Ballard Remodeling & Construction
From the old Nordic millworker bungalows along NW 65th to the skinny new townhomes off Market Street, Ballard is two housing stocks living in one ZIP. We remodel both — and build the backyard cottages that make this one of Seattle's most ADU-dense neighborhoods.
Building in Ballard: the housing stock, the projects, the site notes
Ballard's housing stock splits hard. North and east of Ballard Avenue you'll find 1905–1930 Craftsman and Scandinavian-vernacular bungalows — fir floors, boxed-beam ceilings, knob-and-tube wiring and original single-pane sash windows that the salt air has been chewing on for a century. South and west toward the locks and Salmon Bay, post-2010 townhome rows dominate, built fast and tight on lots that were once single homes. A contractor working in Ballard has to be fluent in both: gentle restoration on the old, and warranty-and-envelope correction on the new.
The most common Ballard projects we're called for are kitchen remodels that open up the cramped original galley, basement and garage conversions into AADUs, and detached DADUs in the deep back lots that the platted blocks here happen to allow. Ballard's larger interior lots and the city's ADU reforms make it one of the strongest backyard-cottage markets in Seattle — we've designed two-bedroom DADUs that rent at the top of the local range while still clearing lot-coverage and the tree-protection rules around Ballard's mature street trees.
Then there's the air. Ballard sits right on the marine edge — Shilshole, the ship canal, Salmon Bay — and the wind-driven rain and salt-laden air punish a wall assembly far harder than it does five miles inland. We don't treat a Ballard exterior like an interior-Seattle one. Every siding, deck and window job here gets a true rainscreen gap, stainless or hot-dipped fasteners, generous head flashing, and rot-resistant trim, because the failure mode near the water is moisture intrusion, not sun. On the original bungalows we also assume lead paint and work to EPA RRP containment, since nearly all of pre-war Ballard predates 1978.
On the permitting side, Ballard's mix of historic structures and the Ballard Avenue Landmark District means some blocks carry design-review or landmark considerations that a generic remodeler will miss. We check the parcel against SDCI zoning, the tree rules, and any overlay before a single drawing is finalized — so the design we hand you is the design that actually gets permitted, not a redraw three weeks later.
Design-build services for Ballard homes
Design, permitting and craftsmanship under one accountable roof.
Honest Seattle budget ranges
Construction is custom, but you deserve real numbers up front. These are typical Seattle ranges; your fixed bid comes after a free in-home consult in Ballard.
| Project | Typical Seattle range |
|---|---|
| Bathroom remodel | $25,000 – $60,000 |
| Kitchen remodel | $45,000 – $120,000 |
| Home addition | from $95,000 |
| Whole-home remodel | from $120,000 |
| DADU / backyard cottage | $250,000 – $450,000 |
| Seismic retrofit | $5,000 – $15,000 |
Prices in USD. Every Ballard project gets a written, fixed-scope estimate after a free in-home consultation. Financing available.
Your Ballard questions, answered
Can I build a DADU on a typical Ballard lot?
Many Ballard lots can — the neighborhood's deeper interior lots and Seattle's 2019 ADU reforms make it one of the better backyard-cottage markets in the city. The catch in Ballard is usually lot coverage and the mature street-tree protections. We run a feasibility study on your exact parcel before you spend on design.
My Ballard bungalow is near the water — what extra do you do for moisture?
Marine air and wind-driven rain near Shilshole and the locks are far harder on a wall than inland Seattle. We build Ballard exteriors with a true rainscreen gap, stainless/hot-dipped fasteners, full head and pan flashing, and rot-resistant trim — the difference between siding that lasts decades and siding that fails in years.
Do Ballard remodels need landmark or design review?
Some do. Properties on or near Ballard Avenue fall under the Ballard Avenue Landmark District, and other blocks trigger SDCI design review. We check every parcel against landmark, overlay and zoning rules up front so your permitted design matches what we showed you.
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