HI DANIELLE

The Vashon House, One Decision at a Time

Two buildings we could put on the land: Path 1 is a 450 sf cabin now (it becomes the guest house/ADU later). Path 2 is the 1,300 sf house. Every section of the building has five quality levels. Pick a level for each, for each path, and the totals update. Tap "what the levels mean" under any section for what each level actually feels like to live with. When you land on a mix you like, tap Share this mix and the link saves your exact choices.

These are owner-built planning ranges with 15% contingency, including everything: septic, well hookup, driveway, sprinklers, permits, design. Not bids.

V2, Aug 10: adjusted after an independent estimator pressure-test. Prices raised where challenged, missing site scope added (pad excavation, gutters/landings, disposal/temp facilities), and sales tax (~8.9%) + 2027-28 escalation now inside the totals. These are planning-grade numbers, not best-case ones.

PATH 1 · 450 sf
PATH 2 · 1,300 sf
GAP
P2 minus P1

The fine print (the honest kind)

  • Fixed for both paths, already in the totals: site work $82k (septic $42k, driveway, water + power hookup, stormwater), fire sprinklers, permits, insurance, ferry logistics. The land costs the same no matter what we build on it.
  • Every level meets the same building and energy code. Level 1 is not "worse built," it is simpler, more salvage, and more of Brandon's hours. Insulation is the clearest example: all five levels hit the required wall assembly (R-21 in the wall PLUS continuous foam outside it); higher levels just buy it new and go beyond.
  • Low levels assume real deal-hunting and the cabin salvage (kitchen, wood stove, doors, oak floor) surviving the takedown in good shape.
  • Level 1–2 framing is a different-looking building than the current architect direction: simpler shape, lower ceilings, no big exposed beams. That conversation is the point of this tool.
  • Deadline that matters: the 2024 WA codes take effect May 3, 2027. A complete building-permit application must be filed before then to lock in the 2021 code package these numbers assume.
  • Roof panels run down the 22 ft slope, not the 54 ft length — ~24-26 ft panels, standard delivery, DIY-installable even as standing seam. Levels 4–5 were repriced accordingly (about $8–9k off the big house at level 5).
  • Path 2 at the aggressive mix is roughly 2,500–3,000 hours of Brandon over 18–24 months. That is the biggest number on this page and it never shows in dollars.
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