What will it cost to build a DADU in 2024?
The cost to build an ADU will likely decrease next year based on a number of predicting factors.
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This detached ADU is located in Seattle’s Green Lake Neighborhood sold for $917,000.
DADU Open house, Friday April 7th 3-5 pm
Join us for a unique opportunity to learn about and meet others thinking about building a DADU. This just completed DADU in Seattle’s Green Lake Neighborhood is 1,170 sq ft and features 2 bedrooms and 1.5 baths. The ground floor features an open plan with a bank of windows and glass doors facing south and opening on a private yard framed by new fencing and a new detached garage.
Read MoreADU TRENDS FOR 2023
Despite supply chain disruptions, a protracted concrete strike, labor shortages and high construction costs, a record 495 DADU’s were built in Seattle last year. This DADU located in the Green Lake neighborhood sold as a condo in September for $945,000. It is representative of the increasing number of DADUs being build by larger homebuilders for sale. A trend that is likely to continue even as rising interest rates and cooling housing prices slow construction of larger new homes and multi-family projects.
Read MoreWhat does a DADU cost/worth?
The first questions we often answer for people are what can I build and how much does it cost? A reciprocal question being asked by homeowners and developers is what is a DADU worth?
This DADU features 2 Bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths and 1,000 sq. ft. plus. This DADU sold for $931,000.
Some recent DADU sales in Seattle
DADU open house Monday November 1st (5-7 pm)
Join us for a unique opportunity to view one of a new a cohort of DADU’s being built for sale as condominiums. This DADU features 2 Bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths and 1,000 sq. ft. plus. Visible from the alley. This DADU is currently under contract at $931,000.
Address: 8316 30th Ave NW, Seattle, WA
We will have another DADU open house on Sunday November 7th from (noon to 2:00pm) in Magnolia. This DADU features 1 bedroom/1 bath with the main living space on the 2nd floor and a flex space and garage on the ground floor.
Address 3245 27th Ave W, Seattle, WA
It is possible to view both DADUs discreetly from the street. Please be respectful of the privacy of the owners.
DADU TOUR - SUNDAY, JULY 11TH (2:00 TO 5:00 PM)
Join us a we resume DADU tours. The 1st cottage we are hosting is a recently completed 2 bedroom 1 1/2 bath on Capitol Hill. The owner's built this DADU as part of a family compound. Their next adventure is a complete remodel of the main house to add an additional floor and an ADU. In the near term the DADU will be rented out and the owner's are accepting applications.
What: DADU open house
When: Sunday, July 11th (2-5 pm)
Where: 2419 E Aloha St, Seattle
The new DADU is located behind the main house and entered via a temporary walkway on the right side of the house. Bring a mask. The DADU is small and the number of people inside will be limited. For rental info and applications contact the owner at 206.551.3390.
BALLARD DADU ON HOUZZ
THIS BALLARD DADU WAS #2 ON THE LIST OF MOST POPULAR HOUZZ TOURS OF 2020
DADU’s are trending in 2020
DADU workshop today - November 19th
Wondering can I build a DADU on my property? Join Bruce Parker founder of microhouse and Stefan Hansmire of Hansmire Builders to learn what is possible and how to establish a realistic budget for your DADU. We will cover the basics of the Seattle land use code as it pertains to DADUs and have time at the end to answer questions about how they might apply to your specific project.
Time: Thursday 11/19 at 7:00 pm
Location: Online
Suggested donation $20 PNA members, $30 general public.
All proceeds support the Phinney Neighborhood Association
SEATTLE DADU WORKSHOP THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19TH, 7:00 PM
backyard cottages for fun and profit
DADU’s can be used for many things, including housing a family member, a short term rental, a home office, or all of these things at different times. Join Bruce Parker from Microhouse and Stefan Hansmire from Hansmire Builders to learn about what is possible and how to budget for a DADU.
Time: Thursday 11/19 at 7:00 pm
Location: Online
Suggested donation $20 PNA members, $30 general public.
All proceeds support the Phinney Neighborhood Association
SEATTLE DADU WORKSHOP WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 30TH 7:00 PM
Thinking about the long-term use of a home and designing for flexibility is an important part of preparing for an uncertain future. DADUs allow people more flexibility to accommodate a growing family, changing work requirements, and to provide supplemental rental income. DADUs also provide valuable small housing stock in desirable neighborhoods.
Do you want to learn more about DADUs and meet others (virtually) thinking about building a DADU? Join Bruce Parker from Microhouse and Stefan Hansmire from Hansmire Builders to learn about what is possible in this unique webinar sponsored by Sustainable Ballard. In this workshop we will answer questions for people planning to build a backyard cottage, including explanations of what is possible given the new zoning rules. We will also discuss budget ranges for recently completed backyard cottages and financing options along with case studies.
Donations for Sustainable Ballard will be accepted.
Date: Wednesday September 30th
Time: 7:00 pm
Cost: Suggested Donation
Location: Online
Ballard DADU featured in the Houzz
A Homeowner Loved His New ADU So Much He Moved In
Tiny House Podcast - Talking DADU's with microhouse's Bruce Parker
As members of the tiny house community struggle to legalize tiny house around the country, many cities are already making it easier to build smaller homes in the back yards of existing houses. Bruce Parker is the founder and lead designer of MicroHouse, a company that designs backyard cottages and small houses in Seattle, Washington. These can take multiple forms, but are usually referred to as ADU's or DADU’s in Seattle. Bruce is here to tell us about what it takes to build a DADU in Seattle. Warning: the sticker shock may be… well.. shocking. Plus, we'll talk what design elements and choices lend themselves to a beautiful and functional small space.
DADU workshop Thursday 4/23 at 7:00 pm
Our DADU workshop scheduled for this Thursday has been moved online. Sign up for more information and updates.
backyard cottages for fun and profit
Backyard cottages can be used for many things, including housing a family member, a short term rental, a home office, or all of these things. Join Bruce Parker from Microhouse and Stefan Hansmire from Hansmire Builders to learn about what is possible and what is going on with the industry right now.
Time: Thursday 4/23 at 7:00 pm
Location: Online
Suggested donation $20 PNA members, $30 general public. All proceeds support the Phinney Neighborhood Association
LAURELHURST DADU - SERENITY ACHIEVED AFTER HEAVY LIFTING
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.
This 575 sq ft backyard cottage features a green roof, open web trusses, a compact kitchen, and a ship’s ladder to the bedroom below (also accessible via stairs from outside). The primary view of the cottage from the main house was from above. We used a green roof for environmental reasons and to provide an attractive vista.
The use of open web trusses allowed us to create a light and airy space while providing the required support the weight of the green roof.
The sloping site allowed us to locate a daylight bedroom in the basement. The lower level basement is accessed via a ships ladder.
The daylight basement room is cozy and light filled.
The limited access meant that large equipment could not access the site. As a result, all excavation had to be done by hand and excess soil was removed in buckets.
NEW DADU CODE WORKSHOP - NOVEMBER 21ST
Curious if you can build a DADU in your back yard? The rules for backyard cottages have been radically changed. Join Bruce Parker from Microhouse and Stefan Hansmire from Hansmire Builders to learn what is possible under the new code and how to establish a realistic budget for your cottage.
Please Join us on November 21st at the PNA. Space is limited, RSVP here.
Thursday November 21st, 7:00 pm.
Phinney Ridge Neighborhood Association
6532 Phinney Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
NEW DADU CODE WORKSHOPS
Curious if you can build a DADU in your back yard? The rules for backyard cottages have been radically changed. Join Bruce Parker from Microhouse and Stefan Hansmire from Hansmire Builders to learn what is possible under the new code and how to establish a realistic budget for your cottage.
Thursday September 12, 7:00 pm.
West Seattle Coworking, LLC
6040/A California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98136
Consider joining us on November 21st at the PNA.
Thursday November 21st, 7:00 pm.
Phinney Ridge Neighborhood Association
6532 Phinney Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
Space is limited - please RSVP
mayor signs ADU code changes
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan signed the code changes approved by city council last week that are intended to increase the number of backyard cottages being built in Seattle. The Mayor also signed an executive order to address other issues that restrain construction including reducing construction cost, permitting time and complexity and exploring financing options for ADUs. The code changes will go into effect on August 8th. Limits to new house size (FAR restrictions) will go into effect six months from now.
DADU proposed code change amendments
city council is debating which of the proposed code changes will go into effect and offering their own amendments
a DADU used as a short term rental prior to grandfather's retirement
As city council prepares to vote on the proposed code changes to Seattle's single family zones, even amendments have been proposed. These include owner occupancy restrictions for short term rentals and allowance for bike parking.
Here is what we think is important.
The proposed code changes would remove the owner occupancy requirement. An amendment would add a 1 year requirement for the 2nd ADU. We believe that owner occupancy should be required for all properties with ADUS for a period of time (3 years).
The impact to removing the occupancy requirement is unknown. The environmental impact statement (EIS) prepared as part of the lawsuit doesn't appear to adequately predict the impact from removing this requirement. Detractors note that the EIS does not take into account the increasing trend to sell ADUs and their primary residence separately using a condominium or land-lease agreement. Owner occupancy for a period of time (3 years) is good and should minimize the destruction of naturally occurring affordable housing by speculative developers.
Owner occupancy should be required for all properties used as short-term rentals.
A proposed amendment by Lisa Herbold would prohibit short term rental use for new ADUs. It would be far better to maintain the owner occupancy requirement. Allowing owner's flexibility is crucial to long term planning for those contemplating building an ADU. The higher rate of return for a short term rental (STR) allows more ADU's and DADUs to be built. A majority of the homeowner's we work with plan to use their cottages as short term rental at some point. The magnolia cottage pictured above was rented out as a STR for a few years, which paid for construction, prior to the owner's father moving in.
SDCI should closely monitor ADU construction and report annually to City Council.
Two proposed amendment would monitor ADU permitting and use this seems like a good idea.
Garage Space should be included in FAR calculations.
The current proposal would allow the exclusion of up to 1,000 sq. ft. of garage space for ADUs. This is effectively a parking subsidy. A better solution would be limiting the exempted area to 200 sq. ft. or enough space for one car. One proposed amendment would allow 25 sq. ft. to be excluded for bike parking, seems unnecessary.
Comments may be submitted to Lisa Herbold lisa.herbold@seattle.gov
Childhood Home Creates Options for the Future in Eastlake
In 2010 Colette and her family purchased her childhood Craftsman home in Seattle’s Eastlake neighborhood. As Colette and Chris noticed similar houses nearby being replaced by rows of apartment buildings, they considered ways to preserve their own home and history. That meant improving and maintaining the original house, and also creating an income stream to secure their options for the future. A backyard cottage turned out to be just what they were looking for.
How did the idea of building a backyard cottage come about?
Colette: My husband Chris and I moved back to Seattle in 2010 with our two children and were able to buy my childhood home from my family. The home needed extensive work so we did it at a very slow pace. Once the main house was close to being finished we noticed that many houses on our block were being sold to developers. What was once a quiet Craftsman lined street was turning into rows of apartment buildings.
That got us thinking about how to preserve my childhood home and invest and grow with the neighborhood. It was simple: build a backyard cottage and use it as a short-term rental to pay off the new debt, and later have a guest house. We also began to see it as a great investment into our retirement and something we can leave to our kids. We can live in the cottage when the kids are gone, or perhaps we can fly off to Italy and let the cottage and house support us in our next stage of life. The cottage suddenly gave us positive options for the future.
What did you enjoy most about the process?
Colette: I loved every part of the process. Because our lot was small and there were only a certain number of ways to build our structure, the design part became quite easy. Bruce and Stefan [of microhouse] were great at listening to what we wanted and were always willing to change things to get them right.
At one point in the build we had some large joists delivered that were used as our entryway ceiling and our loft floor. Garrick, our builder, set them up for me and loaned me his sander so I could work on them before they were installed. I really enjoyed that they allowed me access to work on projects for the cottage.
I was also able to design the inside of the cottage to fit furniture I was buying along the way. Walls were made to fit vanities and all the lighting was installed to my specifications for the fixtures I had bought.
What challenges did you face during the process?
Colette: My biggest challenge in this process was my neighbor. They didn’t like what we were doing. They objected to noise, dust, and anything that needed to go over their property line. It became quite ugly and it was a sad break to a 30-year friendship.
For me, living through construction was pretty fun. It was great to look out the kitchen window and watch walls go up. Garrick and I became friends and it was easy to have him around. He was missed when the project ended.
How long did the process take?
Colette: It took about a year to get the plans down just right. The build began just before fall of 2017 and ended in the spring of 2018.
Is there anything you would do differently if you had to do it over?
Colette: If we ever decide to build again I would work with Bruce, Stefan and Garrick again. It was truly a pleasure.
What’s your favorite thing about your cottage?
Colette: I love the size of our cottage. It looks narrow and small from the outside, but when you enter it seems much, much larger. It feels like a trick of the eye. I love the shiplap wall we built as a focal point. I love that the appliances all fit into the kitchen I assembled. I love that I was very much a part of the build and that my ideas and creativity were used throughout.
a chef's kitchen, custom beer taps and abundant light
The owner built this backyard cottage as a rental but fell in love (with the cottage) during the design process and decided to rent out his house instead. Designed to emphasize custom details, this DADU reflects of the owner’s lifestyle.
The overall strategy with this backyard cottage, as it is with most of our designs, is to keep the structure simple allowing a larger percentage of the budget to be spent on finishes. As the height and size of DADUs is limited based on the size of the lot, the maximum allowable footprint for this cottage was 328 sq. ft.
It features an open floor plan on the ground floor with a kitchen, living and powder rooms. Upstairs is a master bedroom complete with a kitchenette, and a bath with laundry room.
Ceramic tile accentuates the entry area. The view from the entry towards the kitchen and patio beyond.
The kitchen is located along one wall making it both compact and simple. A movable kitchen island creates a flexible work space and accordion doors open onto a new patio filling the ground floor with light.
Exposed wood joists add warmth and texture in contrast with the concrete floors
A door located at the bottom of the stairs allows for the two floors to be used independently.
Where some houses may come with a man cave this DADU features a "man wall" with big screen tv, electric fireplace, weight rack and the ultimate amenity, beer taps. A keg fridge is located behind the wall in the under stair space.
Custom-built beer taps. A keg fridge is located behind the wall in the under stair space.
The city of Seattle limits both the eave and ridge height of cottages allowing greater height for a gable roof which we took advantage of to good effect. The master suite features vaulted ceilings and abundant light. A kitchenette allows this room to be used separately from the first floor.
The master bath features vaulted ceilings and skylight. A laundry room is tucked off to one side under the eaves, a shower under the other with beautiful tile work featured throughout.
