Designing a home from the ground up is one of the most rewarding—and personal—projects you'll ever take on. Whether you're moving from Seattle, downsizing after retirement, or building your forever home on family land, the Western Puget Sound offers a beautiful setting for intentional living. With wooded lots, coastal views, and a slower pace of life, it’s the perfect place to create a home that reflects your values and lifestyle.

At Studio Kamppari, we specialize in Scandinavian-inspired design that emphasizes simplicity, warmth, and natural materials. If you're considering designing a home in Kitsap County or its surroundings, here is what to know before you begin.

1. Start with the Land

Every great home design starts with understanding the land. Kitsap County has a wide variety of properties—wooded acreage, in-town lots, waterfront parcels—each with its own opportunities and constraints.

Consider:

Site orientation: Where does the sun rise and set? How can you maximize natural light?
Topography: Sloped sites can inspire unique solutions but may affect cost.
Views and privacy: How can you frame the landscape while maintaining a sense of retreat?
Zoning and setbacks: Check with your local planning department (city or county) early in the process.

Tip: Involve your architect as early as possible—even before you purchase land. We can help evaluate site potential and avoid costly surprises.

2. Clarify Your Vision and Lifestyle

Your home should support how you want to live—not just now, but in the years to come. We encourage our clients to think beyond square footage and must-haves and instead focus on how their home could help them live a better life.

Ask yourself:

What does a “good day at home” look like?
Do you need space for guests, hobbies, or working from home?
How much maintenance are you comfortable with?
Why do you want to build?

These are your needs and wants. Needs define the minimum requirements, while wants shape the personality and character of your home.

3. Align Your Budget with Your Priorities

In Kitsap County, the cost to build a custom home typically ranges from $600 to $900 per square foot, depending on factors like design complexity, material choices, and site conditions. It’s essential to approach the process with a clear understanding of your total investment—not just construction costs. Your overall budget should account for everything from design and permitting to site work, finishes, and landscaping.

Construction costs
Design and engineering fees
Permitting and site prep
Landscaping, furniture, and finishes
Finance costs

We help our clients prioritize what matters most—often encouraging quality over quantity, and light-filled simplicity over unnecessary square footage.

4. Choose the Right Team

Designing a home is a deeply collaborative process. Surround yourself with people who listen well, communicate clearly, and share your values.

You’ll need:

A licensed architect who understands both the technical and aesthetic aspects of homebuilding
A builder familiar with best practices, materials, and subcontractors
Potentially a structural engineer, interior designer, landscape architect, or other specialist consultants depending on your project

At Studio Kamppari, we often work with clients from concept through construction, coordinating with trusted professionals to bring your vision to life.

Tip: It is common for the owner to have separate contracts with the builder and the architect. During construction, the architect acts as the owner's advocate.

5. Embrace the Process

Designing a home in Kitsap County takes time—usually 12–18 months from design to move-in, depending on permitting and construction timelines. It’s not a race. It’s an experience.

Our process highlights clarify and care:

Clarity
We use iterative sketches, models, and material samples to ensure that every design decision moves the project in a desirable direction. Good communication and clear visualization are essential to aligning your vision with what gets built.

Care
It’s surprisingly hard to make something feel simple. Fussy is easy—refined simplicity takes time, rigor, and restraint. We pay close attention to proportion, flow, and building performance, ensuring that your home is not only beautiful, but enduring, efficient, and a joy to live in.

Want to Take the Next Step?

If you’re dreaming of a home that’s warm, minimal, and designed for how you want to live, we’d love to talk. Studio Kamppari offers full architectural services for custom homes and remodels throughout Kitsap County — send us a note.

Five Steps to Design a House: A Guide for PNW Homeowners