JAS Design Build

May 26th marks Brian Gadzuk’s 15th year with JAS, but the story is more complicated than that.

Joe met Brian at some point in 1991 after his dad, Joe’s barber at the time, gave Joe his number. Joe had designed a small project in Edmonds, and the client was pushing Joe to build it, but he didn’t have a crew; nor was he sure he wanted to start one. Joe asked Brian to meet him for lunch at the Still Life Café in Fremont after he returned from fishing in Alaska, and he agreed to do the project. Joe & Brian finished that project and started to gain some momentum with other projects showing up; then Joe & Kim officially started JAS in September of 1992 with Brian as their first employee. Greg Porter and Kelly Phillips soon joined us, and we continued to figure this design-build thing out one project at a time.

Brian left at some point in the late 90’s to develop spec houses with his dad and Joe and Brian remained in touch. In 2011 Brian returned to JAS as a lead carpenter and eventually moved to the Superintendent position which he has today.

Brian is one of the most talented builders we have ever worked with. He understands that craftsmanship is a combination of skill and speed and knows how to move through the work in a manner that never compromises the quality. Brian also has a great eye for design and details and has often called Joe from a site concerned that a certain detail was in need of refinement and that what we had drawn wasn’t looking right. Joe has always appreciated that he made those calls as it made the work better and taught Joe how to use the design-build process with a talented builder.



Happy anniversary Brian and thanks for being such an anchor at JAS.

When the brief includes a dog washing station with backyard access, you know it's going to be a good project.

The goal of this Ballard home remodel was to make the whole house work better, and that meant starting with the main floor. More livable space, a proper cook's kitchen with sage green cabinetry, marble counters, a farmhouse sink, and a buffet with its own coffee station. The wood-framed interior windows between the kitchen and dining room were one of those details that ended up tying everything together — keeping the spaces connected without losing the walls.

The dining room gallery wall is entirely dogs, which tells you a lot about this household. And the laundry room has a built-in washing tub that connects directly to the backyard, so those muddy paws stop well before they reach the kitchen.

This one was soup to nuts — design, build, cabinetry, and interior design, all under one roof. If you're thinking about a remodel and want a team that can take it all the way through, we'd love to hear about your project.

DM us or see more at the link in bio.

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A modern tribute to this Seattle Craftsman: The ultimate Before & WOW.

For this first-floor remodel, our goal was to modernize functionality while honoring the home’s traditional character. We updated the kitchen cabinetry with sliding glass doors and embraced traditional wood detailing to bring the entire floor together.

View the full Before & Wow transformation at the link in our bio.

Your bathroom should feel like the best part of your morning. The right light, the right materials, a perfect space to start and wrap up your day.

We're sharing some of the bathrooms from our recent home remodels around the Pacific Northwest — and this is one of the parts of the job that never gets old. There's something about a well-designed bathroom that people don't talk about enough. It's personal, it's tucked away, and when it's right, it's really right.
Swipe through and tell us which one is calling your name.

Full project details at the link in bio.

The Seattle Central Wood Technology Center is hosting a free career & networking fair on Wednesday May 13th from 5-7pm.

JAS will have a table there to meet students and talk to them about their future careers. We hope to see many of our partners there to help support this important trade program.
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You've seen the yellow door and the lake-rinse shower. Here's the rest.

A Seattle houseboat remodel asks different questions than a typical home rebuild — and this one went further than most. A complete rebuild of the existing floating home, down to the studs, with a second story added on top. Weight distribution, waterproofing, how to let the light in without losing wall space you can't afford to lose.
The solution here was to open the water side up completely — floor-to-ceiling sliding glass, a rooftop deck with a fire pit, the Seattle skyline sitting right there behind it.

The kitchen got a full redesign too. Sage green cabinetry, open walnut shelving, marble counters, a skylight that changes the whole room. Quaint kitchen. Does its job.

Cable rail stairs, shiplap walls, a Noguchi table on a rug that looks like it came straight out of the lake. Not every project floats. This one does — in more ways than one.

Follow us to learn more about this build.

Whidbey Island asks something specific of a house. The weather, the light, the way people actually use a place when they're there to slow down.

This remodel was designed around all of it. Open living spaces that flow to the deck. A kitchen built for real cooking — sea-glass tile, open walnut shelving, windows that pull the outside in. Finishes chosen for durability as much as for how they look. And enough color to remind you you're somewhere worth being — a sunshine yellow shower, a deep navy built-in, a bedroom wallpaper that earns every square inch of the wall.

Everything has a place. Nothing is fussy about it.

DM us to start a conversation about your project.

Loft on the Lake

This waterfront remodel balances an open-concept with purposeful smaller spaces built for intimate gatherings, making the home feel expansive yet deeply connected. And a central design element is the walk-in wine room, featuring custom steel and glass that anchors the home's crisp aesthetic beautifully.

See how we brought this waterfront vision to life at the link in our bio.