Choosing a Custom Home Architect in Puget Sound

Most homeowners start by looking at portfolios. Beautiful work matters. But design style won’t tell you what it’s like to work with an architect or whether they can guide you through the complexity ahead.

Custom homes and major remodels in the Puget Sound region involve more than drawings. Zoning regulations, waterfront setbacks, septic constraints, permitting timelines—these realities shape what gets built and what it costs. The architect you choose determines how well you navigate that complexity.

What Separates Dedicated Architects from Other Options

In the South Sound and broader Puget Sound region, homeowners typically encounter three types of firms:

Drafting Services

They produce construction documents. They don’t guide feasibility, navigate permitting challenges, or coordinate with engineers and builders. For straightforward projects with minimal regulatory complexity, they can work. For custom waterfront homes or projects with zoning challenges, they leave gaps.

Design-Build Firms

They handle both design and construction under one roof. The advantage is coordination. The tradeoff is that design decisions get filtered through construction priorities—what’s easiest to build, not necessarily what serves your life best. You also lose the independent oversight that catches problems before they become expensive.

Dedicated Architects

We design, coordinate consultants, navigate permitting, and provide oversight through construction. We’re not building the house, so our focus stays on your interests—making sure design intent survives the realities of construction.

Each approach has a place. For complex custom homes, especially on challenging sites, a dedicated architect reduces risk.

The Puget Sound Custom Residential Architect Landscape

Firms like Olson Kundig, Miller Hull, and MW Works are well-known in the region. They’re often associated with large-scale, highly publicized projects—residential work that sits alongside commercial, cultural, and institutional commissions. Their work is excellent. Their scale and focus are different.

My practice operates differently. I work exclusively with homeowners navigating custom builds and major remodels in the South Sound—Fox Island, Gig Harbor, Tacoma, and surrounding areas. The projects are smaller in scale but equally complex. Waterfront regulations, steep sites, septic systems, Pierce County zoning—these are the realities my clients face.

I’m often brought in during feasibility, before land purchases close or before design begins. That early involvement prevents expensive mistakes. Once design starts, I stay involved through permitting and construction to make sure the original intent doesn’t get lost.

What to Look for in a Puget Sound Custom Residential Architect

Do they understand local regulatory realities?

Pierce County zoning is different from King County. Waterfront setbacks vary by jurisdiction. Septic requirements change based on soil conditions. An architect who knows the region saves time and prevents surprises.

Do they help you understand constraints before you commit?

Feasibility work—understanding what’s actually buildable on your site—should happen before design. Not every architect offers this. The ones who do help you avoid falling in love with something you can’t permit or afford.

Do they explain tradeoffs clearly?

Every project involves decisions where you can’t have everything. Budget vs. square footage. Views vs. privacy. Timeline vs. design complexity. Good architects help you make those tradeoffs informed, not rushed.

Do they stay involved through construction?

Some architects hand off drawings and disappear. Others stay engaged to protect design intent when details matter most. Ask how they handle construction oversight.

Do you feel calmer after talking with them?

This matters more than most people realize. Custom homes and major remodels are stressful. The right architect reduces that anxiety, not adds to it.

How My Practice Fits

I help discerning homeowners confidently navigate the complexity of custom homes and major remodels in the Puget Sound region—turning uncertainty into clarity and ideas into architecture that feels unmistakably theirs.

My process centers on three things:

Clarity Before Design

We don’t guess. Feasibility, zoning analysis, realistic budgets—before we draw a single line. It’s slower at first. It prevents the expensive mistakes that happen when you commit before understanding constraints.

Calm, Experienced Guidance

I guide decisions early and stay involved throughout. Permitting, builder coordination, engineering consultants—I navigate that complexity so you feel supported, not overwhelmed.

Personal Design

The home reflects how you actually live, not trends or my signature style. I listen first. The design follows.

If You’re Considering a Custom Home or Major Remodel

Start with clarity, not commitment. Understanding what’s possible—and what’s not—helps you make better decisions before time and money are on the line.

I offer a 30-minute strategy call to talk through your situation. No pressure. Just an honest conversation about whether your project makes sense and what the path forward looks like.

Or if you’re still researching, download my Custom Home Feasibility Guide. It walks through the questions I ask every client before design begins.