RENOVATING? 

FINDING AND OVERSEEING THE RIGHT LOCAL CONTRACTORS 

Whether you’re building a new home or repairing/renovating an existing structure, one of the most difficult aspects of construction here in Chelan is finding and hiring the right contractor(s) who are not completely backlogged with other projects. But even when you hire the best contractors available, there is no substitute for continuous on-site inspections of the construction progress. Many if not most conflicts between owners and contractors are not due to poor service and/or workmanship. They can usually be traced to poor communication. Regular and timely site visits by the property owner helps ensure that the work is being done according to agreed-upon specifications and scheduling. But since routine site visits by property owners are often not practical, hiring an independent inspector with construction expertise can be the next best thing. That concept applies whether you're building a new home or replacing an old deck. Being local, Chelan Houseworks is able to perform these types of brief and timely site visits -- daily if necessary-- at a minimal cost to ensure that owner/contractor miscommunication issues do not devolve into annoying and costly construction delays and/or errors. 

BUYING OR BUILDING?

CREATIVE SOLUTIONS AND/OR FEASIBILITY STUDIES FOR CHALLENGING BUILDING SITES 

Tendering an offer to a property seller that is contingent upon a satisfactory feasibility study is commonplace for challenging properties. Real estate agents encounter such contingincies regularly.  Maybe the subject property slopes. Or it’s rocky. Or both. What sort of floor plan will take maximum advantage of a view? Where’s the best spot to park your cars, trucks and water toys? Where would your guests and visitors park? What about the logistics for utility connections and connection fees? Are there drainage issues to address? How do you plan for a foundation that won’t bust your budget before the first load of framing lumber shows up (a common problem around here)? And what about the permit process? Unless your budget for a home design and construction is of no concern, you might consider consulting with Chelan Houseworks first; because, from the standpoints of cost projection and construction scheduling, these are initial issues that anyone should address completely before employing an architect, builder or engineer (or even going through with a purchase for that matter).  We can help you arrive at creative and personalized solutions for these issues in exchange for a reasonable and transparent hourly fee.

 NEED DESIGN ASSISTANCE?

DESIGN SERVICES FOR NEW AND EXISTING HOMES 

You may have a rough idea of what you would like to build (or rebuild / remodel). Maybe you’ve sketched something with pencil and paper; or seen some designs online that might be close to what you want. It doesn’t matter where your ideas came from. We have the expertise to convert those ideas to a complete CAD-designed house and site plan. And to help you visualize your project, you will have as many opportunities as you wish to assist in the design work remotely in real time.  We do this by setting up an online conference on Zoom and utilize the screen share feature. These sessions can include virtual walk-throughs. 

BUILDING PERMIT ASSISTANCE AND EXPEDITING 

The process for obtaining a building permit varies with each individual project. The management of that process is typically delegated to the builder, assuming you have a permit-ready design in hand and you’ve already hired one. Of course you could also manage the permit process yourself, or even perform as an owner-builder yourself, assuming you have the time, expertise and patience for it. But since Chelan is primarily a resort town, many properties are owned by folks who live and work elsewhere; and it just makes sense to delegate those responsibilities to someone who is both local and well-versed in home construction. We can do that too.

 For about 30 years, since the 1980s, my wife Cheri and I ran a small homebuilding business in the Seattle suburbs (mostly Bothell and Woodinville) by the name of Storybook Homes Inc. We built about 80 spec homes during that time and often gravitated toward lots that had been shunned by the market for whatever reasons; some with spectacular views. These properties usually presented multiple logistics challenges that were downright scary to both builders and prospective buyers. But we always approached these challenges with the same mindset: there are no such things as problems, only solutions that haven’t been thought of yet. It basically came down to whether the risk/reward factors made economic sense . When it comes to building homes on tough sites, we were (and still are) problem solvers by choice.  

 Having personally (and recently) gone through the start-to-finish process of building our own home here in Chelan, we learned in advance that attempting to navigate this process from a distance (Western Washington, in our case) would be considerably more difficult and costly without local assistance. For that reason alone, we chose to move into a temporary rental so that we could manage the entire process locally. As a semi-retired couple, with extensive construction experience to boot, we had the luxury to do that as owner-builders. But unless you enjoy a similar set of circumstances, you might want to give us a call. We live here year round, five minutes from downtown Chelan. When it comes to pre-construction planning locally, no other local entity can offer these types of comprehensive and personalized services at a reasonable cost.