About Contractor Local
Contractor Local publishes guides to home projects in Seattle and the Eastside: what they cost, what the city requires and how to hire well. We started it because most advice on roofs, remodels and permits is written for an average American house in an average climate, and Puget Sound houses are neither.
What makes a local guide different
A national article will tell you a roof lasts 25 years. Here, under tall firs with eight months of drizzle, moss can halve that. A national article will say a deck under 30 inches needs no permit; it will not tell you that Kirkland's tree code may still decide where your footings go. The difference between a useful answer and a generic one is usually a local detail.
How we research
- Costs come from typical installed prices in the Seattle area, cross-checked against published cost data and conversations with working contractors. We publish ranges, never single numbers, and say what moves them.
- Permit statements come from each city's building department and code, and every page links to the city's own source so you can check it.
- Licensing and consumer rules come from Washington's Department of Labor & Industries, the Department of Commerce and the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.
- Materials information comes from manufacturer installation and warranty documents.
What we do not do
We do not publish ranked lists of companies, accept payment to change what a guide says, or present estimates as quotes. The cost ranges on this site are for planning; a contractor's written estimate after a site visit is the number that counts.
Corrections
Permit rules, fees and codes change. If you find something on a page that no longer matches what your city says, email [email protected] and we will check and correct it.