GETTING CERTIFIED IN WASHINGTON STATE

When Holly contact us, she had big dreams for her Vashon Island Property (watch a four-minute video of her completed space here). 

She wanted two units, a Holo and a Duo, that would sit on her PNW property and offer a home-away-from-home where she could escape. She wanted all the amenities of home hidden away on the property, including water, plumbing and electricity.

That meant she needed permits, and we needed to get our Holo and Duo designs certified by The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (LNI).

Going in, we were told the process would take 6-8 months. In the end, it took a year and a half, where we, and more importantly Holly, had to wait.

She had the patience of a saint as we worked our way through government bureaucracy, waited for responses and pivoted with new information. After 18 months of hurry-up-and-wait, we finally got our approval and Holly got her structures.

And next time, the client won’t have to worry about certification for their Holo or Duo ( and the Arlo is in the process of certification).

Saving you headaches dealing with the grey area

When we first started DROP Structures, we talked a lot about how our structures were small enough to slip under zoning and approval laws. In fact, we designed them to avoid permitting so we could make our clients’ lives easier.

But things have changed a lot since then.

Not only have governments realized there’s a hunger out there for small structures, tiny homes and ADUs, but our structures have grown to incorporate our client’s requests, including kitchens and plumbing.

So, the average size of a DROP Structure today is too big to slide in under the radar without causing headaches for our clients. 

To make the process easier, we had to get pre-certified.

Why get approved in Washington State?

The biggest driver for getting approval was Holly and her dream build. But, there was, and is, a lot of opportunity for us in Washington because it’s close to our headquarters and it’s hard to get into.

Washington has their own set of very stringent codes, but it doesn’t end there. Every structure has to be stamped off and approved by a Washington engineer to prove it meets those codes. 

And if it’s not, they can tell you the ADU or micro-cabin you just bought has to be sent back.

With so many hurdles to jump through, we knew a lot of companies would look elsewhere to easier states.

But, with a client waiting and the temptation of an open market (and a bit of naiveté on our part) we decided to forge ahead.

The process of getting into Washington State

After Holly contacted us, we contacted Washington LNI.

The first step to get approved in the state, we learned, was to courier our physical plans for the Holo and Duo to the state (because, being government, they wouldn’t accept PDFs). So we printed out the pdfs, went them along by courier, paid the fees and waited. 

And waited.

The next step, we were told, was to fly a Washington engineer to our facilities to get each unit inspected – an engineer from another state (or country) couldn’t do it. But the Washington engineers were all booked out, and no one was available to fly out. 

So, we waited.

And waited, and we could not convince an engineer to come up north to inspect the units. Finally, after about a year of waiting, the state gave in and allowed outside engineers to do inspections. So we contacted an engineering firm we use for inspection and had them come by our headquarters to inspect a Holo and a Duo.

With the inspections done, we sent in the paperwork and waited for it to filter through the overworked Washington LNI systems until it was finally approved.

During this extra-long build window, Holly was amazing and patient with us, and the state of Washington. 

What does that mean for you?

If you live in Washington, you can get a Duo or a Holo and soon even an Arlo, without having to wait for the plans to be certified.

With the approval, you can still make the changes you want to personalize your unit, including moving doors or adding windows and skylights. 

Of course, there are still extra steps to go through for placing a prefab building in the state, which do extend the delivery timeline. But, you won’t have to worry if your local government will accept it after it’s placed. 

That’s one more headache cleared for our clients, which is a victory for us.