Be taught all about DADUs throughout episode 105, Can You DADU? on the Do not Dwell with It. Love It.® podcast by CRD Design Construct.
What’s a yard cottage?
Often known as indifferent accent dwelling models, or DADUs, yard cottages are small, standalone homes constructed behind your fundamental residence. They can help you preserve your privateness and all of the sq. footage in your fundamental home whereas creating additional residing house. Householders typically decide to construct these over a brand new storage.
Not too long ago we accomplished a two-story DADU over a brand new storage in Wallingford. We tore down the outdated storage and constructed this gorgeous DADU instead. To see extra take a look at – Wallingford DADU
Is a yard cottage the identical as a tiny residence?
Technically, Seattle doesn’t permit so-called tiny properties that don’t relaxation on their very own basis:
Tiny homes on wheels are handled like camper trailers. You can not dwell in a tiny home on wheels (or related tools resembling RVs and boats) on tons in Seattle metropolis limits. In case your tiny home has wheels it is advisable observe parking guidelines for big automobiles. [Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections]
Causes to construct a yard cottage
Householders select to assemble yard cottages (DADUs) for a wide range of causes, and a cottage will be put to completely different makes use of through the years.
A typical purpose to construct a cottage is to make use of it as a long- or short-term rental. Not solely does it create some additional earnings, but it surely helps ease Seattle’s housing disaster by offering extra rental models.
Itemizing a yard cottage on a nightly rental service, resembling Airbnb, has the potential to carry a home-owner probably the most rental earnings, however managing bookings and turnovers between company will not be an insignificant quantity of labor, so most householders wishing to lease their DADUs will in all probability go for long-term leases.
Different householders construct yard cottages to not lease however as housing for members of the family. They’re a approach to make inter-generational residing doable. An aged mother or father might transfer right into a DADU, or grownup youngsters looking for to construct a house in Seattle, however who’re priced out of the costly actual property market, might construct on their dad and mom’ lot.
Nonetheless different householders design their yard cottages as an extension of their residence’s residing house, both for company, hobbies, or different makes use of.
Some householders wishing to downsize could even transfer right into a newly constructed yard cottage and lease out their fundamental home.
We transformed an unused, dilapidated yard workshop right into a DADU that the purchasers use as a long-term rental unit. Try extra of this conversion right here – Greenwood DADU
What are the necessities to construct a DADU in Seattle?
Here’s a abstract of among the new DADU guidelines for Seattle’s single-family zones. Seek the advice of a design skilled earlier than assuming your DADU is buildable, however you should use the 2019 Seattle yard cottage guidelines abstract beneath to shortly examine the feasibility of your mission.
Lot dimension
The minimal lot dimension required for a yard cottage is 3,200 sq. ft in single-family zones. (Previously, you needed to have no less than a 4,000-square-foot lot.) The minimal lot width is 25 ft.
Dwelling dimension
The utmost dimension of the yard cottage is now 1,000 sq. ft of ground space in single-family zones, up from 800 sq. ft. Parking and as much as 35 sq. ft of bicycle cupboard space will not be counted in direction of this dimension restrict.
Constructing top
Peak limits are based mostly on two fundamental components: the width of your lot and the model of your roof. Heaps lower than 30 ft vast permit a base construction top of 14 ft, whereas tons wider than 50 ft permit a base top of as much as 18 ft. As well as, you might be allowed extra top on your roof, which varies relying on the model of your roof and the width of your lot. A pitched (gable) roof can prolong an extra 3 to 7 ft above the bottom construction top, whereas a shed or butterfly roof can prolong solely 3 or 4 ft above.
Most Whole Constructing Peak Limits of Yard Cottages
| Lot lower than 30′ vast | Lot 30′-40′ vast | Lot 40′-50′ vast | Lot 50′ vast or extra | |
| Pitched roof | 17′ | 23′ | 23′ | 25′ |
| Shed or butterfly roof | 17′ | 20′ | 22′ | 22′ |
Be aware that town provides 2 ft of potential “bonus” top for super-insulated or inexperienced roofs and 4 ft for railings in case you have a rooftop deck.
Setbacks
DADUs can’t be inbuilt entrance yards, so solely facet yard/rear yard setbacks apply. On the whole, you want 5 ft of house between the cottage and your lot traces and from different constructions. In case your lot borders a again alley, you may construct proper as much as it. When you have a nook lot, your setback is 10 ft.
Most lot protection
The footprints of your fundamental home and any accent constructions can cowl solely a restricted proportion of your whole lot.
| Lot dimension | Most lot protection |
| Lower than 5,000 sq. ft | 1,000 sq. ft plus 15 p.c of lot space |
| 5,000 sq. ft or extra | 35 p.c of lot space |
If the again of your property abuts an alley, you get a little bit of a break; town calculates your lot space from the center-line of the alley.
What counts towards most lot protection in Seattle?
Verify with a educated architect or designer to substantiate your distinctive scenario, however listed below are some examples of what Seattle counts towards most lot protection:
Included in lot protection calculation:
- The footprint of all constructions on the whole lot
- Balconies, bay home windows, and architectural projections, even when they don’t really contact the bottom
Exempted from lot protection calculation:
- The primary 36 inches of eaves and gutters
- Pedestrian entry bridges which can be 5 ft vast or much less (uncovered and unenclosed)
- Barrier-free entry ramps or different entry for the disabled or aged assembly Washington State
Constructing Code Chapter 11 - Decks or elements of decks which aren’t over 18 inches above the present grade
- Freestanding constructions resembling fences, bulkheads and freestanding partitions, however not arbors
- Underground constructions or the underground portion of a construction
- Photo voltaic collectors assembly the provisions of 23.44.046
- Swimming swimming pools meet the provisions of 23.44.044
See additionally: Lot Protection, Peak, Yard, and Storage Requirements for Properties in Single Household Zones [Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections]
Rear yard protection
Your yard cottage can take up solely 40 p.c of your required rear yard space, plus 20 p.c extra if no distinctive bushes or bushes bigger than 2 ft in diameter are eliminated.
What if my property abuts a again alley?
You get one other break right here if the again of your property abuts an alley. You’ll be able to add half the width of the alley to your lot depth within the calculator above.
What in case your precise rear yard is greater than required?
In case your rear yard is greater than the required minimal space, you are in luck! You should utilize the 40% to 60% of the required rear yard space, as calculated above, plus any leftover rear yard space not taken up by your fundamental residence and different constructions.
Parking necessities
Devoted off-street parking for yard cottages is now not required. Nevertheless, town nonetheless requires the primary residence to have one off-street parking spot that doesn’t sit inside a setback.
Proprietor occupancy necessities
The proprietor of the property needn’t dwell in the primary home or the yard cottage below the brand new rules.
Most variety of accent dwelling models
Along with your fundamental residence, you may construct as much as one indifferent yard cottage and one hooked up in-law condominium or two hooked up in-law flats.
Price to construct a DADU in Seattle
For a lot of householders, the fee to construct a DADU will likely be offset by regular rental earnings and a rise of their residence’s worth. With that stated, constructing a DADU is sort of costly and is a big funding. To seek out out extra about the fee to construct a DADU, take a look at our Yard Cottage Pricing Information for probably the most up-to-date pricing data!
Planning a yard cottage of your individual?
Rather a lot goes into making a yard cottage that completely suits your wants as we speak and may adapt to new makes use of sooner or later. Our employees of inside designers and designers may also help make your imaginative and prescient a actuality, and our group {of professional} lead carpenters can maintain the constructing course of clean and on schedule. Our development cue is filling up. Please be at liberty to attain out as we speak to debate your objectives and the feasibility of development. We’d be joyful to reply your questions and share our concepts.
Be aware: We make no claims or warranties as to the completeness or accuracy of the knowledge on this web page. We encourage you to substantiate all the knowledge you learn right here and seek the advice of a design skilled. Any motion you are taking based mostly on the knowledge on this web site is strictly at your individual danger.
