Building new is always more than buying existing and in todays market even more so. If townhouses are more than $650k, what are houses going for? You will end up in the million dollar bracket easily if not pushing $1.25.

@User - Thank you for the advice! Buying two small condos is part of our options as well. There are also 3-storey townhouses available that have a bedroom in the ground floor, which is our setup right now and it's nice, but she still won't have all her privacy, we'll still have to share the common areas. In any case, this would probably be our next option if custom build didn't pan out.

Would increasing the square footage help meet our budget? :O

@millworkman - Houses typically go $750-900k in this area, but these are older, but have bigger square footage and land than what we want, with either same or more beds/baths. Would probably be the most suitable option going forward, and just update it when we settle in, but I feel like that would cost more in the long run. A really nice builder that we talked to has been quite honest with us. He mentioned that we might be more comfortable with a $900,000 budget for the custom build that we want.

Not really sure if it would do anything to look at cheaper areas, but that would mean going far, which would defeat the purpose of being nearer work.

"He mentioned that we might be more comfortable with a $900,000 budget for the custom build that we want."

Plus how much for the land?

Hi there - Thanks for such a nice summary of where you are on your journey and what you're looking for :) I'm in Washington state, too. I used to live in Kirkland and commute to the city, but now have land on the Olympic Peninsula.

One quick recommendation I'd like to offer, especially as you're not in a rush and are planning this as your forever home, is to find a plot that really resonates with you. Not necessarily leaning to what your chosen builder believes is the right spot (because builders can work wonders in many places).

As an example, I spent about a year looking for the land I have now. And I'm so glad I did. Not only do I feel most connected to this place, but over that time of searching through land for sale and visiting them, I learned to spot the gems and/or the patterns of what's typically offered and the price for same. It helped me to uncover what I really wanted and what I'd be lucky to have within my budget. It was a great eye-opening experience and helped me to jump on this immediately after my first visit. So if you can, I'd say it's worth taking the time to do similar :)

I'd also suggest buying the land first and simply observing it for a whole year before deciding what and how to disrupt the plot for a build. I benefited from seeing how the land shifted through the seasons. I noticed where there was a seasonal creek (not placed on the land survey), realized where the 'wind tunnel' was :) and of course the path of the sun - helping me to see the best location for a winter garden, and where I knew I wouldn't want to cast shadow through those months from a structure. I understand you're looking for a small plot, but even so, you may find similar benefits to the above. Or you may, like me, find a generous plot of land way beneath the asking price - giving you more than the desired .5 acre! All this is to say, it's helpful to be mindfully strategic (now) about the overall schedule, etc you're comfortable with moving forward.

I'm also in a very humble little home. It's a glorious lifestyle, so please don't feel pressured to build bigger. It's really unfortunate to know most builders you've talked with won't give a smaller home the time of day (I'm surprised you're getting that sort of reaction for your desired square footage, actually). Rather than perhaps contacting builders you found on Google, for instance, try smaller channels. I'm sure you'll find more aligned builders this way, those who are happy to build with a modest vision in mind.

I used to work for a small design/build firm (out of your area though), and we enjoyed the smaller focus because it aligned with their mission of sustainability, their team size, etc. So these builders are out there! I'd recommend asking for names of builders in a local Facebook group, or 'general contractors nearby' into Facebook's search engine. Many smaller companies will have a business page - because it's easier than trying to rank on search engines to find clients.

I hope these words help you to continue pushing forward as you are without feeling the need to shift your vision - because its a mighty good one!

@millworkman - I did respond asking him to clarify if that includes land and the finished house, etc. I assumed it didn't, but on the other hand we've only been talking in terms of an all-in budget (not house only). Still out of our range either way, though. :(

@Ashley Malouf - Thank you so, so much for your response. You have no idea how much that uplifted my spirits. You gave great advice as well, especially about feeling out the lands we have an eye on. Kirkland is getting more and more expensive each day, and where you have chosen to live is an amazing, beautiful piece of Washington state. We got married there (at Lake Crescent) and if we weren't such city-dwellers we'd be happy to settle in someplace similar. Alas!

I will start looking through Facebook. So far I've only gone through Google and Houzz. I'm just thankful that the builders I've talked to have been (brutally) honest with me and didn't waste my time when they weren't interested - it's something! :) Thank you again! <3

@M L You're so very welcome! I'm glad I can be of some help - and especially in uplifting your spirits! So lovely to know that you've made beautiful memories out here too - there's no place like Lake Crescent :) Good luck in building your very own paradise! Seek out the best of both worlds: that city-dweller sophistication alongside a sprinkle of natural luxury too :) Home is meant to hold it all.

Maybe find an existing home to remodel and add a granny flat?

Land prices are likely soaring in your area and that usually drives higher / larger priced homes to sit on said expensive land.

I’m on the Eastside (within your parameters :) and we built 3 years ago. I’m not familiar with land prices in Bothell or Renton but I don’t think you will find the land that you are looking for that will fit within your all in price range. I would be surprised if you could fit anything under $500K now that would be “easy” to build on. I would imagine that it would cost at least $600K to build what you want. If I were you I would look for a house with a daylight basement where you can feel like you have somewhat separate spaces. ADU’s are not cheap to build either. I do hope it works out for you.

Talk to local architects to their advice/experience on the local building environment, and to see which one you feel comfortable working with.

@barncatz - A weird coincidence, I just learned about prefab homes a couple of hours ago and have started looking into them! They seem to fit what we need, so we'll be setting up a consultation. How are you liking your home? Is it good quality? Since the ones I'm looking at already have ballpark pricing including site work, we'd have a better idea on how much of the budget to put into the land purchase.

Hi ML, we used a local company here in the Midwest back in 2005. The house was up, roofed and framed inside in two weeks.

I think there are a lot of variables in prefab and modular options. Ours had a poured, walk-out foundation that the walls were craned onto. We chose to finish the house ourselves during several years of weekends but, yes, I don't see any quality differences between this and our stick built home. I just saw that IKEA is pairing with a Wisconsin builder of really small homes - on wheels I think- and the fully finished and furnished home was adorable.

If you search for "Prefab homes" and choose .".. in Stories" in the Houzz search bar, you should find a fair number of threads and photos. Here's one I pulled quickly for you:

https://www.houzz.com/magazine/10-things-to-know-about-prefab-homes-stsetivw-vs~33040342

@barncatz - Thank you, a great read!! The prefab companies I've been finding seem to do the same process that you described, and sounds less stressful than a stick-build. I'm really excited to explore this option. :)

In todays age they are not much less expensive. They just get "installed/set up quicker.