For 34 years, Tennyson Homes has been the premier custom home builder for Eastside families building their forever home.
Custom Home Builder
34
Years on the Eastside
1992
Family-Owned, Since
MBA
Master Builders Association Member
100%
Referral & Repeat-Client Driven
Our Custom Building Approach
Tennyson Homes has been building on the Eastside since 1992, starting as a spec builder before shifting fully to custom work. Putting our own capital into every house taught us what drives cost, what protects quality, and where to spend versus where to hold back. That builder’s perspective is rare in the custom market, and it shapes how we approach every project today.
We offer a fully integrated custom home building approach: we partner with your chosen architect (or one from our vetted Eastside network), manage permitting, and manage the full build, from coordinating every trade to final walkthrough. The result is a home you’ll grow into, not out of.
Why Build a Truly Custom Home?
Building a custom home is one of the most significant decisions you’ll make for your family’s daily life and long-term comfort. Unlike buying a spec home, a Tennyson build lets you define every detail, from floor plan to finish selections. It’s a home built to fit your life, not the other way around.
Designed Around Your Lifestyle
Create a floor plan, select materials, and choose finishes that fit how your family lives.
Quality That Lasts
You set the standard for materials and construction, and we build to it. Your home is built to last for generations.
Honest Numbers Throughout
Our building process provides clear, upfront cost information so you can make decisions that align your vision with your budget.
Built for the Years Ahead
A home designed not just for the way you live today, but for how your family will live in it for years to come.
What’s Included in a Tennyson Custom Build
We provide a full-service, turnkey approach for your custom home construction project. Our scope is designed to cover every critical aspect, ensuring a consistent, high-quality result.
Architect & Designer Collaboration
We work with your chosen professionals or connect you with our vetted network of the region's top talent to create a unified project team.
Material Selection & Sourcing
Gain access to our network of premium suppliers and receive expert guidance in selecting high-quality materials, fixtures, and finishes that align with your style and budget.
Subcontractor Coordination
Our framers, electricians, plumbers, and finish carpenters work under one schedule and one quality standard. You never have to manage trades or chase down accountability between subs.
Dedicated Project Management
One dedicated manager oversees your entire project, handling timelines, budgets, trade partners, and quality control from start to finish.
Masterful Finishing & Detailing
Our commitment to craftsmanship extends to the final touches, ensuring every detail, from custom cabinetry to paint and trim, is done right.
The Tennyson Custom Home Building Process
Building a custom home is a 12-to-24-month process with hundreds of decisions, dozens of trades, and significant capital on the line. Our 7-step process exists to keep that complexity organized and visible to you. You always know what’s happening, what’s next, and who on our team owns it, from the first lot inspection through the day you move in.
Step 1: Land Acquisition
Building a forever home starts with the right lot. If you haven’t secured land yet, we work with our network of brokers and our own knowledge of Eastside neighborhoods to help you find a parcel that fits your build goals, daily life, and long-term plans. We evaluate lots for size, view, neighborhood character, and school district fit alongside the technical buildability factors.
Step 2: Lot Inspections
We evaluate configuration, zoning, building regulations, and site feasibility before a dollar is committed to design. This is where we identify constraints that could affect cost, layout, or timeline, things like setback rules, soils, drainage, and tree retention requirements. You make design decisions with the full picture, not after the fact.
Step 3: Pre-Design Meetings
Early consultations with your architect (yours or one from our vetted Eastside network) align scope, goals, and budget before drawings start. The right people in the room early prevent the most expensive kind of change order, the one that hits after permitting.
Step 4: Ongoing Plan Review
Custom home plans are complex; every room, every elevation, every system specification has cost and constructability implications. We review the architect’s drawings page by page with you, flagging tradeoffs and pricing each major decision in real time. The home that gets built is the home you signed off on, with no surprises mid-construction.
Step 5: Pre-Construction Reviews
Select your materials, finishes, cabinets, and fixtures with support from our design team and trusted suppliers. We help you weigh tradeoffs between options and lock in selections before construction starts, which keeps the project on schedule and on budget once trades are on site.
Step 6: Construction Management
A custom build runs 12 to 24 months on-site. You receive scheduled milestone updates, change-order tracking with real costs, and direct access to your project manager whenever you have a question. We flag anything that could affect the timeline or budget before it becomes a problem.
Step 7: Enjoy Your Forever Home
We close out with a final walkthrough together to confirm every punchlist item is resolved before we consider the job done. Then it’s yours, a home built around your life and ready for the years ahead. Post-construction support is available whenever you need it.
Where We Remodel
Tennyson Homes is proud to be a multi-generational, locally-owned builder with deep roots in the community. We specialize in building luxury custom homes throughout Eastside WA, with a focus on these three communities:
The Tennyson Difference
Building your forever home is one of the most significant decisions you’ll make. Families choose Tennyson because we don’t build at volume. We focus on a handful of projects at a time, and we treat your home the way we’d treat our own.
Decades on the Eastside
Jim Tennyson started building in Kirkland in 1992. That 34-year history is your assurance of stability, real custom-build expertise, and a process refined across decades of successful projects.
Real Relationships
We build lasting relationships with our clients, architects, and the trades we work with. Your home isn't a transaction; it's a project we'll be tied to long after the keys change hands.
A Limited Project Load
We are not a volume builder. We take on a limited number of projects, so every home gets the focused attention it needs.
One Integrated Team
Our building model puts one dedicated team in charge of every facet of your project, working alongside your architect with no gaps between design intent and what gets built.
Our Credentials
Our reputation is built one home at a time, and our business comes almost entirely from referrals and repeat clients, the strongest endorsement a custom home builder can earn. We are proud members of the local building community and hold ourselves to the highest standard of craftsmanship on every project.
- Master Builders Association member, King & Snohomish Counties
- Active Kirkland Chamber of Commerce member
- Family-owned and operated since 1992
- Building Industry Association of Washington
Custom Home Building FAQs
How much does a custom home cost in Kirkland?
Custom home builds in Kirkland, Bellevue, and Mercer Island typically range from $425 to $1,200 per square foot, putting most projects between $1.5M and $5M for a 3,500 to 5,000 square foot home. Premium Eastside locations like Medina, Clyde Hill, and waterfront Mercer Island regularly push above that. The final number depends on size, architectural complexity, site conditions, and the level of finishes. We provide detailed, transparent budgeting throughout the design phase so you can align your investment with your goals.
How long does a custom home build take?
A typical custom home project, from initial design to move-in, can take anywhere from 18 to 24 months or more. This timeline depends on the permitting process, design complexity, and material availability. We establish a detailed schedule early in the process.
Can I use my own architect or interior designer?
Absolutely. We thrive on collaboration and are happy to partner with your chosen professionals. Our role is to work alongside your team and keep the build moving efficiently.
How does Tennyson work with my architect?
We partner with your chosen architect from the earliest design conversations through final finishing. We’re a custom home builder and general contractor, not an architecture firm, so you keep full creative control with your architect while we provide building insights, manage permitting, coordinate trades, and run the build. If you don’t have an architect yet, we can connect you with one of our vetted Eastside partners.
Do I need to own land before working with Tennyson?
No. If you have not secured a lot yet, we can help. We draw on our Eastside network and deep knowledge of zoning, permitting, and neighborhood nuances to help you find land that fits your goals and budget before construction begins.
What styles of homes do you build?
We build across a wide range of architectural styles, from contemporary modern to classic Pacific Northwest craftsman and everything in between. Every home is designed around your goals and ideas, not a template.
Start Your Custom Home Journey
Building a custom home is one of the most significant decisions you will make. Tennyson Homes has guided Eastside families through this process for 34 years. Call us at (206) 429-7188 or fill out the form below, and we will follow up within one business day.
