The primary focus of our work is residential architecture with a particular fascination and experience with Custom Homes. We enjoy the challenges and opportunities of working with a beautiful, forested, waterfront, rural site as well as a small infill urban property. Over the years we have been involved in the creation of unique homes throughout the Northwest.
David Vandervort and Mike Butrim focus on Vandervort Architects Custom Home projects. Both have been involved with Custom Home projects of all budgets for over 30 years having both gained experience in this facet of architecture at a prestigious Eastside firm in the late 80’s and early 90’s. David started his firm in 1994 with Custom Homes as the focus.
Creating architecture in tune with the site is a priority for us and when accomplished particularly rewarding. The opportunity for this is stronger in residential than commercial work which tends to be more focused on maximizing the zoning envelope. The desire to focus on this in combination with the client’s needs and desires, we believe, allows us to create architecture that is unique to each situation. When combined with thoughtful sustainability the result is a Custom Home that feels right for the site, is easy to live in and stewards the limited resources of the planet in a beautiful and functional way.
Our process allows for all types of sites and budgets. We have worked on high-end San Juan Island homes, small in-city Seattle remodels, remote Eastside estates and work as far-afield as Alabama. Feel free to browse our work. Yours won’t be like any of these but they might spark an idea or inspire you to consider new opportunities. We look forward to discussing your particular site, needs/desires and constraints and pursuing, together, creative solutions toward a meaningful and beautiful Custom Home.
Determine:
Design:
Define:
Develop:
Dwell:
What if I don’t know what I want? What if I know exactly what I want?
If all you know at this point is that you want three bedrooms we have a questionnaire that we will provide you that can aid in clarifying your needs and desires. We will conduct interviews with you to flesh these comments out and get more insight into how you live and the sort of home you desire. If you have floor plans already sketched out we have a lot of experience working with such ideas and translating them into something buildable, functional and suited to your site. If we feel something is not working we will let you know why and present alternative ideas.
Do you have experience with difficult sites?
It seems like, these days, all sites present some difficulty. They are too small, too steep, have wetlands or are waterfront. We have worked on all these conditions and have the code understanding and consultant resources to work through the issues presented and the jurisdictional requirements for approval.
Do you work on Remodels, or just new homes?
We have worked on many remodels from exterior only aesthetic updates to dormer additions to near complete re-builds. Each presents unique challenges and our experience allows us to find innovative and appropriate solutions that will blend with an existing structure, or transform an existing structure into something entirely new.
How are fees for a Custom Home determined?
We typically work on an hourly basis often with a fixed maximum depending on how clear the scope of work is. We have a typical Scope of Work for Custom Homes document which describes exactly what to expect from each phase of the design process from initial information gathering through the final punch-list at the end of construction. There is also the opportunity to fix a fee for certain phases if the certainty that comes with that is preferred. We are happy to discuss more specific fee information once we know more about your project.
