Bluefoot Architecture & Design is an award-winning architecture and interior design firm designing accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on Bainbridge Island from our studio in Poulsbo. We design detached cottages, garage conversions and attached ADU suites, customize pre-approved ADU plans, and prepare the permit documents the City of Bainbridge Island reviews. Architectural work is led by Principal Architect Jay Volz, with interior designer Michele Doyle and her team under the same roof. To book an ADU design consultation, call 360-602-2965 or tell us about your project.
Bainbridge Island is its own incorporated city, so a Bainbridge Island ADU is reviewed by the City’s Planning and Community Development department, not Kitsap County. For ADUs elsewhere in the county, see our ADU design guide for Kitsap County; for other Bainbridge Island projects, see our architect on Bainbridge Island page, or all of our ADU design services.
What our Bainbridge Island ADU design services cover:
Standalone ADUs designed as complete homes in miniature, with a kitchen, bathroom and private entry, sited around the lot's slope, trees and setbacks.
Converting an existing garage into a permitted dwelling unit is often the most direct ADU path. We plan the layout and the drawings the City reviews.
Within 200 feet of the shoreline, the City asks for a shoreline exemption or permit before the building permit. We check the shoreline designation, critical areas and trees before the first sketch.
In-law suites and attached ADUs connected to the main home with their own private entry, designed to read as original to the house.
Bainbridge Island takes part in the countywide pre-approved ADU plans program. We adapt a pre-approved plan where one fits your lot, and design from scratch where it does not.
Every Bainbridge Island ADU starts with the lot: what the zoning, shoreline and critical-area rules allow, where utilities and access can go, and what you want the unit to do, whether that is housing a relative, rental income or a dedicated workspace. From there we take the design from concept through permit documents and construction support, with interior design in the same studio. We have designed on Bainbridge Island before, including a third-storey loft conversion.
Looking for an ADU designer near you? Our studio is at 18820 Front St NE, Suite 210, Poulsbo, WA 98370 (get directions), open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. Besides Bainbridge Island we design ADUs across nearby Kitsap County, including Poulsbo, Silverdale, Bremerton and Port Orchard: see our Kitsap County ADU design guide.
Every Bainbridge Island ADU follows our five-phase process, starting with lot analysis and zoning review and prepared for City of Bainbridge Island review rather than county submittal.
We treat the client as part of the design team. Regular check-ins, clear milestones and honest communication mean there are no surprises when construction begins, and no scramble when the City’s reviewer asks a question about your submittal.
Our five phases:
Bainbridge Island is an incorporated city. Its Planning and Community Development department reviews ADU and building permits for every Bainbridge Island property through its online Public Permit Portal; Kitsap County does not handle them.
The City takes part in the countywide pre-approved ADU plans program, with five approved plans from 480 to 834 square feet. Zoning, critical areas and shoreline designation are still checked for each lot.
Land within 200 feet of the ordinary high water mark is in shoreline jurisdiction (RCW 90.58.030). The City asks for a Shoreline Substantial Development Exemption before the building permit, and larger projects need a full shoreline permit.
The City’s Building Division says the first review of a building permit is generally 30 days from the date the application is deemed complete; shoreline and other planning reviews run about 60 days. See our Bainbridge Island building permit guide.
Real Estate by TLC
2026 Best of Kitsap: Best Architect in North, Central and South Kitsap, and Best Interior Designer in North and South Kitsap. Best of West Sound 2024 for Architect and Interior Design.
Principal Architect Jay Volz and interior designer Michele Doyle bring more than four decades of combined experience to every home and commercial project.
We work from Front Street in Poulsbo, across Kitsap County and the rest of Washington — on the lots, codes and conditions we know well.
One team from the first sketch through 3D modeling, construction documents, permitting and construction support — for residential and commercial projects alike.
Straight answers about designing an ADU on Bainbridge Island. Anything else? Call 360-602-2965.
Yes. Bluefoot Architecture & Design designs detached cottages, garage conversions and attached ADU suites on Bainbridge Island from our studio in Poulsbo, and we prepare the permit documents the City of Bainbridge Island reviews. For ADUs elsewhere in the county, see our Kitsap County ADU design guide.
Bluefoot’s studio is at 18820 Front St NE, Suite 210, Poulsbo, WA 98370, open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm, and Bainbridge Island is part of the Kitsap County area we serve. We meet you to talk through the unit and the lot before anything is drawn.
The City of Bainbridge Island. Its Planning and Community Development department reviews ADU and building permits for every Bainbridge Island property, through its online Public Permit Portal. Kitsap County’s Department of Community Development does not handle them.
Yes. The City takes part in the countywide pre-approved ADU plans program, with five approved plans from 480 to 834 square feet. The plans still go through review: zoning, critical areas and shoreline designation are checked for your lot. We adapt a pre-approved plan where one fits, and design a custom ADU where it does not. See our Bainbridge Island building permit guide.
Often, but the shoreline rules come first. Any development within 200 feet of the ordinary high water mark is in shoreline jurisdiction, so the City asks for a Shoreline Substantial Development Exemption before the building permit, and larger projects need a full shoreline permit under the Shoreline Master Program. We check the designation before we design.
Detached cottages designed as complete homes in miniature, garage conversions, above-garage units, and attached in-law suites with their own private entry. See our ADU design services.
Call 360-602-2965 or send your project details through our contact form. Tell us the address and what you want the ADU to do, and we will tell you which rules apply and how we would approach the design.
