Ketchikan, Alaska
intimate observatory
© prentiss balance wickline architects 2025
We embrace vision and design with pragmatism, unlocking a site’s potential with a fine understanding of orientation, natural light, wind, vegetation, views, and terrain. Our goal is to create an incredible living experience.
All projects are unique. The context of a given project dictates our approach. From the water's edge to the mountain's slope, we embrace singularity and optimize for delight.
Water views provide the raison d’être for many of our homes. Materials are honestly expressed, and used with sensitivity to the natural world. With decades of experience creating custom homes that enhance rather than displace the coastal landscape, we endeavor to design our homes without detracting from the natural beauty of the site.
Whether perched on a bluff, nestled among trees or set into a mountain meadow, our cabins & cottages are a destination "away from it all", cabins inspire daytime adventures and cozy nights curled up by the fire.
Harmony and balance are especially important considerations when remodeling. We carefully asses the existing structure, maximizing the potential impact of the renovation scope for modern updates, efficiency upgrades and better use of space.
Our public work includes feasibility studies and master planning for commercial, residential and institutional clients. We empower our clients with the knowledge necessary to take their project to the next level with confidence.
Our collaborative approach results in a range of stylistic choices, yet our best projects have something in common: maximizing the site's challenges and opportunities while providing spaces perfectly suited to each client's needs and desires.
From drawing board to phased construction, works in progress reveal the spirit of design as it emerges.
Featuring panoramic views and dramatic scenery, our mountain homes and cabins are inspired by their surroundings. As Seattle architects with offices in Winthrop and the San Juans, we specialize in cultivating a sensitive understanding of site: the textures of the vegetation, steep slopes, rocky terrain, dramatic vistas, wind, sun, and snow.
The challenge of urban building design lies in how to maximize light and views without sacrificing privacy. We engage with adjacent context to create unique designs appropriate to the urban fabric, also providing respite from the hustle and bustle of the city.
“Prefab”, or prefabricated, refers to any structure that is constructed primarily off-site, in a factory, and shipped to the home site 80-95% complete. Prefabrication minimizes on-site work, reducing high labor overhead and effectively shortening the construction schedule. Our prefab homes offer expedited construction without sacrificing quality and craftsmanship.
As a Seattle architecture firm with offices in the Methow Valley and the San Juan Islands, we are proud of our long history with prefab construction throughout the region. See our Prefab Services Page for more information.