happy new year

Here is a look back on some of our 2012 small house projects.  It has been fun year and we are looking forward to more great projects in 2013.  If you would like more information about any of these give us a call or shoot us an email. A full resolution copy of this poster will be available for download soon.

Magnolia Family Builds a Backyard Cottage

Ben and January live in Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood and were excited when a new Seattle ordinance allowed them to build a backyard cottage behind their home.  We wanted to build a place for my father to live when he retired, so he could be closer to his grandchildren Leo and Francis. Said January.  In the near term they planned to rent the cottage and ultimately decided to use it as a vacation rental through VRBO.  This has proven to be quite successful helping fund the construction of the cottage.


In Seattle, backyard cottages are limited in size to 800 sq. ft. in size and a height of one or two floors. To create the most desirable rental unit the family chose to build a 2 bedroom, 1 bath plan.  Building a cottage involved overcoming lots of hurdles first during design and permitting done by microhouse and the construction by Carlisle Classic Homes.  While their lot met the minimum lot size and other requirements for a backyard cottage it is located in an Environmentally Critical Area (ECA)  in which  new construction prohibited except through an exemption process.  The site slope was both a benefit and a challenge.   The new cottage has nice solar exposure and a territorial view and it sits down slope from the main house providing physical and visual separation.  And while a thoughtful site design minimized excavation and use of retaining walls there were additional costs related to the ECA designation.

The steep slope of Ben and January's lot kept them from creating an accessible cottage for January's father, a common goal for those who build backyard cottages with an idea towards aging at home.  The cottage is accessed from an alley running adjacent to the cottage.  We were able to apply for, and obtain a parking waiver because of the nature of the site, this gave us a little more flexibility on the cottage placement and reduce construction cost.

Because of the small size of the cottage, the design was important.  Placement of windows and natural lighting were crucial. Although frustratingly difficult to photograph, the connection to the landscape helps make the small living room feel larger. Ben and January's cottage opens up on a patio with a nice territorial view.  The cottage is orientate with the largest windows facing south where they can get the most natural light.  The recessed porch allows winter sun to penetrate deep into the house while shading the windows during the summer months. 

"A lot of what we did was determined by what the zoning code would allow but we still had to make a lot of decisions each of which had a big impact on the overall budget." Said Ben. We had a limited budget so we chose finishes that would be durable affordable.

The north side of the house is shaded by a large fir tree.  To add natural light to the small bathroom  a skylight was used. 

Vaulted ceilings make small rooms feel larger. The scissor truss design used  is not only energy efficient, and affordable to build, but the simple gable form gave us an opportunity to play around with the overall style of the building. 

A small eating nook adjacent to the kitchen. 

drought tolerant plants: 
saving water in style

A dry summer that saw record breaking heat and drought in much of the country has come to an end. Rain and cool weather have returned to in the Puget Sound. That means the beginning of planning and planting for the year ahead.  With our summers predicted to be warmer and dryer, what can we do to create a yard that will look beautiful year round while saving water? The careful selection of native and drought tolerant plants can result in a beautiful landscape that requires minimal maintenance and water.  Read on to learn more about the use of these popular plants.

Native and Drought tolerant  plants

Native plants are often a good choice for gardens as they are well adapted to your climate and available rainfall without the use of supplemental watering after they have been established. Their use has the added benefit of creating habitats that favor local birds and other wildlife.   Lists of native plant species for your region are available from many sources one of the best of which is your local cooperative extension office.  Local and  nurseries are also a great place to see and learn about native plants.

Many Puget Sound natives are Drought-tolerant.  That means they are resistant to seasonal periods of little or no rainfall. These plants come in an amazing variety and can be used to create lush landscapes.  Here are some of our favorites.

    

Add to ideabook

Red Flowering Currant
Ribes sanguineum
USDA zones: 6 to 10
Water requirement:Moderate; tolerates some drought
Light requirement: Full sun or partial shade
Mature size: 6 to 12 feet high
Environmental benefits: Flowers in spring; fruit is attractive to birds
Native range: U.S. Pacific coast

Service Berry
Amelanchier alnifolia
USDA zones: 3 to 9
Water requirement: Has good drought resistance
Light requirement: Full sun 
Mature size: 10 feet high
Environmental benefits: Nutritious fruit used fresh, frozen or processed. Wildlife value: high-quality cover and food. With a sweet nutty taste, the fruits have long been eaten by Canada's aboriginal people, fresh or dried.
Native range: Northwest and west U.S. and Canada

Vine Maple

Acer circinatum
USDA zones: 4 to 8
Water requirement: Medium
Light requirement: Full to partial sun
Mature size: 15 feet
Environmental benefits: Vine maple flourishes as an understory tree in moist woods with dappled shade and along stream banks. In native stands, vine maple commonly occurs with bigleaf maple, Douglas fir, western hemlock, grand fir and Pacific dogwood, with sword fern underneath. 
Native range: U.S. Pacific coast

Sword Fern

Polystichum munitum

USDA zone: 4a

Water requirement: Able to withstand dry summers but prefers cool-weather moist soil

Light reqirement: Shade or partial shade

Mature size: 3-foot by 3-foot spread

Soil type: Does best in organic soils but can stand the most acidic conditions

Environmental benefits: Western sword fern spores have many medicinal uses, including relieving the pain from the sting of a stinging nettle

Native range: U.S. Pacific coast

Many Mediterranean plants and drought tolerant and thrive in the Puget Sound region Lavender and Rosemary are two great choices.

Lavender
Lavandula
USDA zones: 5 to 9Water requirement:Drought tolerantLight requirement: Full to partial sunMature size: 2 feet high and wideEnvironmental benefits: Spring flowersNative range:Mediterranean

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.