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Having spent 20 years building homes in the Bellevue Mercer Island area of Washington State, NW Lifestyle Homes( NWLH) stands today as an expert creator of custom builds designed to deliver the dreams of its clients. The company’ s Founder, Michael Burke, shares the company’ s origins:“ In 1989, a friend introduced Linda Mawer to me because it was evident we would create a good business partnership. Three years later, we married, bringing with us 38 years of combined experience in the design-build business. We were both designers and builders, had an eye for the unique, and we each had three kids. Two of Linda’ s children were twin boys, Matt and Mason. The stepsons are now, after 36 years, business partners with me, their stepdad, and the company is NW Lifestyle Homes.
“ Matt, the company’ s lead architect, is a master at simplifying and floor plan efficiency. Mason, the construction manager, works with an acute attention to detail. At 81 years of age, I still operate as the visionary, willing to take on challenging projects with a lot of unknowns.” Michael, Matt, and Mason’ s personal characteristics and collective desire to provide the client with an enjoyable experience that delivers everything they want are the reasons clients seek out NWLH. The high-touch style of communication and management of the entire team at NWLH makes it highly professional and fun to work with.
Megan Atkinson, CEO, then elaborates on the full range of services the company provides:“ We provide high-end custom design and construction as well as site feasibility services for residential homes and landscapes. We design and build from the ground up or remodel outdated homes with cosmetic refreshes as well as perform structural changes or construct additions. We are particularly adept at working on challenging sites.
“ Our design services include conceptual, design development, drafting, engineering, and 3D renderings. We also work extensively and exhaustively with local cities and municipalities to obtain the necessary permits for each project. Our design team remains available to the client throughout construction.
“ Our construction services include all aspects of the build from demo through final finishes on the interior and landscape, including bringing utilities to the site. We pride ourselves on the quality of our craftsmanship.
“ We provide a custom experience for each client. We are highly communicative and work hard to listen and deliver what each client wants. We recognize building or remodeling a house can be an intense experience, so we do everything we can to make it a smooth, enjoyable process, a process the homeowner will think of fondly as the years roll by while they are living in their dream custom home.”
Michael shares an example of the company’ s work that required overcoming significant challenges:“ One project that stands out is a home on the shores of Lake Washington. It started as a standard remodel of an outdated home, but during the process, we discovered several significant deficiencies that caused the project to double in construction time and budget.
“ Because NW Lifestyle Homes is transparent, knowledgeable, and nimble, we were able to pivot and address each one of the issues. The problems the house presented included animal infestation, structural concerns, and allergy / medical issues. Through careful problemsolving, NWLH was able to continue the remodel without interruption and turn over a brand‘ new’ house with no deficiencies, leaving the clients extremely satisfied. Aesthetically, structurally, and from a health and safety standpoint, the house was improved in every way. Surprises will always be found in remodeling projects. It’ s how they are handled that makes the difference to the outcomes.”
Megan reflects on the evolving trends that NWLH has seen over the years:“ Although the business has been designing outdoor rooms for relaxing and exercising for a long time,
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