How We Work
Every Hans project follows the same five steps, whether it is a pergola or a full outdoor room with a kitchen, roof and fire pit. You see the design in 3D and the price in writing before you commit, and the price does not change unless you change the plan.
1. Design visit
We come to your house, walk the yard, and measure. We look at the sun path, slope, drainage, trees, the house wall where a ledger or roof would attach, and access for materials. If there is an old deck, we probe its framing. We talk about how you want to use the space, the size that fits, materials and budget. About an hour. No charge.
2. 3D plan and fixed quote
Within a week or two, we send a 3D design of the project on your house, with furniture, and a fixed, itemized quote. You can revise the design until it is right. The quote lists materials by brand and line, railings, stairs, lighting and extras, so you can see exactly what changes the price. This is the decision point: sign, revise, or walk away with the design.
3. Permit
When the project needs a permit, we prepare the drawings and submit them to your city, along with any tree, critical-area or shoreline documents. If your HOA needs to approve the project, we prepare that package too and run both in parallel. During review we order materials so the build can start soon after the permit is issued. Deck Permits on the Eastside Explained covers what the city reviews.
4. Build
The same crew builds the project from start to finish. A typical sequence: layout and footings, framing with joist tape and ledger flashing, decking, railings and stairs, roof or pergola, electrical, cleanup. Inspections are scheduled by us. You get a short update at the end of each working day and a heads-up before anything that affects access to the house. Changes you request during the build are priced in writing before we do them.
Typical time on site: a few days for a pergola or railing, one to two weeks for a deck, two to five weeks for covered structures, kitchens and hillside decks.
5. Walkthrough
We walk the finished project with you, go over care instructions for the materials you chose, hand over warranty information and the permit record, and leave the yard clean. We come back to tighten anything that settles in the first season.
What we ask of you
- Decisions on materials and colors before the build starts.
- Clear access to the work area and somewhere for a material drop.
- Pets and children kept away from the active site.
- Questions any time; we would rather answer them early. Many are answered in the FAQ.
Book the design visit. It is step one and it is free.