microhouse

When Lisa and her family were looking for a new house they looked for one with a great view and room to grow. They had a plan for Lisa's mother to relocate from North Dakota. Today their house has a great view and a yard perfect for a backyard cottage where Lisa's mother, Sylvia, now lives.

Lisa and Sylvia worked with microhouse, a firm specializing in backyard cottages, to design the cottage. Now that it is complete, Sylvia enjoys being a more prominent part of her family’s, and particularly her granddaughter’s, life. Classical music and opera are her passions. Being in Seattle she can now regularly attend performances with her daughter. Her new cottage features a loft for her music studio and for her granddaughter to play in. She is happy to be within walking distance to the grocery store and nearby Seward Park.

The design itself was dictated by the site as much as by the program. To Bruce Parker, the lead designer, the project was a multi-faceted puzzle rich with potential.

"From the beginning we were working with the site to create a vibrant living space that captures both the views and natural light. We were fortunate that the primary views are to the south, the same direction as our fickle winter sun."

The design uses a butterfly roof form to open up to the south and to the views on the main floor. To protect the views from the primary residence, and to capture views towards Mt. Baker, the roof over the loft space rises to the north.

The cottage has been designed to be accessible for Sylvia as she ages. Even though the site is steeply sloping, a gentle path connects the cottage to her daughter’s house. Inside, grab bars and supporting surfaces will enable one with impaired mobility to navigate throughout the cottage with a degree of comfort. “In general we took the approach of making things smaller rather than larger so that grab bars and supporting surfaces are always within easy reach. In the kitchen, we used a pantry wall with storage at various levels and a table, rather than an island. This will allow it to be replaced with an accessible height surface if ever required." said Parker.

ADUs are allowed in an increasing number of municipalities. For more information about ADUs follow the Seattle Backyard Cottage Blog.

This ADU in the heart of Green Lake contains light filled kitchen, dining, living room, and a half bath on the ground floor and two bedrooms and a large bath on the 2nd floor. The design highlights include polished concrete floors, an exposed joist ceiling, a gas fireplace, and a contemporary kitchen with island. Upstairs the bedrooms have high vaulted ceilings. Outside the ADU is a fenced yard with a detached garage.

This is the 2nd DADU built by the owner who acted as his own general contractor. It was sold as a condo in April 2023 for $917,000. The owner used the money from the sale to finance the renovation of the existing home on the property which he will retain as a rental. His next ADU project is under construction north of Green Lake.

With their children grown, the cottage owners wanted to downsize from their beautiful-but-too-large house, but they didn't want to leave their neighborhood and friends. So they built their new small dream home behind their current house. The lot is small, less than 4,000 sq ft, and the cottage had to take advantage of every available square inch of the allowable 800 sq. ft., while working with limited opportunities for light and views.

Jon and Rita wanted to build a recording studio that would also serve as a guest cottage for friends and family. We worked with them, and an acoustical engineer, to create a simple yet elegant backyard cottage. The cottage contains the recording studio, a kitchen, bath, and a loft-like bedroom.

This two bedroom backyard cottage features sweeping views of portage bay and is conveniently located near the university of washington and south lake union. This backyard cottage was built for use as a rental and has a a gross rent multiplier of 4.2. The gross rental income for this property equaled the construction cost in just a little over four years.

This 575 sq ft backyard cottage features a green roof, open web trusses, a compact kitchen, and a bedroom below.

Our overarching goal in designing cottages is to create spaces that are inviting to live in. Here that goal was achieved in no small part by the use of natural light and complementary finishes. The plan itself in many ways is a quite simple 14ft x 28ft box. Modifications of that box to take advantage of its surroundings make it live large.

The serene exterior of this DADU illustrates one of our favorite design principles. Difficult sites often have the greatest potential. This cottage is located on a steeply sloping environmentally critical area (ECA) site. The fist challenge was that the buildable area is located below and behind the main house and the only access was via a narrow concrete stairway. However, the little used yard nestled in among mature trees was the best and only possible location for the cottage.

Protecting the view for the primary residence was another challenge. To achieve this we flipped the plan with the main living space on the ground floor and placed the bedroom below and accessed via a ships ladder. The bedroom itself features a sliding glass door and abundant natural light. To increase the sense of openness and add warmth we utilized exposed joists for the ceiling. We also used this technique upstairs which features open web trusses. The cottage itself is quite small but feels larger in part because of the aforementioned trusses but also the abundant use of windows which allowed us to "bring the outside in". Here we benefited from the mature trees and integrated landscaping. The site design and retaining walls were shaped by the need to keep as much of the excavated earth on site as possible. Soil removal had to be done by hand, often in buckets, up a narrow stair and carried to the street.

Austin and Patti created this wonderful house together, stripped down to the essence of what they value most. Their new dream house just happens to be located in the back yard of Austin's long time residence. This cottage lives large, providing an open floor plan with a second floor master suite and office plus a gracious kitchen for Austin, a former restaurateur. A rooftop deck looks out over the treetops giving a sense of connection to the outdoors where they are often to be found biking, skiing, or kayaking. 

The maple tree was and is an integral part of this backyard cottage from its inception. The tree wraps the cottage, providing a leafy screen from the street during the summer; in the winter rain drops collect on its branches. The cottage ground floor is art studio that opens up to yard shaded by the tree. The second floor apartment opens up into the leafy canopy.

The ground floor art studio features concrete floors, a small 3/4 bath, and a utility sink. Garage doors open up to the street and allow a car to park on the ground floor if ever desired.

The second floor apartment features an almost one bedroom with space for a queen sized bed placed over the stair. Vaulted ceilings, skylights and abundant windows fill the cottage with natural light.

A juliet balcony off of the living room opens up into the tree canopy. The bathroom also features bright colors and vaulted ceilings.

The cottage has been the home of the owner's son who is off to law school. While he is away it will be used as an executive rental.

Ballard residents Drew and Jacob decided to tear down their "scary little garage" and build a backyard cottage and are now living in an intergenerational family compound, sharing their property with Drew’s parents.

The cottage is small even by backyard cottage standards. In Seattle, backyard cottages are limited in size by their overall gross square footage; their footprint is limited as a percentage of lot size. In this case, the parent lot is relatively small, limiting the allowable footprint to a mere 14 ft x 24 ft. To maintain the minimum required side yard setback, the top floor of the cottage is even smaller.

Despite the limited footprint we were able to create a comfortable living room, kitchen, and combination powder and laundry room on the ground floor. The height of backyard cottage is also limited. To increase the apparent size of the cottage we left the ceilings' joists exposed. This also adds a sense of rustic warmth which is further enhanced by the owner's furnishings and choice of fixtures.

The kitchen is compact but designed for people who like to cook. The refrigerator and stove are both compact 24 in x 24 in. The table fits into a nook with a bench but is also expandable so that the whole family can eat together. A pantry is located under the stair and to the left of the table is the entry to a powder room that also contains a washer and dryer.

The bedroom is located on the second floor and features vaulted ceilings and lots of natural light. A bathroom is located off of the bedroom at the top of the stairs. Two south facing windows overlook the stair and fill both the bedroom and living room with natural light. There is a view all the way to Salmon Bay, visible between the other houses on the block. The bathroom features a nice walk-in shower, vaulted ceilings and a skylight. There is a walk-in closet located off of the bathroom.

Click here to read an interview with Drew about her family's experience building a backyard cottage.

Jennifer conceived of this cottage both as place to stay when visiting her adult daughter and as her future home. She wanted a separate bedroom, full sized kitchen and an bathroom that could accommodate changing needs. As it often is, one of our primary challenges was accommodating her needs in the available footprint of 400 sq. ft. The result is a sun filled cottage nestled within her daughter's garden.

What primary functions can we get on the ground floor while keeping the footprint small? We worked with the owner to create a studio layout on the ground floor with a living room, kitchen, and bath with a no threshold shower. Upstairs, is a bedroom/artist studio. The cottage footprint is 14' x 22'.

This ADU has the distinction of being built, not over a garage, but over a room for table tennis. Today the owners are living in their new house and renting out their larger primary residence.

The cottage features treetop views of downtown, vaulted ceilings, two green roofs and a small deck. The owner acted as the general contractor for the project and did most of the construction work himself, including the hand stenciled paper mache floors— materials for the floor cost less than $50. The finished product is complete with a hand stenciled border.

Video: This ADU was a featured video on tiny house giant journey

We worked with Gabi and Paul to design their contemporary farmhouse around the around the needs of their young family. The kitchen and wood stove are the center of the house which is filled with natural light and opens out onto an expansive vegetable garden.

In Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood, Ben and January were on a tight budget and planned on using their cottage as a rental unit. We worked with them to develop a house with a compact footprint that would work with the constraints of their steeply sloping site. Our considerable experience designing backyard cottages and working within environmentally critical areas saved them time and money in design fees. This also allowed them to get realistic pricing information at the beginning of the design process before they had spent a lot of money on consultants.

This Rainier Valley backyard cottage takes advantage of solar access and territorial views. The design of this ADU was intentionally simple to keep construction costs down and to make it easier for the owner who operated as the general contractor for this project.

Mark and Alice converted their existing garage in to a backyard cottage to add more room for their growing family. The family placed a high priority on sustainability. To this end, we worked to maintain as much of the existing structure as possible. The result is a 440 sq. ft. one bedroom/one bath cottage suitable for someone with limited mobility.

Garage conversions have their own unique benefits and challenges. To be used as a backyard cottage a garage must be brought up to the standards of the current building code. When evaluating whether a conversion is more cost effective than new construction, our first consideration is the condition of the foundation. Many garages are built with minimal foundations that do not meet current design standards. If the existing foundation is in good condition, as it was for Mark and Alice, we can focus on other important considerations like updating systems and insulation.  

One benefit of converting an existing garage in Seattle is that special considerations are given in the zoning code for these existing structures. These considerations can be departures from standards including lot size and setbacks. Contact us to find out more about the permitting process and these departures.

The Wheelocks are an example of our successful intergenerational work. In this case, a son wanted to build a cottage for his aging mother, adjacent to his house. The 800 sq. ft. Burien Cottage designed by Anne Van Dyne, provides a beautiful and functional home with traditional craftsman flair, vaulted ceilings, and a large deck for entertaining. The local zoning and sloping site allowed for the cottage to be built over a workshop used by the son for his business.

Beyond the immeasurable benefits of having family close by, there may be real financial incentives as well. In-home assistance is much less expensive than assisted living or nursing home care, which runs in the range of $3,000 to $5,000 per month*. 

This backyard cottage is a neighborhood gathering space. The ground floor opens up to the alley and yard for impromptu get-togethers in addition to serving a ballet studio. The second floor features a one bedroom apartment.

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A unique take on cottage housing, this new development uses an elevated walkway to connect these four houses. The walkway provides an opportunity to have public circulation on one level,  passes over private yards below, resolves a difficult sloping site, and reduces the apparent scale of the houses while increasing natural light and views.

Houses A and B have a footprint of a mere 16ft x 24ft. We used vaulted ceilings and abundant glazing and positioned the houses to take advantage of solar access and territorial views to make the interior spaces feel spacious.

This small infill lot had potential and some challenges. The property contained two historic houses. Much thought was given to how to realize the owner’s goal of creating a contemporary one bedroom ADU with a roof deck that would fit in with the existing house and the neighborhood.

This small house was designed using the same principles we use for our backyard cottages but is a little bit bigger. The house is designed for the owner's family of four and contains three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The total area of the cottage is 1,100 sq. ft.

INTERBAY FLEX ADU

What do you plan to use your ADU for? It is one of the first questions we ask potential clients.

Many people build ADUs as rental units. Barry and his wife planned to build a DADU for rental income but also needed an independent dwelling for Barry’s aging mother. We helped them plan an ADU that functions as two separate units.

This DADU features two front doors. One door leads to a 2nd floor 1 bedroom apartment with vaulted ceilings and southern exposure. The unit is used as a short term rental to generate income.

The other door leads to the ground floor studio unit that features a full bath, kitchenette and bedroom. The downstairs is used as a home for Barry’s mother during extended stays and as an office for Barry other times.

This versatile DADU features a garage which can later be converted to a ground floor bedroom to facilitate aging in place. In the near-term the ADU will be rented out for income. After the owners retire they will move into the ADU themselves. The cottage shell was completed by a contractor and the owners are completing the interior finish work themselves.

As Colette and Chris noticed houses in their neighborhood being replaced by rows of apartment buildings, they considered ways to preserve their own home and family history. That meant improving and maintaining the original house, and also creating a DADU to provide an income stream.

We sat down with Colette and talked about her experience. Read about her insights on our blog.

This ADU strives for sustainability with a super insulated envelope, heat recovery system, and cistern.

Carlo is taking advantage of recent ADU zoning changes that allow him to increase the size of his DADU. He is adding two additional bedrooms and a bathroom to the original one bedroom ADU. The ADU zoning changes also allow him to convert his existing house into a duplex, which he plans to rent out.

For this small house we used the same guiding principles that we use for our backyard cottages. This cottage is 1,400 sq. ft. in size and was designed for two independent adults. The extra space allowed us to provide more features to accommodate aging in place.  It features two bedrooms and two baths. 

What do you plan to use your ADU for? It is one of the first questions we ask potential clients.

Many people build ADUs as rental units in the near term and as part of a long term plan to downsize. Brian and Sondra planned to build and rent out their DADU but fell in love with the design during the construction process and ended up moving into the ADU themselves.

There are many ways to use an ADU and the use is likely to change over time. Planning for changing uses is an integral part of the design process.

This ADU features a 2nd floor suite, and an open ground floor plan that opens up on a patio. The living room features a kitchen/dining room, living room, and a wall with a weight rack, tv, fireplace, and a beer tap.

Locking of the stairway door, the upstairs master suite becomes a separate flat usable as a short term rental. It features a kitchenette with a sink, fridge and microwave.

This DADU was designed as a primary residence for the homeowners. The unique L shape was a result of maintaining a minimum amount of separation from the existing house to maximize the shared yard space.

The ground floor is an open plan with exposed ceiling joists making the ceiling feel higher and contrasting nicely with the polished concrete floors. The kitchen features clean lines with a combination island/dining table and a pantry that contains both storage and small appliances.

The 2nd floor features two bedrooms a bath a large walk-in-closet and a office nook.

Sitting atop a first story garage, the DADU’s open, airy top floor is a versatile living space that is perfect for the homeowners and their guests alike. With a total of 800 sq ft the space features the tongue and groove cedar ceiling from the original garage in the kitchen, a vaulted ceiling, and exposed rafters.

For more information about this DADU, please check out an interview with the owners on our blog.

This DADU was a labor of love for a owner/contractor. It is filled with historic fixtures and fun quirks like the bulls skull.

How much is a DADU worth? - more than you might think

A ravenna dadu becomes an office and school during the pandemic.

This new DADU contains 2 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, a study, kitchen and living room. It was built by the owner for sale.

Increasingly DADU’s are being sold as condos. This 2 bedroom, 2 bath DADU sold for $945,000. The existing historic house on the property was renovated and sold seperatly.

Wedgwood ADU - Seeking investment opportunities

Elisandra and Ryan came to us when they were searching for their first home which they wanted to be a launching pad for future investments. We were able to assist them to identify a suitable property. The property they chose had an existing non-conforming duplex, an environmentally critical area designation, a protected exceptional tree and limited available lot coverage. We were able to identify these constraints and offer cost effective strategies to achieve their goal of building a three bedroom 2 bath DADU with a garage. They are currently renting the DADU for $4,000 a month and starting work on a new three unit SFR + AADU + AADU project near Green Lake.

This DADU recently sold for 1.2 Million dollars. What makes it special and what does it say about the Seattle housing market?

This DADU is a seamless addition to a great neighborhood. It features 1,334 sq. ft. with 3 bedrooms and 3 baths. The ground floor features an open plan with exposed joist ceilings and french doors opening off of the kitchen into a nicely landscaped back yard. The DADU also features a 400 sq. attached garage. Perhaps, most importantly it feels like a home.

What is the secrete of the design process?

I’ve toured lots of DADUs that are similar on paper, I’ve come to see why microhouse DADUs sell for $200 a sq. ft. more than the others. The secret isn’t that they cost $200 a square foot more to build. We worked with the builder from property identification through construction. We helped them to make the best use of this corner lot while preserving the integrity of the existing house where they now live. We took full advantage of the lot to give the ADU a nice yard and street presence. Sound design decisions throughout the design process helped us get the most value for our clients. We are always looking for ways to simplify the construction and identify design elements the will produce the most bang for the buck. Ultimately, we strive to create small houses where we would want to live.

This light filled DADU contains 2 bedrooms and 1.5 baths. And it is for rent. The location is ideal on a through lot on a quiet dead end street.