00 — Feasibility

Before the design,
the question of whether to build at all.

A focused pre-design study for homeowners weighing a custom home, a whole-house remodel, an addition, or an ADU. Fixed fee.
Two to four weeks. You leave with a clear-eyed answer about your site, your budget, and your scope — and, if you want one, an
architect who already knows your project.

BEGIN A FEASIBILITY STUDY

01 — The Study

A careful first look — before either of us commits to a year-long design.

Most architecture begins long before the first line is drawn. There is a slower, quieter phase where the real questions live: Is this lot zoned for what you want? What does the existing house actually allow? What is the realistic budget for the home you have in mind? A feasibility study is the work of answering those questions honestly, in a few weeks, for a defined fee.

We walk the site, study the zoning and any neighborhood or historic overlays, sketch one or two early massing options, and have a frank order-of-magnitude budget conversation with a builder we trust. You receive a short written summary — no glossy renderings, no manufactured certainty — that tells you what is actually possible on your property, at roughly what cost, on what timeline.

Some clients use the study to confirm they should move forward. Others use it to discover that the right answer is to wait, to scale back, or to choose a different home altogether. Both outcomes save real money. Both are worth a few thousand dollars to learn early.

02 Included
What we deliver.
  • Site visitAn on-site walk-through of the property and existing conditions, however far along they are.
  • Zoning & codeSetbacks, height limits, lot coverage, plus any HOA or historic-district overlays that shape what’s allowed.
  • Massing sketchesOne or two early massing diagrams that test the program against the site — enough to make the trade-offs visible.
  • Budget conversationAn order-of-magnitude cost range developed in consultation with one of our trusted local builders.
  • Written summaryA short, plain-English document you keep — useful whether you proceed with us, choose another architect, or pause the project.
  • Honest conversationA no-pressure call about whether full design with us would be the right next step, or whether someone else is the better fit.
03 — Investment
Fixed fee. Two to four weeks.
Fee
Quoted at the outset
Timeline
2 — 4 weeks
Expedited when needed.
Feasibility studies are priced as a flat fee, scoped at the outset based on the property and the questions you want answered — there are no surprises after that. Most studies take two to four weeks from the site visit to the final summary; when a closing date, a permitting deadline, or another real constraint calls for it, we can expedite — tell us the date you’re working against and we’ll quote accordingly.
If you choose to proceed with full architectural design afterward, the feasibility fee is credited toward your design retainer. If you choose not to proceed, the work — and the clarity — are yours to keep.
04 A Good Fit If
Who this is for.
  1. You’ve bought a lot in Seattle or Boise and aren’t sure yet what it will support.
  2. You’re weighing a major remodel and want to know whether a careful renovation or a tear-down is the better path — before signing a year-long design contract.
  3. You’re considering an ADU and need to understand the zoning, code, and likely cost before committing.
  4. You’re early in a conversation with several architects and want to know which one feels like the right fit before committing to a longer engagement.
  5. You’d like a thoughtful written second opinion on a project already in progress with another team.
05 — After the Study
Three paths forward — all of them informed.
Move forward with full design.
The feasibility fee is credited toward your design retainer, and we begin the work we already understand well — the site, the program, the budget conversation.
Move forward with another team.
The summary is yours; take it with our blessing. The questions you arrived with are now answered, and any architect you choose will start from a better place.
Pause.
The right answer is sometimes not yet. That clarity, two months in, is worth more than two years of momentum in the wrong direction.
06 — Begin
Begin with a question, not a full contract.
A feasibility study is the least-committed, most informative way to start a conversation with us. Tell us about your lot or your home; we’ll send a brief proposal within a week.
Begin a feasibility study →