True Bearing Built

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United States
Burlington, WA
True Bearing Built

Plan. Create. Manage. Deliver. We excel in high-end, well-crafted residential construction, managed with the rigor of a commercial project.

05/29/2026

We love watching our clients settle in and seeing how their new space is functioning for them. We recently revisited this remodel in Bellingham that we completed last year, which was a very detail-rich project. Custom cabinets in the kitchen and bathrooms from , countertops by , and an updated layout all make this a great space for hosting company and taking in the views over the bay.

05/27/2026

Follow along as our Site Lead, James, shares his advice for maximum efficiency on the job site.

05/22/2026

One of the hallmarks of a passive house is continuous exterior insulation, which helps to minimize heat loss, eliminate thermal bridging, and keep indoor temperatures stable throughout the house. And for our latest passive house build, we're excited to be among the first builders in the region to get our hands on a wood fiber product, TimberBoard, from .insulatebetter.

These panels are made from wood chips that are a byproduct from logging and lumber processing and are exceptionally capable at managing moisture, temperature, and sound. Not to mention, since it's made from all-natural materials, it's non-toxic and itch-free, which is much appreciated by our team doing the install.

05/20/2026

The first concrete pour on a project is always an exciting milestone to reach, especially after all the site preparation that was needed to get to this point. From building an access road to adding a temporary support structure to shore up the main house, building a DADU on a slope this steep is anything but simple. But we’re up for the challenge and are excited to see this project start to take shape!

05/15/2026

We've been working behind the scenes for months with other local builders on this new program, and we're excited to announce that it's becoming a reality!

Bellingham Technical College is launching a new Residential Construction hands-on training program through Continuing Education—developed in direct partnership with TBB and other local residential builders.

With nearly 20% of the regional construction workforce age 55+, the need for job-ready trades professionals has never been greater. This program prepares students with practical skills like tool operation, site safety, framing basics, trim work, and job-site workflow so they can contribute from day one.

To fully equip the workshop and remove barriers for new learners, BTC is working to raise $25,000 for tools, safety gear, equipment, and materials. This investment strengthens our workforce and supports local employers.

To learn more about the program or get involved, follow the link in our bio.

05/13/2026

This passive house project is a bit of a blast from the past, but we have some exciting news to share: it's received official Passive House certification from !

In one of our early collaborations with , we broke ground on this new single-family home construction in Oak Harbor back in 2022. Our clients' goal was to build a modest, ~2,000 sf high-performance home, and with the Phius certification now in hand, we can proudly say that we achieved that. In order to meet our performance benchmarks, we relied on a roster of proven strategies: triple-pane Vetta windows and doors, a Zehnder heat-recovery ventilation system, dense-pack cellulose insulation, and a heat pump. The design also takes full advantage of the sweeping south-facing views over the Puget Sound, maximizing solar gain and strategically positioning the solar panels on the garage roof. And during the warmer months, large sliding-glass doors offer access the porch and covered breezeway for indoor/outdoor living.

This property has been in the homeowners' family since the Great Depression, and now they'll have a comfortable, durable, and energy-efficient home to last for generations to come.

To learn more about this project, click the link in our bio.

05/08/2026

We've kicked off another project in Bellingham, and another collaboration with ! In addition to an interior remodel, we'll also be building a DADU on the slope beneath the house and rebuilding the deck. Working on a slope like this presents quite a few challenges. First we had build an access road to the site, then we needed to stabilize the overhang on the main house with a temporary support structure built by . We also needed to remove the existing deck, which was handled by , who will salvage as much of the materials as possible for reuse.

This is a difficult site to work on, but we have a great team and we're excited keep making progress.

05/05/2026

One of the critical aspects of passive house building is exterior insulation, and one of the strategies we use to achieve that is a roof overbuild. On our new passive house build with in Fairhaven, the single-family home and DADU are both getting that treatment to ensure that we keep as much energy inside the house as possible. This works in tandem with envelope sealing, which in this case we're using the ZIP System. The framing for the overbuild is placed directly on top of the sheathing (which also includes a Weather-Resistant Barrier), then a layer of EPS insulation slides neatly into the framing.

This helps us reach our targeted R-values on the roof assembly, a major contributing factor in our goal to build a long-lasting, comfortable, and efficient high-performance home.

04/30/2026

We're thrilled with the final results of our deep energy retrofit in Bellingham's historic Columbia neighborhood, but the most dramatic transformation is in what's felt rather than seen. What we can't show you is the drastic improvement in indoor air quality (especially after rooting out the rot, black mold, and toxic materials), a quieter interior, and an all-around more comfortable home.

We achieved this by taking a whole-house approach to making it more energy-efficient with systems that are designed to work together. We tackled the draftiness by adding more insulation in the walls and doing a roof overbuild, as well as installing double-pane Weather Shield windows and doors. The envelope was sealed using a non-toxic aerosol product, AeroBarrier, that was blown into the house and forced into all the nooks and crannies. With the insulation and envelope sealing addressed, we installed a heat recovery ventilation system and a heat pump to efficiently condition the interior while also moving stale air out and fresh air in. On top of the performance upgrades, we also reworked the floor plan and updated the bathrooms.

One thing our clients will definitely see? A sharp decrease in their energy bills.

There's a lot more we can say about this project, so read on at the link in our bio.

01/15/2026

Meet the Crew!

James has been a Site Lead with us for the past year, but we're introducing him here on a bittersweet note. He'll be setting off on a new adventure to pursue his dream of building a better electric cargo bike, a path that neatly combines his background in metal fabrication, his ingenuity, and his creativity.

During his time with TBB, he's had a hand in nearly every project and closed out four as a Site Lead. Whenever there's a problem, he's always quick to provide a solution, or at the very least, a quote from The Lord of the Rings (want to test him? Ask him to quote The Silmarillion).

Outside of work you'll find him perfecting his pizza dough recipe with flour he's milled with his wife, or taking his dog, Sammy, on a canoe outing around Cain Lake.

We wish him the best, and are grateful for all of his hard work here at TBB!

Address

15571 Peterson Road
Burlington, WA
98233

Telephone

+13603993111

Website

http://www.truebearingbuilt.com/

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