seattle backyard cottage blog

Backyard cottages (DADUs) provide opportunities for families, while increasing housing stock density and diversity. Continue reading for more information about Seattle's backyard cottage ordinance or contact us to find out if your lot is eligible for a backyard cottage..

Monday, March 25

a retirement cabin on Lake Washington

A retirement cabin complete with a granddaughter loft by Seattle design collaborative microhouse.  The design takes advantage of sweeping views lake Washington and Mt. Rainier. Location - the backyard of the owner's daughter.




A project that we are currently working on that is quite exciting.  The design features a nice living room and open kitchen with views south to Mount Rainier and east to Lake Washington.  One bedroom and bath are located on the main floor and a granddaughter loft is located above.  The deck faces south and is sheltered by a large roof overhang. The overhang will allow winter sunlight deep into the house while shading the windows during summer months.  The primary heat source will be a gas fire place.  The cabin will have a rain feature and cistern to celebrate and store rain water.





One of our first challenges is working within an environmentally critical area (ECA).  The City of Seattle determines which areas are environmentally sensitive based on a number of criteria including the presence of a steep slope, liquifaction prone soils and others.  In this case we have a site adjacent to a steep slope with poor fill soils deposited during the construction of the primary residence. Fortunately our team members have a strong background in Civil Engineering and perhaps because of this a large percentage of our projects are located in ECA areas.  We are working with landscape architect, Anri Rapelje, on a landscape and planting plan that will enhance the natural function of the site as well as providing native edible plants.

Construction is scheduled to begin in June 2013.






No comments:

Post a Comment

have a question