds of thousands of dollars and then be like, "What the I like that's awful. I hate that." You know, I would feel horrible. Yeah. Right. And I know you I think you really take that on kind of personally a little bit that like that I want to be sure. Yeah. I want to see a smile on their face and know that they're happy when they walk out of the room, right? And and be able I'm able to make changes with the client, too, which I think is pretty fun and important to like, you know, be able to move a wall around. How what how does this feel, you know, and maybe this feels a little Yeah, it is kind of fun. We'll sit in here in this very room right up here. She can put the plan up here. She has Oh, sorry. She has it on her computer and we're looking at it in 3D and she'll make the window bigger. She'll make the window smaller. She'll She has some terrible suggestions sometimes. Every now and then I might have an idea that she doesn't agree with, but you know. So, but they can see that happen in 3D right here. Like move it or take a different point of view. Yeah. Go stand over here and look that way. Yeah. Go outside and look at the house from the street. Yeah. You know, kind of thing. Look at that. And that it bang bang bang real time. It's instant. I think that's great. Which helps us make sure they understand it. Then we're able to give them really good information about how much that's going to cost and are we comfortable with that or no before we're really into deep deep design so that we're getting them that information as quickly and inexpensively as possible. and and it's really good information so that they're now can make a really good like yeah okay let's go do this orm no not right or we need to trim it we need to tweak it you know that's the beauty of it if you like this come talk to us Tori can help you we can help you let's talk about a project if you're somewhere else not in the Belleview Seattle area find a local professional they can help you but this work this skill set this professional ism of helping you through this design is really important. It you spend your money well. It's long-term good investment. You don't make mistakes. You don't have things you regret. You need the help. No, you're not your own doctor. You're not your own accountant. You're not your own CPA or I said that accountant, lawyer, car mechanic, you know, whatever. Architect. Architect. This is this this is as important maybe even more because this is the most valuable thing that most people have spend their whole day in, right? They spend money on getting their car fixed at the dealer, but then they're going to figure out how to remodel or add on to their seven figure home asset. Yeah. But they'll spend a lot of money on their $40,000 car, right? So, make sure you put your priorities right. We're here to help. Armada Design and Build in Belleview. Come check us out. showroom, website, podcast, all the places. If you want more more Tori can help us, we'll help you. Thank you very much. Like, subscribe, comment down below, rate and review. See you in the next one.