Design-Build & Structural Engineering in Redmond, WA
ECD works in Redmond from our Bellevue office, about 9 miles and 20 minutes away via SR 520. Redmond homeowners most often hire us for whole-home remodels of 1970s and 1980s two-stories on Education Hill and Grass Lawn, ADUs on established lots, and kitchen remodels that remove bearing walls.
Getting a remodel permitted in Redmond
The City of Redmond reviews residential building permits through MyBuildingPermit.com. Interior structural remodels go through building review with stamped calculations. Additions, ADUs and exterior changes that add impervious surface also pass through zoning and stormwater review.
One review is more prominent in Redmond than in its neighbors. Redmond draws a large share of its drinking water from wells, and the city regulates critical aquifer recharge areas to protect that groundwater. Projects in those areas can face extra requirements on excavation, fill and the materials stored or used on site, which matters for foundations, ADUs and anything with significant digging. Redmond also has tree protection rules for significant trees on residential lots.
Redmond's housing stock and what it means for remodels
Much of Redmond's single-family housing was built from the late 1960s through the 1980s, when the city grew from a small town into a technology center. Education Hill, Grass Lawn and Idylwood are full of two-story and split-level houses from that period, framed with roof trusses and dimensional-lumber floors over crawlspaces or partial basements. They are solid houses with dated layouts: closed kitchens, formal living rooms that go unused and small primary bathrooms.
For a remodel, trusses are good and bad news. A truss roof usually means interior walls on the upper floor are not bearing roof load, which frees up bedroom layouts. On the main floor, walls under the upper floor's bearing lines still carry load, so opening the kitchen to the family room usually means a beam. North Redmond and Southeast Redmond add newer subdivisions from the 1990s onward, built with engineered lumber and HOA design rules.
Site constraints common in Redmond
- Critical aquifer recharge areas that add conditions to excavation and site work.
- Salmon-bearing streams including Bear Creek and Evans Creek, and the Sammamish River corridor, with buffers and floodplain rules.
- Lake Sammamish shoreline lots in Idylwood under shoreline review.
- HOA architectural review in many North Redmond and Southeast Redmond subdivisions.
- Tree protection on lots with significant trees, especially on Education Hill.
Projects completed in Redmond
PROJECT · EDUCATION HILL1970s two-story reorganized around an open main floorTwo bearing walls replaced with beams, a rear bump-out, heat pump and new panel.Redmond neighborhoods we serve
Bear Creek, Downtown Redmond, Education Hill, Grass Lawn, Idylwood, North Redmond, Overlake, Sammamish Valley, Southeast Redmond, Willows/Rose Hill.
Redmond questions
Remodeling in Redmond: common questions
How does Redmond's aquifer protection affect a remodel?
Interior remodels are rarely affected. Projects with significant excavation, such as new foundations, ADUs or basements, in a critical aquifer recharge area can face conditions on digging depth, fill material and handling of fuels and chemicals on site. We check the city's maps for your parcel during feasibility so any conditions are built into the design and budget.
Can I open my kitchen to the family room in a 1970s Redmond two-story?
Usually. In most Education Hill and Grass Lawn two-stories the wall between kitchen and family room sits under upper-floor walls or floor joists, so it is bearing and needs a beam. The beam is often hidden in the floor system above. Our engineer confirms the load path and beam depth during the first visit.
Do Redmond HOAs need to approve my addition?
In many North Redmond and Southeast Redmond subdivisions, yes. HOA covenants commonly require architectural review of exterior changes, including additions, ADUs, roof changes and siding. Approval usually comes before the city permit is submitted. We prepare the elevations and material information most review committees request.
Are ADUs common on Redmond lots?
They are growing more common. Redmond allows attached and detached ADUs on single-family lots under rules aligned with state requirements. Older neighborhoods like Education Hill and Grass Lawn have larger lots where DADUs fit more easily; newer subdivisions may have HOA covenants that limit detached structures, which we check first.
Free estimate · Bellevue office
Talk to the engineer before you commit to a plan
A site visit, a scope conversation and a written budget range, at no cost.