General Contractor in Burien, WA
Burien grew fast after the Second World War, and much of the city is 1940s to 1960s ramblers on good-sized lots, with view homes along the water in Seahurst and Gregory Heights and around Lake Burien.
- Licensed, bonded, insured (#PACIFWC905PQ)
- Free line-item estimates
- One lead, start to finish
Serving Seattle, the Eastside, Everett to Olympia
Get a free estimate
Takes about a minute. Photos optional.
Those houses are now due for the big updates, and on some lots, the land is worth more than the house sitting on it. Part of the job here is deciding whether to renovate, add on or rebuild.
Burien jobs we take on
- Kitchens: Small rambler kitchens opened to the dining room. See our approach to kitchen remodels.
- Bathroom renovation: The one hall bath rebuilt with a new tub or walk-in shower. See what a full bathroom rebuild includes.
- Siding replacement: worn wood and hardboard siding, especially on the water-facing walls.
Renovating a postwar rambler
A Burien rambler typically has two or three bedrooms, one or one and a half baths, a small kitchen, single-pane or early replacement windows, and wiring and plumbing from when it was built. Renovating one well means doing the hidden work while the walls are open: electrical updates, replacing galvanized water lines, insulation and new windows, then drywall, floors and paint. Planned as one project, the trades come out once and nothing gets torn up twice. If the house has a basement or a crawl space, we check it for moisture and the foundation for cracks before planning the finishes.
Prefer to talk first? Call (206) 860-6901
View homes near the water
Houses near Seahurst and the bluffs take more wind and rain on their west sides. Siding, windows, decks and trim on those walls wear out first, and that's where we look hardest for rot at the walk-through. Steep lots near the water can also fall under critical-area rules for exterior and structural work.
Room for a backyard cottage
Burien's postwar lots are often larger than city lots in Seattle, and many have room behind the house for a detached accessory dwelling unit. The city's rules set the size, height and setbacks, and utilities decide the cost as much as the building does. We check the lot and the sewer and power connections before you pay for design, so you know whether a cottage is realistic.
Teardowns and rebuilds
On some Burien lots, replacing an old house with a new home or a duplex makes more sense than remodeling, and Washington's newer housing laws have opened more lots to small multi-unit homes. We look at zoning, utilities, the site and cost before you decide, and we'll price both paths when it's a real question.
Permits in Burien
Inside city limits, permits come from Burien's Community Development Permit Center, which takes applications through MyBuildingPermit. White Center and some nearby areas with Burien-area addresses are in unincorporated King County, where King County Permitting issues them. We check your parcel first.
Next door, see work we do in West Seattle and work we do in Tukwila. Farther south, see work we do in Federal Way, or all the areas served.
Questions, answered
Should we renovate our Burien rambler or tear it down?
It depends on the condition of the house, what zoning allows on the lot, and your budget. We price both paths when it's a real question.
Can you tear down our house and build a duplex?
Possibly, depending on Burien's zoning, the lot and utilities. We check feasibility before design.
Who issues permits in Burien?
The City of Burien inside city limits. King County for unincorporated areas like White Center.
Do you handle the whole renovation?
Yes. We run the project with one lead and one schedule, including electrical, plumbing, windows and finishes.
Do you check the crawl space before a renovation?
Yes. A damp crawl space, old ducts or a cracked foundation wall changes the plan, so we look underneath before planning any finishes.
Your project, priced line by line
Tell us what you're planning. We'll set up a free walk-through and send an estimate with every cost listed, so you decide what's in.
- No obligation
- Takes about a minute
- Photos optional