A sustainable community starts at home.

A1DesignBuild has been been making homes better in Bellingham for more than 60 years. We work with people who care about energy performance, stewardship and craft, on projects that range from back porch additions to high-performance custom homes and just about everything in between: kitchens and bathrooms, accessory dwelling units, saunas and yoga studios, basement and garage conversions and even a few tiny homes.

Our mission is simple: to design smart and build less so that we can live more.

Historic houses, small extremely well designed homes, projects that help people age in place, home stewardship and ADUs are important to us, not least because of the ways they preserve character, resources, dignity and affordability for our community and the people in it.

We see every project as a way to make life better for you, while taking one more step toward making Bellingham and Whatcom County a beacon of respectful and responsible environmental, social and financial practices. We do our best to help keep this upper left corner of the world awesome by keeping choices local, making our workers owners, sharing time and resources to enrich our community, and by working with homeowners like you to design and build high performing homes using advanced design and building techniques.

We are a worker-owned cooperative.

A1DesignBuild is equally owned and democratically governed by the people who work here. Worker-owners also share equally in the profit of the company. When we converted our business model in 2017 , we started with five worker-owners; ownership is available to all employees as they meet eligibility requirements. We shifted to this business model because we recognize that when all workers are invested in our success, it’s not just better for A1, it’s better for you, and our community too. Workers share a voice in the company, gain stability and a chance to build equity. With everyone thinking like owners, a more sustainable business emerges, and it shows in the quality of our decisions, workmanship, relationships and commitment.

In the community

We invest at least 10% of A1DesignBuild profits in our community each year. Where and how these dollars (and/or labor) are put to work vary, but the twin goals of resiliency and self-reliance weave their way into most ever aspect of A1’s community building efforts. We support ideas and strategies that strengthen our individual and collective ability to cope with climate change, social inequality, environmental deterioration and economic insecurity.

Community organizations we support include the Bellingham Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity, Kulshan Community Land Trust, Pickford Cinema, Subdued String Band Jamboree, Shuksan Middle School (our across-the-street-neighbor!), Sehome and Squalicum High Schools, Whatcom Mountain Biking Coalition, Sustainable Connections, RE Sources, Wild Whatcom, Alderwood Elementary School, Bellingham Technical College, Planned Parenthood, Whatcom Community Foundation and Whatcom Peace & Justice Center, Community to Community Development.

OFFICE TEAM

DESIGN TEAM

CONSTRUCTION TEAM

History

“Since 1955” reflects the year this entity began doing business as A-1 Builders, before which it was known as Washington Builders (from 1928), and about which we know nothing, other than, way back then, it was a tailgate operation selling roofing and siding.

Rick Dubrow bought A-1 from Ralph Shell in 1976. Ralph was in the foundation-repair business, and Rick was helping a friend with his foundation. Knowing little of such things himself, Rick consulted Ralph, who first offered him a job, and next offered him the business so that he, Ralph, could go fishing like a proper retired guy. Rick took him up on the first offer — it seemed an expedient way to help his friend with the foundation if nothing else. After six months working for Ralph alongside his only other employee, the aptly named Leroy Mason, Rick took Ralph up on the second offer.

With the $5,000 purchase price came some old tools, a beat-up truck, a decent reputation and best of all, Leroy, who was, of course, priceless: a knowledgeable shovel and hammer man with a philosopher’s heart and a farmer’s work ethic.

A-1 was all about solid foundations then, and it was dirty, back-breaking work. It was hard to keep quality employees. So, Rick took what he learned from Leroy about doing things right so you didn’t have to do them again, and began building an enterprise that was less about breaking your back and more about breaking the mold of house-building. Gradually he began the process of moving from strong foundations to strong homes, via repairs, remodels and custom work.

Three things set him apart as things progressed: first, his hippie, tree-hugging sensibilities, which flowed naturally into his responsible, future-focused approach to building and preservation; second, his notion that quality home building goes hand-in-hand with community building, and third, his ever-growing understanding that design intent is inextricably linked to quality construction, and that the more closely the two disciplines align, the better the outcomes for all.

At some point, the design part became so aligned with the build part that they got hitched. In 1990 Adaptations Design Studio was created, supporting the A-1 production team with sound, intentional design. Adaptations Studio kept its maiden name, but the two businesses acted as one, as did their now-married owners, Rick Dubrow and Cindi Landreth. Before they knew it, Rick had owned A-1 Builders* for nearly 40 years. Like Ralph before him, Rick and Cindi had ideas about hiking, biking, wild mushroom foraging and other retirement stuff.

In 2016, with 17 employees, the idea of a worker-owned cooperative emerged; what a great way to pass the pencil and hammer: maintain A-1’s values while giving its new owners the opportunity to advance their vision, just as Rick had done before them, and Ralph before that. In 2017, Maggie, Patrick, Shawn, and Justus began a new era for A1-Builders, whose official name became A1DesignBuild July 1, 2020.

In 2030, A1 will be 75 years old. What might that company look like? We envision a thriving, employee-owned organization celebrated as a business that not only represents the highest standard for home design and construction, but has made a significant, contribution to the energy performance, aesthetics, affordability and longevity of Bellingham housing.