New, custom homes are a breath of fresh air for our designers and coworkers. Quite literally, when compared to the sometimes raunchy indoor air quality implications of tearing into older homes, building a new home is a blessing.
We build a new home every few years and most of them have been outgrowths of a possible remodeling project. The reasons to change paths towards a new structure have varied, but one characteristic common to all is how simple and straight forward they are to design and build. No clients living in the midst of a remodel project; no surprises like bugs, rot and substandard construction; no design constraints in trying to blend new specifications with old. A clean slate!
Allow us to share a few of these projects with you!
Very green, energy efficient home in a private Skagit County setting
Challenge: A weatherization guru and wetlands specialist wanted a small, practical home perched atop a knoll in a birders' paradise.
Solution: green aspects include: 50-year composition roofing; Rastra perimeter foundation; stained/scored slab; blown-in cellulose wall insulation; super-insulated ceiling (R-47); FSC-certified framing (2"x4" through 2"x12") and plywood sheathing (1/2" and 3/4"); salvaged lumber; free-standing propane fireplace as primary heat; Smokey Point wood windows.
Aspects we performed: design and construction.
Client name: privacy requested.
Client address: privacy requested.
Small, in-fill home using insulated concrete form (ICF) construction
Challenge: build our greenest home to date (2004) while impacting as few trees as possible.
Solution: green aspects include: lifetime-warranty composition roofing; unvented crawlspace; blown-in cellulose insulation; Rastra exterior walls; on-demand water heater; subfloor (T&G fir car decking) doubles as the finish flooring; FSC-certified framing and sheathing; salvaged lumber; used building materials from the RE Store; low-VOC paints.
Aspects we performed: design and construction.
Client name: Rick Dubrow and Cindi Landreth.
Client address: 516 Ridgeway Drive, Bellingham. 
Craftsman-style home in the county
Challenge: build a new custom home on family-owned acreage in the county.
Solution: built a new home, including the septic system, driveway, and pump-house. Attention was paid to the request for a Craftsman-style home providing adequate guest space and integrating the home into the landscape. Landscaping work is yet to be installed by the homeowner.
Aspects we performed: design and construction.
Client name: privacy requested.
Client address: privacy requested. 
A new home emerges from the ashes of a former structure!
Challenge: remodel a rather run-down home into a very nice home.
Solution: after performing the design work, and then bidding, the remodel, the price reached $160,000. His reaction to our bid: ”I might as well burn the house down!" So we told him we'd check it out. With the help of the Chuckanut Fire Department we did burn it down and built him a brand new custom home for about the same price! This home provided the requested display space for the original owner’s art collection. Careful attention was paid to preserving the beautiful Chuckanut Bay view.
Aspects we performed: design and construction.
Client name: privacy requested.
Client address: 1247 Chuckanut Drive, Bellingham 
Four bedroom custom home on Alabama Hill
Challenge: design and build a new, custom home on a rather shallow lot in the Alabama Hill area.
Solution: designed and built this four bedroom home. The design work started using a stock plan the client had purchased. The site was chosen for its excellent access to the trail system of Whatcom Falls Park. The client requested no interior photos be taken.
Aspects we performed: design and construction.
Client name: privacy requested.
Client address: privacy requested.“Over the years, A-1 Builders has done numerous projects for me, both at my home and at my office. Several years ago, I frantically called A-1 Builders to come in and fix a project that another contractor had botched. They were there quickly and completed the job in a way that far surpassed my expectations. Since that time, A-1 Builders has become the only company I call for my building and renovating needs. They do consistent, quality work and are a pleasure to work with.” - Greg Boos, Attorney
Straw bale home becomes a reality, built by the clients themselves
Challenge: design a new, low impact, easy to build home so that the resulting design could be constructed by Cindi's clients 
Solution: this energy-efficient home is constructed of straw bales covered with up to an inch of plaster coating. The 18" thick walls provide excellent soundproofing, a smooth, soft look and accommodate oversized window sills big enough to sit in. The home is heated by the radiant heat in the concrete slab floor.
Aspects we performed: designed by Cindi Landreth while at Landreth Home Design.
Client name: Mark & Kathryn Weilage.
Client address: 3012 Kelbay Avenue, Bellingham.
