Dalgarno Construction
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Kebony-clad waterfront home with tall windows and a pool terrace on Orcas Island, built by Dalgarno Construction
Island builds since 1976

Custom homes in the San Juan Islands

Family-run and trusted by the Northwest’s leading architects.

See the work
As featured in Seattle Magazine, July/August 2025 Read the story →
One-room boathouse with a roof that lifts toward the sea, wood-and-steel stairs and a dock below on Orcas Island
Our approach

It starts with the land.

Every island site is its own: the rock beneath it, the light off the water, the madrona that was there first.

A good house answers to all of it. Since 1976, that’s been our work: custom homes built for one piece of land, and for the people who’ll live on it.

Selected homes

The Work

Eight homes, from the Eastsound waterfront to Deer Harbor, each credited with its island, year and architect.

Eastsound Waterfront: gabled buildings of rusted steel and reclaimed woodOne-room boathouse with a roof that lifts toward the sea, wood-and-steel stairs and a dock below on Orcas IslandDark board-and-batten home with standing-seam roofs and a tall glass bay glowing at dusk above the waterKebony-clad waterfront home with tall windows and a pool terrace on Orcas Island, built by Dalgarno Construction
Selected homes · 01

The Lodge

Orcas Island · PBW Architects · 2015

Five gabled buildings of rusted steel and reclaimed wood, gathered along the water for a family that comes together here.

Selected homes · 02

Boat House

Orcas Island · PBW Architects · 2021

A one-room boathouse on slender steel stilts at the water’s edge, with a roof that lifts toward the sea.

Selected homes · 03

Waterside

Orcas Island · Stoltz-Kau Architects · 2025

Dark board-and-batten and standing-seam roofs, quiet by day and glowing at dusk above the water.

Selected homes · 04

Deer Harbor

Orcas Island · PBW Architects · 2023

Kebony wood, tall glass and a pool terrace on the island’s western shore.

Built to belong

The house belongs to its land. The builder belongs to the islands.

  1. We know these islands.

    Rock, drainage, weather and the ferry schedule shape every build out here. We’ve been working around all four since 1976, on rugged waterfront and on islands with no ferry service at all.

  2. We see what the site can add.

    From the first site walk, we notice what the ground is telling us: where the light lands, how a view opens up, which madrona is worth framing. We bring those observations to you and your architect, and work through the possibilities together.

  3. Your builder for good.

    Many clients come back to us for their next home, and many become friends along the way. Years after the keys change hands, we still know your house.

Rick, Kimberly, Alex and the Dalgarno crew at the Dalgarno office on Hope Lane Rick, Kimberly, Alex and the Dalgarno crew at the office on Hope Lane
Dalgarno Construction seal: est. 1976 A family company

Rick, Kimberly and Alex

Rick built his first house on Orcas Island in 1976. Kimberly joined the company in 2000, and Alex, a fourth-generation Orcas Islander, grew up on our job sites. Today all three stay close to every home we build, alongside two long-standing crews. Five decades in, the name still means what it always has.

Dalgarno isn’t just a name. It’s a standard.

Built with architects Dalgarno seal: since 1976, San Juan Islands

For decades, the Northwest’s leading architects have trusted us with their designs. We build each home as drawn, work through whatever the site presents alongside the design team, and credit the architect on every home we show.

PBW Architects Miller Hull Studio 21 Street Lundgren & Foster Walker Architects Stoltz-Kau Architects Krannitz-Kent Architects
In the press

Seattle Magazine · Luxe

All press →
Seattle Magazine Cover featuring Deer Harbor remodel on Orcas Island
Seattle Magazine Whale Of A Remodel · Deer HarborJuly/August 2025 Read the story →
Luxe cover featuring Eastsound Waterfront
Luxe Rural-Industrial Vibe · The LodgeSeptember/October 2017 Read the story →
Start early

Planning to build in the islands?

We take on only a few homes at a time, so the best time to talk is early, even before you’ve chosen an architect or found your land. We know the islands’ slopes, microclimates and site challenges, and that knowledge can spare you costly surprises and help you build where you’ll be happiest.

Quick inquiry (home page)
Or call 360.376.4026