Lavallee Construction

A Custom Home with East Coast Flair

Looking at the expansive four-story, 5,000-square-foot home built into the rugged hillside facing Lake Sammamish, passersby would never guess it once was an unassuming and dated 2,000-square-foot house in desperate need of a facelift.

I've been practicing with my pizza oven and have cooked quite a few pizzas for data center friends with four pizzas cooked at the most. Last night we had a party for our construction party. With all these people, 1/2 of the people there are in the picture below. We needed to cook more than 4 pizzas. 12 is what we cooked, but I had enough dough for 15.

In their July 2011 edition, 425 Magazine awarded Lavallee Construction the distinction of being the "Best Remodeler" in their annual Best of 425. Additionally, we were voted Runner Up for Best Builder.

Thinking of building your new "dream home" or embarking on an improvement project? Now more than ever, construction can be chaotic without the right professionals to guide you along the way. Russ Lavallee, president of Lavallee Construction, notes that paying early attention to his Four C's - Caution, Communication, Costs and Contracts - will help pave the way to a good working relationship with your contractor, regardless of the size of your project.

When embarking on a kitchen remodel "first prepare a realistic budget and then search for someone who will work with you to achieve your dream kitchen," says Seattle homebuilder Russ Lavallee of Lavallee Construction.

Lavalle knows what he's talking about, too. He's been in the business of both new construction and renovating older homes for over 21 years.

Lavallee echoes our earlier sentiments about shifting variables affecting kitchen remodel estimates. But he is perfectly willing to work within a customer's budget. Remember, many contractors expect the opposite: you're supposed to adjust to their figures. Says Lavalle, "if a customer only has $5,000 to remodel a kitchen, I can tell them what their options are and what I can give them for that budget."

THERE ARE NO LONG, BORING DRIVES When the Ohara family goes on vacation. No plane tickets and nothing more than a tote bag to carry. The family simply steps out the back door of their home and walks down 224 stairs to their beach house on the shores of Washington's Lake Sammamish. "We use it three or four times a week in summer," says mom Hilary of the 850-square-foot retreat. "You can't even see it from the main house--you're in a completely different kind of environment down here."