The city where "dated" usually means 1994
Redmond's housing boom ran through the 1980s and 90s, and that produces a very specific kind of project. The bones are usually sound — the framing is fine, the foundation is fine, the roof has probably been replaced once. What is finished is the finish: oak cabinets, laminate counters, a bathroom with a fiberglass surround, a formal dining room nobody uses, and a kitchen walled off from the family room by a wall that was never structural in the first place.
Those projects go well when they are planned properly, because the unknowns are smaller than in older housing. We spend the planning time on layout instead of on archaeology: where the island wants to be, whether the pantry can move, what happens to the sightline from the front door when the wall comes out.
Neighborhoods we work in
Education Hill · Grass Lawn · Idylwood · Overlake · Bear Creek · Willows · Sammamish Valley · Redmond Ridge · Novelty Hill · Downtown Redmond
Permits and inspections in Redmond
Redmond addresses inside the city limits are permitted by the City of Redmond. Some areas people call "Redmond" — parts of Novelty Hill, Union Hill and the surrounding rural fringe — are actually unincorporated King County, which means a different permit authority, different rules and often different timelines. That distinction alone has surprised more than one homeowner, so we confirm the jurisdiction for your parcel before quoting the process.
Lots along Bear Creek, the Sammamish River corridor and the wetland edges can bring in critical-area review. Newer Redmond Ridge and Novelty Hill neighborhoods frequently also have an HOA or architectural committee whose approval is separate from — and no substitute for — a city permit. We work through both.
What we build in Redmond
- Opening up 1990s kitchens into the family room and building a working island
- Primary bathroom rebuilds replacing fiberglass surrounds with tiled, properly waterproofed showers
- Additions and bonus-room build-outs on Education Hill and Grass Lawn
- Full-house updates: flooring, millwork, lighting, paint and doors as one coordinated package
- Decks and covered outdoor areas built for actual Northwest weather
- New custom homes and rebuilds on Redmond infill lots
Redmond at a glance
- Based in Kirkland — Redmond is a core service area
- We pull the permits and meet the inspectors
- Written, itemized estimates — no verbal numbers
- Bonded and insured in Washington
- Free walkthrough, written estimate
What Redmond lets you build in the back yard, in 2026
Washington rewrote the accessory dwelling unit rules statewide, and Redmond rewrote its code to match. Most of what homeowners here believe about ADUs is two or three years out of date.
| What people ask | Redmond, 2026 |
|---|---|
| How many you can build | Two ADUs or tiny homes on every residential lot |
| Biggest detached unit | 1,000 sq ft; the administrator may allow more on a lot over 10,000 sq ft or where the unit takes a full floor of the house |
| Height | The maximum height of your underlying zone — ADUs are exempt from the 22 ft accessory-structure cap |
| Parking | None. Redmond's parking table lists zero required spaces for an accessory dwelling unit |
| Owner occupancy | Not required. Washington abolished it statewide under RCW 36.70A.681 — you do not have to live on the lot to have an ADU, and you may rent both units |
| Who issues the permit | City of Redmond Development Services Center |
Worth knowing in Redmond
Redmond rewrote its ADU rules in RZC 21.04.1110. The old section 21.08.220 — one unit per lot, owner occupancy, no separate sale — is superseded but still sits online, and most 2026 blog posts are still quoting it.
Ready-made plans
Redmond has no pre-approved plan programme.
Source: RZC 21.04.1110, current through Ordinance 3261 (June 2026), plus RCW 36.70A.681. Checked 4 September 2026. Codes in this region are being rewritten faster than any web page keeps up with — we verify your parcel against the code in force on the day we submit, not against a summary.
Four ways to add a unit — a new detached building, the garage, the basement or a suite inside the house — with a calculator that takes your own numbers: see all four and what each returns →
What it costs: a new detached unit on the Eastside runs roughly $325,000 to $550,000 all in, and advertised "starting at" prices leave out $120,000 to $180,000 of site, utility and permit work. Here is the whole number, line by line →
Building in Redmond: what works in your favor
- Redmond runs its own e-permitting portal — we prepare the package to their checklist so review starts clean.
- School impact fees are currently waived for ADUs in Redmond.
- Steady tech-hub rental demand makes ADUs here one of the strongest payback cases on the Eastside.
Statewide, Washington law (HB 1337) is on your side in Redmond: up to two ADUs are allowed on most residential lots, a detached ADU may be up to 24 ft tall with side and rear setbacks of no more than 5 ft, units up to 1,000 sq ft must be permitted, there is no owner-occupancy requirement, and no parking can be required near major transit.
Rules change and every lot is different — we verify your exact address with the city before any design work. This page is information, not legal advice.
Redmond questions we get asked
Is my address City of Redmond or unincorporated King County?
Our HOA has an architectural committee. Do you deal with that?
Can that kitchen wall come out?
Nearby areas we serve
Building in Redmond? Let's talk.
Tell us about your project — we'll listen, come out, and give you an honest number.
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Tell us about your project — we'll come out, listen, and give you an honest number.
Call or text(425) 866-3940Email: office@nwhomesremodel.com
Hours: Mon–Fri 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM · Sat by appointment
Based in Kirkland, WA — serving the Eastside and Greater Seattle