Seattle’s remodeling and building community added a new member to its ranks today: contractor Hammer & Hand. Established in Portland in 1995, the firm brings a unique fusion of craftsmanship and building science to its work as a Seattle remodeler and builder.
Seattle, WA – Building and remodeling contractor Hammer & Hand unveiled its plans today to expand operations to the Seattle Metro region. Established in Portland, Oregon in 1995 by two Reed College graduates, the company’s dedication to its corps of career carpenters, commitment to precision craft, and leadership in high performance building have all distinguished Hammer & Hand in the Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington market. The company plans to bring this tripartite focus to its work as a Seattle remodeler and builder.
“We’re fortunate to have some of the region’s most talented and dedicated craftspeople and technicians doing Hammer & Hand’s work,” said company co-founder Sam Hagerman. “It’s their excellence that’s enabled us to grow, and now to join the Seattle building and remodeling community.”
Hammer & Hand’s success, and the addition of “Seattle remodeler and builder” to its vita, comes thanks to growing demand for better performing residences and commercial and institutional structures. Increasingly, consumers expect higher levels of comfort, durability and efficiency from their buildings, and are willing to invest in home performance retrofits, green building projects, or ultra-efficient Passive House buildings. Nowhere in the U.S. is this demand more pronounced than in the Portland and Seattle building markets.
To respond to this trend, contractors need to become adept building science technicians as well as good carpenters. Hammer & Hand has emerged here as an industry leader, both regionally through its prominence in the Clean Energy Works Oregon program and nationally through Hagerman’s presidency of Passive House Alliance US. The company is also building a number of nationally-significant high performance projects, including the Glasswood commercial Passive House retrofit (the first such Passive House in the US) and the Karuna House (seeking Passive House, Minergie-P-ECO, LEED for Homes Platinum, and net-zero designations.)
“While there are some great contractors up here doing beautifully-crafted work,” said Hagerman, “Hammer & Hand has something new to contribute as a Seattle builder and remodeler. Our ability to bring the tradition of craftsmanship together with deep building science expertise and technique makes us unique.”
Through Hammer & Hand’s Seattle office the company offers a full suite of building and remodeling services to the Seattle Metro area, including residential remodels, new home building, Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs/DADUs), commercial TI and new construction, Passive House design and construction, and home energy retrofits. Longtime Seattle contractor and Passive House pioneer Dan Whitmore serves as the company’s Seattle project supervisor and leads a team of experienced Hammer & Hand carpenters and technicians.
“We’ve always felt a strong affinity for the Emerald City,” said Hagerman, “and because we have something new to share with the Seattle remodeling and building scene in Hammer & Hand’s fusion of craft and science, we think this move will be good for everybody.”
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