A practical approach to design documentation serving the Puget Sound region.
Feasibility Studies: A feasibility study analyzes your project to confirm the requirements will holistically meet your goals in order to adjust at an early design phase as needed.
Building Permit, Zoning & Property Analysis: Many projects have certain legal requirements and site constraints.
Building Permits: Understanding the permit process for your project will help you understand your project schedule and other constraints that could impact budget as well as project planning. Getting a building permit is a requirement by law for certain project types, which varies by municipality. Building permits take time both to prepare the documentation and to proceed through the permitting process. Unpermitted work will not be covered by your liability or homeowners insurance or the liability insurance of a contractor working on your project. It’s important when investing in your home or business to make sure work is done right. Proceeding without permits not only opens you up to liability risk, but it opens you up to contractors who may not be complying with or understand construction codes and laws. More info here via the Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections.
Zoning Analysis: If your project changes the footprint of your home, getting an analysis of your required setbacks, lot coverage, and Floor Area Ratio are all important to understanding if your project as planned is feasible or if changes are required.
Property Analysis: If your property is located in an environmentally critical area or is adjacent to a steep slope or wetland there are implications that could require a geotechnical or civil engineer to be involved in the project depending on the scope. If the project is adjacent to any Exceptional Trees you may also need to engage an arborist.
As built floor documentation (see below)
Preliminary Structural Design by a licensed structural engineer: When modifications are made to an existing structure, structural upgrades are often required. We live in an earthquake prone area with many unstable slopes - noted not to scare you but to qualify why structural upgrades are required by most jurisdictions in our state. Understanding required structural upgrades at an early stage will help you get an accurate estimate.
Preliminary Design set for estimating purposes: Prior to completing the design process, it can be important to pause and hand off a set of documents to a general contractor for an estimate. Sometimes, you will have to pay for this estimate under a “pre-construction services agreement” with a general contractor. This valuable information can inform value engineering efforts prior to proceeding further with the design & permitting process.
Project Partners: This early project phase also identifies additional professionals you may need to hire in order to complete the permitting & design process. These professionals often include:
Licensed Structural Engineer - required by state of Washington for certain project types
Licensed Geotechnical Engineer - required by state of Washington for certain project types
Landscape Designer - If new planting design is to be included in the project budget
Licensed Surveyor - required by municipality for certain project types
Certified Arborist - required by municipality if development encroaches on tree roots or seeks to remove certain types of trees
General Contractor - once you identify a general contractor, they will play a key role in defining the project. It is best if you interview contractors early on even if the scope is not defined in order to gain insight to inform the scope and to get on their calendar as many contractors schedule several months in advance.
As Built Documentation: In order to move forward on a host of projects for your home or workplace nothing can beat having drafted documentation of the existing conditions.
Building Permit Submittals: Most construction projects in the Puget Sound region require a building permit. As a regional permitting specialist, I prepare, submit and track building permit submittals for the following project types:
Residential new construction and residential remodels
Small commercial tenant improvement remodel projects
Health department and street use submittals for restaurant, bar and cafe projects
Drafted Plan Sets: All drafting is done in house including full service plan set production for all stages of design: site plans, floor plans, electrical plans, interior & exterior elevations, building sections, structural design coordination, interior & exterior construction details and specifications with careful attention to accuracy of information.
Presentations: 3D imagery, quality photographic examples, physical models and product samples are all great tools to help you make decisions with confidence. Using a mixture of these presentation tools keeps your project budget & timeline efficient and ensure you have the information you need to make decisions that move your project forward.
Project Management: Depending on the scale of your project, the design process alone can last many months and often involves many project partners. Efficient communication and project planning are important to ensuring that your project continues to make progress with all parties involved.
Specifications: Every part of the project requires a specification from tile to paint to siding. Once we finalize material, fixture, and product selections, the specifications are collected into a tidy spreadsheet for purchasing to be managed typically by the general contractor.
Residential Design
Remodels, Additions, Sustainable new construction, Historic restoration, Kitchen / Bath remodels, Eco design, Passive house, DADUs / ADUs, Decks and patios
Commercial Design
Cafe / Restaurant / Bar, Retail & Workspace remodels, Events and temporary installations, Adaptive reuse
Interiors
Furniture selections, Cabinet / Furniture design, Lighting design, Locally-made products, Salvaged materials, Local sourcing, Art placement, Interior horticulture consultation
Free / Sliding Scale Services
If you are an organization committed to topics such as social, food, housing, or environmental justice and are in need of permitting, design or project management services, please get in touch to discuss options for free and sliding scale services!
Low impact design
Rachel Ravitch Studio follows these (5) low impact design principles to offset the building industry’s contributions to climate change:
Limit waste: Remodel existing structures and salvage as much as possible vs. dumping.
Offset carbon production: Use concrete sparingly and create a baseline interior temperature for heating and cooling utilizing “passive house” guidelines.
Limit soil disruption: Build a smaller footprint. Limit excavation for foundations.
Protect Old Forests: Save old trees on private & public lands. Specify materials & products that are not destroying old forests globally.
Landscape with native species: Prevent invasive pests from destroying native trees and habitats while also promoting biodiversity and bee health.