Our custom residential posts.

A close up of a whiteboard with a sketched floor plan stuck to it with a magnet. A few figures are blurring in the background.
Ask a Designer, Custom Residential

Hiring an Architect vs. a Design-Build Firm

It’s a question that comes up fairly often: “Should I hire an architect and a separate general contractor, or hire a design-build firm as a one-stop-shop to both design and build my space?” There are pros and cons to each; but, before we jump in, let’s pause for a moment and take this conversation more slowly.

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A table stands center on a deck with built-in bench seating. There are three chairs at the table and it's decorated for a simple evening gathering. The trees surrounding the scene are illuminated with twinkle lights.
Custom Residential, Landscape Architecture

Planning All-Season Outdoor Spaces

Who says yards are just for summer? Here at Board & Vellum, we believe your outdoor spaces should be beautiful, functional, and awesome to hang out in no matter the season or weather. With a few special considerations, you can have an outdoor living space that's comfortable all year long — rain or shine.

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A large canvas tent is nestled within a grouping of trees and flowers. There are two people sitting inside it, drinking from mugs, sheltered from the weather.
Custom Residential, Landscape Architecture

Seven Tips for Enjoying Your Outdoor Spaces All Winter Long

We think embracing the outdoors is key to fully enjoying the winter season. If you live in Seattle, you might be scratching your head. Enjoying the outdoors in all this rain? In short, yes! There’s so much to enjoy this time of year, so take a leaf out of Scandinavia’s book and prepare to get cozy.

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Looking out over a Seattle marina in September 2020 during the wildfires. There's low smoke obscuring the view.
Ask a Designer, Custom Residential, Multifamily Residential

Tips for Ensuring Your Home Has Good Air Quality

With wildfire season continuing into the late fall and a global pandemic still keeping millions of people indoors, there's a lot going on in the world. Both these natural disasters have brought to the forefront the importance of ventilation for your health: well-designed ventilation in buildings is important to address present and future pandemics, wildfires, and other airborne pollutants.

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Inside the wall of a home under construction. There's a heat recovery system being installed.
Ask a Designer, Custom Residential, Multifamily Residential

How a Heat Recovery Ventilator Can Make Your Home Healthier

Indoor air quality has never been a more pressing or popular target than it is today. With smoke from wildfires all over the West and the continuing global pandemic of COVID-19, many of us are wondering whether our indoor air is safe. The good news is: it can be, with the right systems in place.

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A rendering of a home with the HVAC systems colored in purple and blue to show their routing through the home.
Ask a Designer, Custom Residential

Options for Updating Your HVAC System for Better Indoor Air Quality

There have been a lot of discussions and varied information on how the built environment affects the spread of COVID-19. Now, we are also seeing more intense wildfires and smoke than we’ve seen in the past decade. With both these environmental issues keeping people indoors, healthy ventilation strategies are more important than ever.

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Would you like to learn a little more about us?

We’re pleased you’re interested. Explore more about us and our work via the pages below.

About Seattle architecture firm Board & Vellum – Board & Vellum's portfolio includes architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture projects.

Our Story

Client-centered authenticity is our north star, and we continue to prove that great design doesn’t require great ego.

Best of Houzz 2022: Design

We enjoy the collaborative process of our work — with 80 five-star reviews on Houzz, we’re thrilled to see our clients and collaborators are happy, too. We are excited to be recognized for Design for the 9th year in a row.

Learn more about Board & Vellum.

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