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And now, this is an all-season, all-access, totally custom floating home, with room for everything. “With a [floating home], it only has a certain footprint, and they did such an excellent job of laying out this house perfectly for us,” Lynch says. “We have plenty of storage, which is unheard of. We have an elevator. We have a laundry room instead of a closet. It’s wonderful.”
"We built a studio on the alley in our back yard to meet any of three uses- architecture office, compact home or fancy shop/garage. It offers great flexibility for the future, to rent it out, live in it/rent the house, have caretakers live there, etc."
“Pretty much whatever you do in the kitchen, you’re going to get your money back out of again,” says Ren Chandler, president and founder of Dyna Contracting in Seattle.
We've earned our 2016 Best of Houzz award as voted by the Houzz Community. Check out the best of page for more.
At first glance the home is spare and simple. But it is more than that. Most of it found behind doors, in nooks and crannies where there are seemingly none. The whole of it tidy, contained and functional architecture by Colin Brandt; built by Dyna Contracting.
Architect Cheryl Hughes and Dyna Contracting remake a Midcentury modern to receive the wide-open water views.
Our Mercer Island Project has been featured in the Summer 2014 issue of the Pacific Northwest version of Luxe Magazine.
National design and living magazine Dwell recently wrote about a Portage Bay floating home built by Dyna Contracting in partnership with Ninebark Design Build. The renovation was noted for its focus on sustainability in both new and salvaged materials.
When Dyna Founder and President Ren Chandler heard that the Ballard Food Bank needed support to remodel its new space south of Market Street in Ballard, he stepped up. “I wanted to do something rather than write a check,” Chandler said. “The Ballard community has given so much to Dyna.”
That began a partnership between Dyna, the food bank, and local contractor Schultz Miller. In addition to donating much of the materials and labor, the two companies also got in-kind donations from subcontractors. All told, the contributions amounted to over $200,000.
Ballard Food Bank’s Executive Director Nancy McKinney is delighted. “I cannot say enough good things about Dyna Contracting and the rest of our partners—how they responded and got results,” she said. “Our new space is efficient, attractive, and gives dignity. People have room to sit and wait and room to shop. It’s good all the way around.”
The Master Builders Association Remodelors™ Council recognized Dyna for excellence in the categories of Major Remodel, Outdoor Living and Design.
Each year the local chapter of the Remodelors™ Council features the best in local remodeling projects with its REX awards. In 2010, Dyna received Excellence awards in the categories of Major Remodel for our Portage Bay floating home project, Outdoor Living for the phase 2 exterior work of our West Seattle project, and Design for the “floating” stairs in our Pioneer Square project.
The West Seattle remodel included a new deck that required the integration of new and existing framing, steel with reclaimed wood plus waterproofing considerations. Other features include a custom fabricated steel stairway system and railing that is removable from the deck. In the yard, a low profile and attractive cedar fence masks the homeowner”s boat and the custom-built remote control winch that drops the boat trailer into the water. The fence also coordinates with a custom-built kayak storage shed.
Founded in 1909, the Master Builders Association is a trade association comprised of more than 3500 companies involved in the residential construction industry. It is the nation”s largest local home building association affiliated with the National Association of Home Builders.
The judges, consisting of local and national remodelers, media experts and architects, received a total 59 entries for 21 categories. Judges select winning entries based on aesthetics, unique design, quality workmanship, appropriate building materials, budgetary considerations, and challenges and obstacles.
A returnee to Seattle finds a dilapidated houseboat to love and revive. The remodeled home keeps peace with the city’s waterfront history by using part of the original float in the bathroom and by creating a window in the floor so all can see one of the old float’s logs.
Fed up with their Midcentury fixer, one Seattle couple moved to the Bryant neighborhood and a newly remodeled home that works on every level—from the private master suite upstairs to the art studio on the ground floor.
Each year the REX awards feature the best in local remodeling projects. In 2009, the Master Builders Association Remodelors™ Council recognized Dyna for a custom gate.
The project began after the home was remodeled and the existing gate adjacent to the garage no longer fit. The clients wanted to replace it. They also wanted something that their Portuguese water dog could see through and that matched a coffee table inside their home.
In addition to integrating the Japanese-style coffee table design and accounting for the needs of the dog, the contractor thought that the space needed a better visual layout. By creating a gate and an additional wall set back at a right angle to the original fence the space achieves a grace and polish that it had been lacking. The new gate faces the home’s entryway and the wall faces a newly installed Japanese garden.
The gate and wall were both custom-forged of powder-coated steel. The gate has a stainless steel latch. The wooden portion of the wall with its peek-a-boo views is made of Brazilian hardwood IPE.
Founded in 1909, the Master Builders Association is a trade association comprised of more than 3500 companies involved in the residential construction industry. It is the nation’s largest local home building association affiliated with the National Association of Home Builders.
Josh Taft and Cindy Gantz spent four years looking for their perfect house. As the search stretched on, Josh began teasing Cindy that even wishful thinking wouldn’t get her a loft on Lake Washington.
The Master Builders Association Remodelors™ Council recognized Dyna at its annual award ceremony. Sponsored by the local chapter of the Remodelors™ Council, the Remodeling Excellence Awards (REX) Awards is an annual event that recognizes the best in local remodeling projects.
Founded in 1909, the Master Builders Association is a trade association comprised of more than 4,300 companies involved in the residential construction industry. It is the nation”s largest local home building association affiliated with the National Association of Home Builders.
In 2008 the judges, consisting of local and national remodelers, media experts and architects, received a total of 48 entries for 21 categories. Judges select winning entries based on aesthetics, unique design, quality workmanship, appropriate building materials, budgetary considerations, and challenges and obstacles.
Dyna is recognized for Best Custom Home Under 5,000 square feet.
In its 45th year, the Gold Nugget Awards honor creative achievements in architectural design and land use planning for residential, commercial and industrial projects.
Entries come from 14 Western states and international entries are now accepted for all countries. Gold Nugget winners share one common denominator: excellence and innovation in addressing complex design/build issues.
PCBC and BUILDER, a national magazine of the housing industry, sponsor the competition. Co-sponsors include major building product manufacturers, financial institutions and builders, architects and associates in the real estate field.
July 2008 issue: A Mother and Daughter’s Dream Green Dwelling on Guemes Island.
Established in 1999 as a kitchen and bath remodeler, Dyna Contracting has quickly grown into one of the best and busiest general contractors for residential and restoration projects around Seattle.
“While owner Ren Chandler”s 30-person crew gets high marks for attention to detail and personalized service, his ace in the hole may just be the custom fabrication shop that designs, engineers and builds one-of-a-kind elements (railings, stairs, furniture and more) tailored to specific projects, spaces and décor styles. The company is also an advocate of green design and is a Built Green builder.”
Northwest Home Garden September 2007 issue lists companies with innovative designs, good references, recent awards and community involvement.
Every year the national REMODELING magazine sponsors Remodeling Design Awards. A jury of professionals in the remodeling and renovation industry select one project out of hundreds as Best of the Year, and then award as many Grand, Merit and Honorable Mention awards as they see appropriate. Judges select winning entries based on the strength of the design idea, aesthetic and market appeal, sensitivity to existing structure, appropriate use of existing building elements, compatibility with the neighborhood, and functional value and cost effectiveness. The staircase was designed and fabricated in Dyna’s custom shop and was part of an extensive remodel of a home in the Blue Ridge neighborhood.
Each year, the publication gives awards for specific projects and features eight home builders or developers across eight categories in the Western United States who push the current limits for conservation, shorter commute times, use of materials, lifestyle or environmental awareness.