a fun idea for a small space

One of the fun challenges about working with small spaces is coming up with creative ways to have spaces and objects serve double duty. Darrius Wellrich a Seattle based musician/artist has created this unique table that can be hung on the wall and used as a picture frame.  For more information about  the table check out Darrius' facebook page Darrius Wellrich or give him a call at 206 501.8441.

backyard cottage for a great grandmother

Here is a photo of Mary K's cottage as it nears completion.  The cottage footprint is a mere 16ft x 24ft. and contains one bedroom, a bath living room and kitchen. Mary K and her daughter will be completing the kitchen tiling herself so that it will reflect her own personal flair and save money.  This project was completed on a very tight budget.

The cottage contains a loft that will serve as a reading room and play area for Mary K's great granddaughter.

Large abundant windows and a vaulted ceiling make the living room feel larger than it is. 

The accessibility strategy we followed in the bath is to make things small so that those with mobility impairments will be able to move from support to support easily. (The grab bars have not yet been installed in this photo).  The toilet doubles as a shower bench.

upcoming workshop

Would you like to learn more about backyard cottages, meet others thinking about building a backyard cottage and talk to experts in the design and construction of backyard cottages? Microhouse and Ncompass cottage company will be hosting the second of our fall backyard cottage workshops this Wednesday October 17th at 7:00pm at the Community School of West Seattle.  

Do you have specific questions about your lot?  Email or call us with the address and your goals and questions and we can pull together background data that will assist us in answering your questions.  Drop ins are welcome but we prefer it if you RSVP so we can be sure to accommodate you.

RSVP: bruce@microhousenw.com (206) 428-8599
Backyard Cottage Workshop



October 17th, from 7:00 to 8:00 PM, at the Community School of West Seattle, 9450 22nd Avenue Southwest. 

backyard houses catch the eye of city council

A new moratorium does not impact backyard cottages (DADUs)

The Seattle City Council has recently put a moratorium on small lot infill housing.  A recent Seattle Times article creates some confusion  by naming "backyard houses" in their title.  What is being impacted is the development of new houses on substandard sized lots.  A so called loophole exists because the city recognizes existing buildable lots that are below the minimum size allowed in each zone that existed before the current zoning codes took affect in the 1950's.  Houses on  these lots can be built to approximately the same height and bulk as houses on standard lots. As a result horribly overscaled houses being built on minuscule lots throughout Seattle. New regulations will most likely further limit the height and bulk of houses built on these lots.  We are in support of increased regulation of these houses and have commented on the record that solar access for the adjacent property to the north should also be regulated as it is for some multi-family developments.  

The scale of backyard cottages is already restricted to lots with a minimum of 4,000 sq. ft. and may be no more than 800 sq. ft. in size with a maximum ridge height of 22ft.

To read more from the city council Council News Release. 

backyard cottage workshop next week

Would you like to learn more about backyard cottages, meet others thinking about building a backyard cottage and talk to experts in the design and construction of backyard cottages? Microhouse and Ncompass cottage company will be hosting the first of our fall backyard cottage workshops next Wednesday September 19th at 7:00pm at the Community School of West Seattle.  

Do you have specific questions about your lot?  Email or call us with the address and your goals and questions and we can pull together background data that will assist us in answering your questions.  Drop ins are welcome but we prefer it if you RSVP so we can be sure to accommodate you.


RSVP: bruce@microhousenw.com (206) 428-8599

Backyard Cottage Workshop
September19th, from 7:00 to 8:00 PM, at the Community School of West Seattle, 9450 22nd Avenue Southwest. 

wallingford backyard cottage

Backyard cottages are a great option for many seniors allowing them to live close to family or perhaps have a family member live close to them.  Three generations of Mary K's family live in the Wallingford neighborhood of Seattle.  She now lives a number of hours drive away but hopes to move closer to her  great granddaughter. How much closer, into her daughter’s back yard. We worked with her to design a comfortable place to live where she can be a more prominent part of her family’s life.  Her new kitchen window looks out on a garden shared with her daughter and her cottage features a loft for her great granddaughter to play in.  While the cottage is still under construction, She looks forward to taking her great granddaughter to the nearby woodland park zoo.

No doubt her family will appreciate the extra help as well.  Raising a child is expensive in no small part due to the cost of child care.  Many parents scramble to keep up a juggling act of work and child care schedules that result in children being raised by caregivers outside the family. In this day and age it seems the lucky exceptions that have family close enough to help out on a regular basis. 

Her backyard cottage will have another benefit as well.  She will pay to construct the cottage from her savings.  It will be her home but will also be an asset for her daughter’s property.  When she no longer lives in the cottage it will become a source of rental income for the family, or perhaps her great granddaughter’s college apartment. Because the cottage is being funded with her retirement savings cost savings were crucial.

To save money we worked with Mary K to make the cottage as efficient as possible. Because Mary K at one time lived on a boat she is familiar with living in small spaces.  In preparation for moving she has calculated the exact number of inches of shelving for her bathroom and the width and height for her closet as well as all of her other storage requirements. She is designing the kitchen cabinets herself.

We used a couple of strategies to make the cottage feel larger.  Our primary strategy is incorporating the landscape into the project through the abundant and careful placement of windows.  We have also added a vaulted ceiling over the main living space and exposed the ceiling joists in the bedroom and kitchen to make those ceilings seem higher.

The cottage has been designed to be accessible for Mary K as she ages. Because it is small grab bars and surfaces will enable one with mobility impairment to navigate throughout the cottage with a degree of comfort.  In the bath we again took the approach of making things smaller rather than larger so that grab bars are always within easy reach.  The shower is incorporated into the main space so that one can bath while sitting down on the toilet.  

treehouse cottage

One of this season's backyard cottage projects, the treehouse's design is a response to the unique requirements of our client and his lot.  The owner is a carpenter by trade who wants to build a new shop and living space above. When the project is complete he plans to rent out his existing residence and live in the new cottage.  His prized possessions include two beautiful mature fir trees located in the middle of his lot.  The design seeks to put the inhabitants at the level of  and surrounded them by the largest branches.  The orientation of the building will enable it to take advantage of passive heating and cooling strategies.  


To protect the trees the footprint of the building is held back outside of the dripline while a covered work area will provide shelter for another prized possession a vintage pickup truck.  The truck doesn't move often and a thick layer of bark mulch will be placed to protect the soil from compaction. The covered work area will be surrounded by a cedar rain screen which extends upwards to form the siding of the second level. 


Carriage houses are a common use of backyard cottages. In Seattle garage space is included in the allowable 800 sq. ft. so accommodating two cars is often a challenge. This design maximizes the living area by creating moving one of the required parking spaces into the covered work area.