What Birdsmouth does

Birdsmouth Design-Build is a privately-held Portland, Oregon design-build construction firm founded in 2008 that delivers high-performance residential and small commercial projects, including custom homes, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), renovations, zero-energy retrofits, and community-scale multi-unit developments. The company operates an integrated design-build delivery model in which architects (led by Project Architect Tammy Dunn), project managers, and in-house carpenters execute a six-step process from initial contact through a one-year post-occupancy warranty, with fixed-price contracts built on detailed pre-construction cost studies.

Technically, Birdsmouth's differentiation is grounded in Passive House building science rather than software or AI. Its practice spans Phius-certified Passive House construction, concrete-free slab assemblies using graphite polystyrene insulation over compacted stone, continuous air/vapor/thermal barrier detailing across slab-to-wall and wall-to-roof transitions, panelized factory-built wall and roof systems, and rigorous air-sealing achieving as low as 0.028 cfm/sq.ft. blower-door results. Multiple team members hold Certified Passive House Builder, Sustainable Homes Professional, LEED AP, and Registered Architect credentials.

Commercially, Birdsmouth generates revenue through professional-services design-build contracts for individual clients, with the majority of work concentrated in the Portland metropolitan area and licensed to operate in both Oregon and Washington. Its go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven: direct engagement with homeowners, repeat referral partnerships with regional architecture firms (e.g., eM/Zed Architecture, MkM Architecture), and a content-marketing engine spanning Fine Homebuilding Magazine, Green Building Advisor, and its own The Retrofit Podcast. The company is also expanding into community development (Going Street Commons, a 12-home Passive House project) and the zero-energy retrofits market. Revenue is not publicly disclosed and the firm remains privately held by its founders with no institutional investment on record.

Name

Birdsmouth

Legal name

Birdsmouth, LLC

Website

https://birdsmouthpdx.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Birdsmouth is a Portland-based design-build firm specializing in Passive House and zero-energy residential construction, serving Portland-metro homeowners with custom homes, ADUs, retrofits, and community-scale developments under a six-step integrated design-build process.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Design-Build Services: Full-service design and construction services for residential and small commercial projects including custom homes, ADUs, renovations, and retrofits. Revenue generated through fixed-price contracts based on detailed cost studies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Birdsmouth is a design-build construction firm providing integrated architectural design and general contracting services for residential and small commercial projects in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area and Pacific Northwest. The company specializes in high-performance, energy-efficient building following Passive House standards, offering custom homes, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), renovations, kitchen and bath remodels, and zero-energy retrofits delivered through a structured six-step process with single-point accountability from initial concept through post-occupancy support.

Product overview

Birdsmouth is a design-build construction company offering integrated architectural design and construction services for residential and small commercial projects. Their core offering is the design-build delivery method, complemented by specialized high-performance building services focused on energy efficiency, Passive House standards, and zero-energy construction. The company provides a full range of services including custom home construction, ADUs, zero energy retrofits, and kitchen/bathroom remodeling. They employ advanced construction methods such as panelized construction and concrete-free slab assemblies. Birdsmouth also produces educational content through The Retrofit Podcast.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Post-occupancy support with 1-year follow-up to correct settling issues at no additional charge
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Earth AdvantagecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with Earth Advantage for building certification and education. Birdsmouth has received multiple Earth Advantage awards including Green Home Builder of the Year (2016, 2018) and Custom Builder Award (2020). Founder Josh Salinger teaches the Sustainable Homes Professional course.
• Phius (Passive House Institute US)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhius certification partner with multiple team members certified as Passive House Builders. Uses Phius 2021 standards as the baseline for high-performance projects.
• Fine Homebuilding MagazinecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRegular contributor and featured author publishing articles on building science, panelized construction, and high-performance building techniques. Multiple cover stories published.
• Green Building AdvisorcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerContent partnership through regular articles on wildfire resilience, concrete-free construction, and air-sealing techniques. Birdsmouth hosts The Retrofit Podcast powered by Green Building Advisor.
• Passive House NorthwestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive member and presenter at Passive House Northwest events and conferences. Hosts Passive House 101 presentations and home tours.
• Proud GroundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for affordable housing development at Going Street Commons project, combining equity and environmental stewardship values.
• eM/Zed ArchitecturecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture firm partnership for zero energy projects including the award-winning eM/Zed Treehouse project.
• MkM ArchitectureminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture firm partner that regularly works with Birdsmouth on high-quality residential projects.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Dvele: California-based technology-driven home builder producing precision-engineered, net-zero, healthy homes using panelized systems. Comparable on tech-enabled, high-performance, factory-supported residential construction.
• Plant Prefab: California-based sustainable prefabricated home builder using factory-built panels with high-performance building standards. Comparable on sustainability-driven modular/panelized construction and design-build-adjacent delivery.
• Hammer & Hand: Portland-based design-build firm specializing in high-performance, Passive House, and Net Zero energy construction, with a sister architecture practice. Closest peer given shared Pacific NW geography, design-build model, and Passive House/zero-energy focus.
• Thrive Home Builders: Denver-based production builder of energy-efficient, Net Zero, and LEED-certified homes. Comparable as a regional high-performance builder operating at greater scale than Birdsmouth.
• Method Homes: Seattle-based modular and panelized home manufacturer producing energy-efficient, sustainable homes for the Pacific NW market. Directly comparable on panelized construction methodology and regional focus.
• Ecocor: Prefab manufacturer of high-performance, Passive House-level homes using tightly sealed building envelopes. Directly comparable on Passive House and panelized construction expertise.
• BrightBuilt Home: Maine-based panelized home builder producing net-zero and energy-efficient homes with factory-built wall and roof panels. Comparable on panelized high-performance delivery and sustainability positioning.
• LivingHomes: California-based sustainable design-build firm focused on energy-efficient, healthy, and resource-efficient residential construction. Comparable as a premium sustainable design-build operator targeting climate-conscious homeowners.

Broad incumbents

• PulteGroup: One of the largest national homebuilders, with extensive offerings including energy-efficient home lines. Relevant as a broad incumbent providing scale and capital benchmarks, though does not target the same Passive House specialty niche.
• David Weekley Homes: Large privately held national homebuilder with sustainability initiatives and ENERGY STAR partnerships. Provides broad-incumbent context on energy-efficient construction scaling and customer expectations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/birds_mouth

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Birdsmouth