Choosing The Best Deck Builders in Seattle

When you start planning a new deck or outdoor living space, choosing the best deck builders in Seattle is only part of the process. The budget of any construction project is determined only once you start building and find out the hidden costs. With knowledge comes power, and the most important knowledge you have is the specific understanding of the possibilities and problems that your own house now has.

What to Fix and What to Leave Alone

No matter what bright ideas a builder, architect, or designer might have, if, for you, an element of your home ain't broke, don't fix it. On the other hand, if something makes you crazy, but does not bother the vanilla house shopper or sell-anything real estate agent, fix it anyway. No home is perfect for its occupants unless they've designed it from scratch, and even then, it needs some fine-tuning. A stock plan designed for people living 50 years or 100 years ago can't meet the expectations of families living in a time when the characteristics of the American family have changed dramatically.

You Can't Fight the Site and Stay Cheap

The vast majority of American homes are sited on their lots without any thought to the views. This is because most American homes are built from stock plans that assume a flat site that has a street in front of it and a yard behind it. When you ram a simple rectangular box into a hill that flies off to one side, all kinds of weirdness can happen: decks launch out into space, windows face hillsides, great views are unseen, and rainwater flows where it shouldn't.

Designing With the Site, Not Against It

There are ways to make your house better connect with the existing site's topography, trees, views, and so on, but it takes a lot more effort than simply removing a wall or adding a bay window. The best deck builders in Seattle understand the steep lots, heavy rain, and local drainage issues that can make or break your project.

Know the Code Before You Build

Beyond getting clear on your specific needs, building anything in 21st-century America means it's necessary to have an understanding of what your state, county, and town impose on construction projects, so find out where the zoning code is on file (and/or online) and get to know its labyrinth up close and personal. The Internet is the first place to start, but a phone call will provide a reality check of who you need to talk to.

When Legal Help Makes Sense

Before you jump into a remodeling project, find the local attorney who deals with the town the most. Get legal. Depending on what you found out when you went to Town Hall with an accurate survey, if you need to address any of the laws that regulate what you can and can’t build, it is probably a good idea to find the best local land-use attorney.

This will cost some money, but that money can be greatly limited if you frame the question tightly by talking to all of the players involved at Town Hall, zoning enforcement officer, town engineer, wetland officer, and so on, before you hire the lawyer. Reputation and experience are far more important than personality or a personal connection.

Work With Architects Who Understand Remodels

Match the Architect to the Job

Redrra offers architectural services. Max, the owner of the company, has an architectural degree and decades of building experience. Just like lawyers, the brother-in-law architect who designs shopping malls in Indiana is not the one you want to talk to if you want to remodel a kitchen in a flood plain, or build a complex deck on a sloped Seattle lot.

Local Familiarity Helps Everything Move Faster

Look for an architect who's had some experience with remodels, especially one who has worked in your town. When your architect and your deck builder in Seattle already know the local inspectors, terrain, and weather patterns, your project usually goes more smoothly.

Going It Alone on Code Compliance

If You Want to Manage Compliance Yourself

Going it alone. If you decide to take charge of your project's code compliance (in other words, if you want to save some money and time and take on the burden of zoning, septic, and engineering issues yourself), the best thing you can do is spend some time going through the “definitions” section of your town's various codes.

Definitions Prevent Delays

Almost all the zoning codes are now available online and can be accessed 24 hours a day. The vast majority of misconceptions in zoning codes, septic codes, and other codes have to do with how you interpret the words that are used. Terms like encumbrance, variance, and building height are easy to misread, and misreading them can delay your deck project or increase costs.

The Contract Is the Key

Make Drawings Part of the Contract

Most people don't understand that when you get drawings from a designer (whether an architect, unlicensed home designer, or interior designer), those drawings should be a part of your contract. In home remodeling, most people go directly to a builder first, who takes charge and gets the drawings done.

Understand How Builder-Managed Drafting Works

The builder will hire somebody who will never see you or listen to you, and who will draw what the builder wants drawn (because he or she is paying them) and produce something that may or may not work. The rationalization for this is that the drafting fees are buried in the cost of construction. Those fees might be as low as $500, but for a large renovation, they might end up as much as $5,000.

Choosing Your Design Route

Designer vs. Licensed Architect

If you opt to hire your own designer, you have two options: a designer or an architect with a license. Hiring an architect will probably cost more, but he or she usually has a broader knowledge base. A typical architect's fee for a remodel may go from 6 percent of your project budget all the way up to 15 percent or more; designers usually charge less, depending on who you hire and what the scope of the work is.

Unlicensed Consultants Vary Widely

As to the unlicensed design consultants that you might hire, the work they produce is extraordinarily varied. You can get the best services available through something similar to the draftsman that a builder would provide. There are two benefits to paying more for somebody at the higher end of the skill range: better drawings and fewer surprises for your Seattle deck builder during construction.

Bidding Is a Good Thing (With Your Seattle Deck Builder)

Why Bidding Helps You Compare Reality

Once you've decided you want to hire a design professional directly (vs. a builder who will then hire drafting help), it never hurts to put the job out to bid. There are several ways to bid: fixed price, time and materials capped with a maximum cost cap, or a nonbinding estimate with the final cost level based on the time spent and the materials used.

Common Bid Structures

To make this clearer, when comparing deck builders in Seattle, you can think in terms of:

• Fixed-price bids

• Time and materials with a maximum cost cap

• Nonbinding estimates based on time and materials actually used

A Practical Bidding Approach

My own personal approach is to get a nonbinding cost estimate based on a sketch design from at least three builders as soon as possible in the design process, so the costs involved in paying the design professional are limited, and an economic reality check is given to the project as early as possible.

Lowest Price Isn’t Always Best

To state the obvious, the lowest bidder is not always the best builder. In the process, you'll get a sense of who is taking the bidding seriously and who has the most cogent approach to building your deck safely, beautifully, and in line with local expectations.

Wrap-Up: Build Smarter, Not Just Bigger

By understanding your site, knowing the code, choosing the right architect, and managing contracts and bidding wisely, you give yourself the best chance of success with the best deck builders in Seattle and create an outdoor space that truly works for your home.

Build With Confidence With Redrra

Choosing the right deck builders in Seattle is about more than construction—it’s about planning, insight, and local expertise. From understanding your site’s challenges to navigating zoning codes, smart decisions early prevent costly surprises later. When design, permitting, and construction work together, your deck becomes a lasting investment, not a source of stress.

Redrra brings all these elements under one roof. With deep architectural knowledge, decades of hands-on building experience, and a strong understanding of Seattle’s terrain and climate, Redrra helps homeowners design and build decks that are safe, functional, and visually striking. If you want a deck that fits your home, respects the site, and meets every code requirement, Redrra is the partner that helps you build smarter—not just bigger.