# Design-build or an architect and a contractor?

> The two honest ways to renovate a house, what each model buys you, what each one costs you, and how to tell which one your project actually wants.

Guide · Seattle, 2026

# Design-build, or an architect and a contractor?

Written by Ihor Maksymov, who runs both halves of one of them in Seattle.

![View from a hallway through an oak-framed opening into a finished kitchen](https://maksymovstudios.com/img/udistrict-hall.aabf7b59-1440.jpg) ![A fluted green island with a thick marble waterfall top](https://maksymovstudios.com/img/kirkland-island.85bd2e28-1440.jpg) ![A kitchen with a dark stone island where a load-bearing wall used to stand](https://maksymovstudios.com/img/udistrict-island.f09eeda9-1440.jpg)

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Maksymov Studios · (425) 800-7663 · info@mbremodels.com · Seattle, WA
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