Frequently Asked Questions
Real answers about ADUs, custom homes, and permits in Seattle and the Eastside, from the builder who does the work.
Real answers about ADUs, custom homes, and permits in Seattle and the Eastside, from the builder who does the work.
Most ADU and DADU projects take eight to fourteen months from first call to certificate of occupancy, including design, permitting, and construction. Permitting alone runs three to six months in Seattle, and Eastside cities usually move faster. Every client gets a written timeline that reflects the permitting reality of their specific city.
Every project is bid as a fixed price contract after one free site visit and a design consultation. We do not publish per square foot pricing because soil, slope, setbacks, utilities, and design ambition all move the number. Tell us your scope and we come back with a written bid you can compare line by line.
We handle everything. MNBE is a full design build general contractor, which means architectural drawings, structural engineering coordination, energy code compliance, city submittals, plan-check responses, and construction are all under one contract. You sign one agreement, you call one phone number, and the same person who approves your scope is the one supervising the framing crew. That's the model.
HB 1337 lets you build at least two ADUs on nearly every single family lot in King, Snohomish, and Pierce County. Owner occupancy rules are gone in most cities, setbacks were reduced, and parking requirements were dropped near frequent transit. We walk every client through what the law allows on their specific lot.
We work across King, Snohomish, and Pierce County. Our most active service areas include Seattle (Magnolia, Queen Anne, Ballard, Green Lake, Wallingford, Capitol Hill, West Seattle), the Eastside (Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Mercer Island, Medina, Sammamish, Issaquah, Bothell), and the corridor north and south (Shoreline, Edmonds, Lynnwood, Renton, Federal Way, Tacoma). If your property is in the greater Puget Sound metro, we likely serve it. Call us and we'll confirm.
Yes. MNBE Construction & Development holds active Washington State Contractor License #MNBECCD770R9, $1,000,000 general liability insurance, and the required state surety bond. Our BuildZoom score is 94, placing us in the top 24 percent of Washington general contractors, and our HomeAdvisor rating is a verified 5.0 stars. You can verify any of this directly with L&I, BuildZoom, or HomeAdvisor before signing anything.
An ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) is the umbrella term for any independent living unit on the same lot as a primary home. A DADU (Detached ADU) is one specific type, a freestanding structure separate from the main house. Other ADU types include attached ADUs (connected to the main home), basement ADUs (conversions), and junior ADUs (smaller interior conversions, usually under 500 sq ft).
Plan on six to ten months from signed contract to certificate of occupancy for a typical detached ADU in Seattle. That is roughly three to five weeks of design, two to four months of permitting at Seattle DCI, and three to five months of construction. Pre-approved plans and faster Eastside cities can compress it further.
Every ADU is bid as a fixed price contract after one free site visit and a design consultation. We do not publish per square foot averages because soil, setbacks, utility tie-ins, finish level, and design complexity all move the number. Walk us through your plans and you get a written bid covering permits, design, finishes, and landscaping.
Both are allowed in Seattle and most Eastside cities, but specific rules vary. Seattle requires short term rental operators to register and limits non-primary residence STRs. Long term rentals (30 days or more) are generally unrestricted. Bellevue and Kirkland have their own short term rental regulations. We'll walk you through the specific rules for your city during the consultation.
Washington's HB 1337 (2023) eliminated mandatory off street parking for ADUs in cities of 25,000 or more, including Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, and Sammamish. You can still build parking if you want it, but you're no longer required to. Smaller Eastside cities may still have parking minimums. We confirm the rule for your specific lot during feasibility.
Yes. Adding an ADU increases your property's assessed value, which means a higher annual property tax bill. The exact amount depends on the ADU's size, finishes, and your county's millage rate. Most owners more than offset the increase with rental income, and we walk through the local tax math during the consultation so there are no surprises.
Yes. Seattle's pre-approved DADU program lets you skip the architectural plan-check phase, which can shave 8 to 12 weeks off the permit timeline. We've built from multiple pre-approved plan sets and can advise which ones fit your lot, your budget, and the look you want. Note: the pre-approved program is Seattle specific. It does not apply on the Eastside.
We don't lend directly, but we work regularly with three local credit unions and two construction loan brokers who specialize in ADU financing, including loans against the future appraised value of the completed ADU. We're happy to introduce you during the consultation if financing is part of your plan.
Plan on 18 to 24 months from signed contract to certificate of occupancy for a typical custom home in the Seattle metro. That breaks down roughly as 3 to 4 months of design, 4 to 8 months of permits depending on jurisdiction, and 11 to 14 months of construction. Eastside cities like Redmond often run faster than Seattle proper. Critical area lots and large homes can extend timelines.
With a fixed price contract after a free lot walk and design consultation, not an open-ended hourly arrangement. Pricing depends on land conditions, design complexity, finish level, and site specific issues like critical area review, steep slopes, or utility availability. We don't publish per square foot ranges because every Seattle and Eastside lot carries its own variables.
Start with a free site visit. We'll walk the property, review the zoning code for your jurisdiction, and discuss what's realistically buildable. Setbacks, height limits, lot coverage, critical area constraints, and any easements or covenants. About 60 minutes on site. By the end, you'll have a clear picture of what your lot can support and roughly what it would cost.
Yes. We coordinate demolition permits, asbestos testing (required for pre-1985 homes in WA), utility disconnects, the demo itself, and site grading for the new build. Most teardowns add 6 to 10 weeks to the overall timeline. Demo costs depend on house size, materials, and hazardous material content, and we include the line item in your fixed price bid so there's nothing hidden.
Both. We have an in-house design relationship that covers most projects without you needing a separate architect, which keeps coordination tight and change orders rare. For more architecturally ambitious homes, we work regularly with a handful of Seattle and Eastside firms, and we coordinate that engagement directly so you still have a single point of contact.
Custom new build projects use a standard milestone draw schedule: deposit at contract signing, draws at foundation, framing, dry-in, mechanicals, finish, and final completion. If you're financing through a construction loan, your lender's third party inspector signs off each draw. Every draw is documented with photos, lien releases, and progress narrative.
Every MNBE build carries a 1 year full workmanship warranty covering all labor and installations. Major systems (roofing, HVAC, appliances, windows) carry their manufacturer warranties on top of that, typically 10 to 25 years for roofing, 10 or more for windows, and so on. We provide a full warranty packet at handover with every paperwork item you'll need for the next 25 years.
Yes. Every WA new build must meet the Washington State Energy Code, which is the strictest in the country outside California. We routinely exceed code with continuous insulation, ducts in conditioned space, advanced framing, and high performance windows. Passive House and Net Zero capable builds available on request.
Yes. Permit only and design only engagements are a real service we offer. You get permit-ready drawings, a cleared submittal, and an issued permit. From there you can build with us, hand the drawings to another contractor, or hold them. Your drawings, your call. We don't tie permit work to a construction contract.
From signed engagement to issued permit, plan on 4 to 8 months for a typical ADU or addition: 4 to 6 weeks of design, then 3 to 6 months of plan-check at Seattle DCI. Eastside cities like Redmond and Kirkland generally move 30 to 50 percent faster. We give you a written timeline at the start that reflects the realistic permitting window for your specific city.
Yes, and we recommend it for any project where the lot's buildability is uncertain. A feasibility study is a written analysis of your lot's zoning, setbacks, lot coverage, height limits, critical area constraints, and HB 1337 eligibility. You get a clear go or no-go answer in 1 to 2 weeks, before you spend serious money on architectural design.
HB 1337 (2023) expanded ADU rights statewide. In most Seattle and Eastside cities, you can now build at least two ADUs per lot, owner occupancy requirements are gone, parking minimums were eliminated near transit, and setbacks were reduced. The practical effect: many lots that were unbuildable in 2022 are now permittable. We walk through what HB 1337 specifically allows on your lot during the feasibility step.
Design and permit only engagements are bid as a fixed fee after the feasibility study. The fee depends on project complexity (ADU vs. full custom home vs. addition), site conditions, and which jurisdiction we're submitting to. We don't bill hourly. You sign a flat fee and you get the deliverable. Final fee is provided after we've walked the lot.
Plan-check corrections are normal. Almost every submittal in Seattle gets at least one round. Responding to corrections is included in our engagement: we revise the drawings, resubmit, and shepherd the project until it clears. You don't pay extra for corrections that fall within typical scope.
Yes. The architectural drawings and the issued permit are yours. We transfer them to you at the end of the engagement. You can build with us, with another contractor, or hold them for later. We don't gate the drawings behind a construction contract.
Common path, and the cleanest one. Many of our clients start with a feasibility study, then commission permit-ready drawings, then convert into a construction contract once the permit is in hand. Because the same team that drew the plans is the team building from them, the design to construction handoff is friction free. No re-bidding, no re-coordination, no missing details.
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