Custom Homes
Design-build custom homes on Whidbey Island, from the raw lot through design, site work and construction, with the same design-builder in every phase.
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Every lot in Coupeville sits inside Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve. A new home, an addition, even new siding on an old house can go through design review first. The Town of Coupeville and Island County both work from the same Ebey's Reserve design guidelines, adopted in 2011. Build the design around them from the start and the project keeps moving.
Culver Built is a design build custom home builder based in Langley on South Whidbey Island. Coupeville is a straight run north on Highway 525 and State Route 20. We come up for custom homes on island land, remodels, decks, siding and the site work under all of it. Call or text (360) 544-9027 for a free estimate, with more than 30 years of building experience behind it.
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The reserve covers 17,572 acres of Central Whidbey Island. Congress created it in 1978 under Public Law 95-625. It grew out of the Central Whidbey Island Historic District, listed in 1973. About 85 percent of the land inside the reserve is privately owned.
The Town of Coupeville and Island County adopted the Ebey's Reserve design guidelines in 2011. Town code Chapter 16.13 carries Coupeville's version. Parcels fall into Design Review Area 1 or Area 2, and Area 2 carries the lighter standards. A Certificate of Appropriateness comes at one of three levels, depending on the size of the change.
The guidelines reach most of what we do. New construction, additions, roof form, windows, porches, outbuildings and paint color all come up. A vacant parcel should not be cleared or graded without an approved site plan or building permit. Ordinary repair and maintenance does not need a certificate, so ask the town where your project lands.
The town covers a little more than one square mile with about two miles of shoreline. Three hills and the Penn Cove shore shape it. State Route 20 splits Coupeville, with older houses and the historic commercial blocks north of the highway. Schools and the newer commercial area sit to the south.
Coupeville has roughly 1,048 housing units, and about 71 percent are detached single family homes. Town planning puts capacity at 188 more homes under current rules, or 282 with a bigger sewer service area. Vacant lots are not plentiful here. Much of the work is a remodel or an addition on a house already standing.
Inside town limits, new development connects to the town water system, which leans on scarce groundwater. About a quarter of the land in town, along NE Parker Road, sits outside the sewer service area on septic. Outside town you are on a well and a septic system. Island County wants a septic design from a qualified designer, reviewed by Public Health, before it takes a permit application.
Inside town limits the Town of Coupeville handles it. The town's building official runs the building, mechanical and plumbing permits. The planning director handles design review and shoreline permits. Applications and payments go through the town's online permit portal.
Outside town limits the project goes to Island County Planning and Community Development, whose office is in Coupeville. County submittals since March 1, 2024 need a site registration and an approved septic design. They also need an approved access permit, an assigned address and a water availability verification. Inspections are requested through the county's Public Portal, by 3 pm for the next business day.
Island County fills in the state code table with the numbers we design to. Ground snow load is 20 pounds per square foot and the frost line sits 12 inches down. Basic wind speed is 97 mph, with topographic effects marked yes, in seismic design category D-2. That wind number is why exposed sites get extra attention on framing and roof detailing.
Central Whidbey is one of the drier corners of western Washington. The 30 year normal at the Coupeville weather station is about 21 inches of precipitation a year. The same normal at Sea-Tac is about 37 inches. The Olympic rain shadow does that, and it is why island lots dry out in summer.
Dry totals do not mean dry ground. Under the topsoil much of the island is dense glacial till. Water perches on it and runs sideways instead of soaking in. The same lot can hit clean sand in one hole and hardpan in the next.
A homeowner on the west side of Whidbey Island found his house had never had proper drainage. We put in French drains, a catch basin and a pump, then regraded the driveway on a stone base. Earthquakes, severe weather and coastal erosion top Island County's hazard mitigation plan. Coupeville studied sea level rise along its own shoreline in 2023.
Communities and areas we serve around Coupeville: Penn Cove, Front Street, Ebey's Prairie, Ebey's Landing, Madrona Way, San de Fuca, Penn Cove Park, Monroe Landing, Admirals Cove, Keystone, Fort Casey, Fort Ebey.
Coupeville ZIP codes served: 98239.
Free estimates throughout Island County and the surrounding area.
(360) 544-9027 Design-build custom homes on Whidbey Island, from the raw lot through design, site work and construction, with the same design-builder in every phase.
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We remodel Whidbey Island homes, from one room to the whole house. Kitchens, bathrooms, additions and exterior remodels, all under one contractor.
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Culver Built is a design-build contractor based in Langley on South Whidbey Island. We carry a custom home or a remodel from concept through design, estimating and construction.
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We design and build custom wood and composite decks across Whidbey Island. Ironwood decking and cable railing on view decks, built for a wet marine climate.
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Concrete patios, walkways and driveways on Whidbey Island, including stamped and colored concrete. We handle the base and the drainage under the slab with our own equipment.
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We build paver patios, walkways, steps and the outdoor living areas that tie them to the house. Every one gets the excavation, base and drainage that Whidbey Island ground needs.
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Cedar shingle, fiber cement and composite siding on Whidbey Island homes. We handle the house wrap, the flashing and the rot we find under the old wall.
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We look at the whole roof before we price the work. Metal roofing and asphalt shingle roofs on Whidbey Island homes.
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We clear, excavate, grade and drain the building site before the foundation goes in. Driveways, building pads, utility trenching and demolition are part of the same phase.
Learn MoreReal reviews from real island projects on Google.
Jeff and his team were incredible to work with, and I cannot recommend them highly enough! I approached Jeff with only a vague idea of what I wanted, and together we worked to create an outdoor space that was a thousand times better than anything I could have imagined on my own. He’s got a great eye and sense for space, and I really appreciated his passion for, and collaborative approach to our project. The guys he employs are kind, respectful and talented. I’ve done a number of projects with crews before, and I was so impressed with both the quality of work and professionalism across the entire team. We’re already freaking up future projects, and I genuinely am looking forward to working with Culver Builds again and again!
I highly recommend Jeff Culver and his team. They replaced my roof, demolished an outbuilding, and helped me with a foundation and siding project. Jeff was up-front about cost and communicative as the project went on. I will use Culver again for future projects.
We purchased our dream home on the west side of Whidbey Island above the Puget Sound with 180-degree views of the water and the Olympic Mtns. While we knew the driveway would need to be redone eventually, we soon learned that proper drainage to protect the house and garage had never been installed when the house was originally built. Jeff and his team resolved all of our issues. In front of our garages, Jeff installed proper French drains, a catch basin, and sump pump that pumps the water away. At the same time, Jeff installed proper drainage around the house. Our driveway was a packed dirt path with virtually no stone base. Jeff initially properly graded the driveway before first add a stone base, then a finishing base. After compacting the stone material, our driveway is almost as hard as concrete or asphalt and is 2-3 feet wider and more accessible. While Jeff was working near the garage with his excavator, he accidentally hit the gutter. Jeff immediately told me what happened and within 48 hours, Jeff had an outside gutter company come in and replaced the entire gutter. I appreciated his upfront honesty. As to communication, Jeff could not have been better. I found him through a Google search. He returned my original call within 2 hours. On Whidbey Island you are lucky to even have a contractor return any call. Jeff came out the same day to scope out the work and started the job within 10 days in my case. He and has team where there each day continuing to make progress. Needless to say, I give Jeff a 5-star review and when the next project comes up, I will certainly be reaching out to Culver Construction. Think this review isn’t legit, think again. I’m a small business owner with 50 employees, worked with countless vendors and customers. I know what good service looks like and when it isn’t.
We recommend Jeff Culver because he is reliable, hard- working, and creative. So we thought a simple driveway was a piece of cake, NOT! Jeff had solutions, great design concepts (that we never thought of...), and he LISTENED to us! His creativity and personal attention made this a win-win for us. We are very pleased with the final result. It has improved the appearance & value of our property. Yes! We recommend Culver Construction!
Met or exceeded expectations in all aspects. Communication, follow up and job execution were all top notch. Highly recommended!!
What started as a small demolition project turned into something much more complicated. Jeff and team not only handled the demolition, but they also helped solve a myriad of other problems, including figuring out how to handle a significant amount of water that had pooled under the dilapidated structure as well as hillside water runoff (which was done via a curtain drain and other features added to the property). They were respectful of our neighbors, taking care to minimize the impact of their heavy machinery to surrounding easements and property. Overall, we’re very pleased with the outcome and are looking forward to new uses for the cleared and restored property.
Jeff is super knowledgeable through all phases of construction and great to work with. Looking forward to our next project!
A few of the questions we hear most around Coupeville. If yours is not here, call or text and ask.
Tell us about the lot or the house and what you want to build. You can also call or text (360) 544-9027 to set up a free estimate.
Tell us about the job. We will get right back to you.