About the practice
David Meade, Principal Architect
Piper Cole Architects is a licensed architecture practice in Kirkland, Washington. One architect leads every project from the first sketch to the last site visit, across Seattle and the Eastside since 2000.
The first feasibility check is free. You speak to the architect, not a salesperson.
The short version
You will be working with David
Most architecture firms sell you a brand and hand you a team. This one does not work that way. David Meade is the principal, he is the person who takes the first call, and he is the person who draws the building.
That matters most on the projects this practice does best: houses on difficult lots, lakefront and waterfront sites with shoreline constraints, and older homes that need to change shape without losing what they are. On those, the decisions that set the budget happen early, in conversation, and they are hard to delegate.
The first feasibility check is free and usually takes about a day, and you speak to the architect, not to a salesperson.
History
Since 2000, Redmond to Kirkland
David Meade founded Piper Cole Architects in 2000, in Redmond, Washington. The practice is now based in Kirkland and works across nineteen cities on both sides of Lake Washington.
The work has always split between homes and workspaces. Alongside private houses the practice has designed parks, recreation centres and community spaces, and it currently has a restaurant, a temple and a racquet sports facility on the boards. Its work has won three Masonry Excellence Awards and a Seattle Times Home of the Month, and has been featured in Above The Lake and Lux magazines.
What has not changed in that time is the shape of the practice. It is principal led on purpose, and it is deliberately small.
The work
What this practice actually does
Six kinds of project, one architect. The middle column tells you where on this site the real numbers for each one are kept.
| Type of project | Where the numbers live | Typical scope |
|---|---|---|
| Custom homes | Cost to build, Seattle 2026 | New houses on virgin lots and teardown rebuilds, including lakefront |
| Additions and second stories | $350 to $650 a sq ft | Rear additions, bump outs, full second floors |
| Whole house remodels | By depth of work | Floor plan changes, structural openings, full reconfiguration |
| ADUs and DADUs | By lot and type | Attached and detached accessory dwellings |
| Kitchens and bathrooms | By scope | Usually inside a larger remodel |
| Commercial | $80 to $400 a sq ft | Tenant improvements, retail, medical, restaurant, small mixed use |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column
Figures are 2026 construction costs already published on this site, not estimates written for this page. Follow the links below for the full tables and the calculators behind them.
Credentials
What can be checked
David Meade is AIA and NCARB, and a licensed architect in the State of Washington. Piper Cole Architects has been in practice since 2000.
The practice’s designs have won three Masonry Excellence Awards and a Seattle Times Home of the Month award, and the work has been featured in Above The Lake and Lux magazines. That is a fair question and it deserves a straight answer rather than a badge on a website.
Straight talk
You probably do not legally need an architect
Washington does not require an architect’s stamp on a single family house, or on any residential building of up to four dwelling units, whatever its size. That is RCW 18.08.410, and any firm that tells you otherwise is selling you something with a fact that is not true.
People hire an architect anyway, for reasons that have nothing to do with the law: a difficult lot, a permit that keeps coming back, a floor plan that will not resolve, a contractor who needs drawings precise enough to price, or a budget that has to survive contact with a shoreline setback.
If your project is not one of those, David will say so on the first call. Turning down work that does not need doing is cheaper than doing it badly.
Working together
How a project runs
Every project here follows the same path, whatever its size.
You will know what the building is likely to cost before drawings go far enough to be expensive, because the cost conversation happens early and in plain numbers rather than at the end as a surprise.
- A free first feasibility check, usually about a day. The site, the intent, the budget and whether the project is worth doing at all.
- Feasibility. What the lot, the code and the zoning will actually allow, including critical areas and shoreline rules where they apply.
- Design. Plans that resolve the brief, developed with you rather than presented to you.
- Permit set. Drawings the jurisdiction will accept, submitted and then defended through review comments.
- Construction. Drawings a contractor can price and build from, with the architect still reachable while it is being built.
Where
Seattle and the Eastside
The practice works across nineteen cities: Kirkland, Seattle, Bellevue, Redmond, Mercer Island, Issaquah, Sammamish, Bothell, Woodinville, Shoreline, Renton, Medina, Kenmore, Newcastle, Edmonds, Snoqualmie, Duvall, Lake Forest Park and Lynnwood.
Each of those has its own permit track, its own timeline and its own habits at review. Knowing which counter you are standing at is a large part of what you are paying an architect for on the Eastside.
Questions
The things people ask first
Who will I actually work with?
David Meade, the principal. He takes the first call, does the design work and stays on the project through permitting and construction. The practice is small on purpose.
What does an architect cost?
I quote a fixed fee for design and permit, set by the project budget and location; most fall between $10,000 and $200,000 depending on scope. The fees page carries the full breakdown and a calculator that takes your own construction budget.
Do I legally need an architect for my house?
In Washington, almost certainly not. RCW 18.08.410 exempts single family homes and residential buildings of up to four units from the stamp requirement, whatever the size. People hire an architect for difficult lots, permits and buildability, not because a law forces them to.
Do you work on small projects?
Yes, although not every small project needs an architect. Send the details and you will get an honest answer about whether it does before anyone starts charging you.
Do you do commercial work as well as houses?
Yes. Tenant improvements, retail, medical and dental, restaurants and small mixed use, alongside the residential work. Commercial construction in Seattle currently runs $80 to $400 a square foot depending on the space.
How do I start?
Call 425 753 6452 or message on WhatsApp with the address, what you are trying to do and roughly what you had in mind to spend. The first feasibility check is free and usually takes about a day.
Go deeper
What to read next
- Architect fees8% to 15% of construction, with a calculator
- Do you need an architect?What Washington law does and does not require
- The processHow a project runs from first call to site
- ProjectsCompleted work
- Custom home designNew houses and rebuilds
- Lakefront and waterfront homesShoreline rules and what they add
- Home additionsRear additions and second stories
- Commercial architectureTenant improvements and buildouts
Where
Cities covered
- KirklandThe home city
- SeattleCity permits and design review
- BellevuePermit tracks and timelines
- RedmondWhere the practice started
- Mercer IslandCritical areas and shoreline
- All 19 citiesPermit timelines city by city
Next step
Tell David what you are trying to build
Send the address, what you want to do and roughly what you had in mind to spend. You will get a straight answer about whether the project needs an architect at all. The first feasibility check is free and usually takes about a day.