Builders in Ferndale, WA

[Chuckanut Builders](http://www.chuckanutbuilders.com/) do some incredible work if you're looking for nicer custom stuff.

Apart from builders, which is the fun part. The not fun part has to do with where the lot is and what services are currently available or not, like water / sewer / electricity. Also huge is whether the land is in a watershed requiring special expensive environmental tests to be done, and there's always the lingering threat that the city may require you to pay for street improvements to the surrounding area if you catch them on the wrong day.

Hammertime Construction is a couple of brothers that do incredible work. Not sure where they fall in line price comparison wise but they're doing a garage for us this spring and it seems very fair. If you're looking for higher end their custom woodwork is pretty rad.

Oh man my cup of tea! For anything custom building, look into Horst Building Company. They've been doing custom housing for over 25 years in Bellingham. Yes 25 years! Their houses are gorgeous, take a peek at their new development up on top of Alabama Hill on the lake side. As your going towards the lake it's the huge new development on the left side (north) can't miss the sign either. Ask anything you want of them too, some of the nicest people I've ever met.

At least last summer it was an incredibly busy building season and it was often hard to even get a call back from a lot of contractors/subcontractors. I assume you're already going that route, but having a general contractor who's going to be doing repeat business with their subs is a big advantage over a homeowner who might do business with them once. I also assume you're aware of the "Hirst decision" and that you pretty much can't build on a lot that doesn't already have an active well or other water source. (Update: looks like the legislature might have found a workaround). I'm in the finishing stages of a pole building that's running around $100/square foot. It's basically a fancy garage with a bathroom and some storage and I'm doing some of the work myself (if you're going that route there are a few good options but I went with Pioneer Post Frame). I have also heard good things about Chuckanut Builders. A-1 also does some great work but they're strictly design-build.

City of Bellingham is excellent to deal with- get a list of any questions you have or things you are not completely sure about in regards to building zoning etc. They will go thru your list and give you the facts. Usually I’ve found that permitting horror stories come from people who did not have reliable information to work off of in the first place and went ahead on a project. There is also links to all applicable codes Bellingham uses on their website- read up a bit so you can make informed decisions with your builder. Obviously work with the seasons when building- cost overruns will add up fast if you are trying to pour concrete and final grade/ landscape in the winter.

Friend recently had a home built for ~$120 square foot. Permitting in the county can be a hassle. As someone else mentioned it's a very busy building season so finding a contractor may be difficult.

Thanks all. Very helpful!