ecohaus sustainable materials and finishes

Microhouse announces a partnership with ecohaus one of the top sources of sustainable building materials and green building information. Microhouse plans now feature a standard specification of ecohaus materials, including  flooring, cabinets, countertops, and paints and finishes.   Now you can bundle your favorite green products under one roof and receive a discount on design and materials.  This is a great option both for those who want an all inclusive design package and those who want to be able to pick and choose individual items. Contact us for more information about pricing and selection.

Congratulations on the opening of the new ecohaus retail outlet in San Francisco. Click here or more information  about ecohaus.

host a virtual cottage

microhouse is looking for sponsors to host a 3d model of one of our cottages on their lot to increase awareness about backyard cottages and promote our designs.  Virtual cottage participants will receive a $200 credit towards the design of a new cottage.

Google adds bicycle map function

The much anticipated Google bicycle mapping function has now arrived. By now everyone should know that bicycling is a great carbon free method of getting around. It has now gotten easier, well not really easier, but at least least there is one new application to encourage get people out of their cars. Check out a bike map of your commute today.  In the last year microhouse staff have completed 2,550 miles of carbon free commuting by walking or biking to work.

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Can I build a backyard cottage on my lot?

The City of Seattle has recently expanded the existing backyard cottage ordinance. The new ordinance allows backyard cottages in all Seattle neighborhoods on single family zoned lots that are at least 4,000 square feet. There are other specific requirements; contact us to find out if a backyard cottage will work on your lot.

To see if your Seattle  lot meets the minimum requirements click on the following link.

Backyard Cottage Map

Enter your address in the upper left hand corner

Zoom in to your lot

Right click on your lot and click the green more link

On the upper left hand corner under under base zone it will say if a detached accessory dwelling unit is allowed.

No? Don't despair, dpd is working to update the gis mapping for all Seattle neighborhoods. Contact us to verify your eligibility.

info@microhousenw.com

How Do I Finance My Backyard Cottage (DADU)?

What is the best way to finance a backyard cottage? Here is advice from Joseph Lancaster at Verity Credit Union.

Construction loans are very hard to come by these days so the easiest option for someone looking to finance a cottage is to get a home equity loan (aka second mortgage) on their current residence.  At Verity Credit Union, we currently pay the closing cost for all home equity loans (not including appraisals if deemed necessary) and have very competitive rates. 

HELOC’s (Home Equity Line Of Credit) are great options for people building cottages because they work like credit cards: you have a credit limit (say $100,000) and a balance that your payment is based on (minimum payment is interest only). Our HELOC’s range from 5.5% to 6.5% APR depending on the Combined Loan to Value ratio (CLTV) of the home.  Apply soon, as Verity currently has an Intro Rate Special on HELOC’s: 4.49% APR through June 30, 2010 (reverts to qualified rate on July 1, 2010). 

We also have two fixed rate home equity loan products: a 15 year fixed loan and a 30/15 fixed loan, which is amortized over 30 years to keep the payment down, with a balloon payment due after 15 years.  These fixed rate products start at 6.24% APR and with 3 possible discounts of 25 basis points each your rate could be as low as 5.49% APR.  The rates of our fixed rate products are based on CLTV and credit score and have no annual fee. 

For more information please contact me, Joe Lancaster, at 206-315-6718 or JosephL@veritycu.com.  

Backyard Cottage Map

Our friend and cartographer Paul Greatorex put together this map of the greenlake area showing the lots meeting the minimum requirements for zoning, area, width and lot coverage required to qualify for a backyard cottage. It is interesting to see how many lots meet the basic requirements. Unfortunately, the map is too large to add here with reasonable resolution to see specific lots.

If you would like a jpeg image of this map or to find out if your lot qualifies for a backyard cottage contact us.

Duplex Module Starts Construction

Construction starts today on four microhouse 1,200 sf duplex modules at 113 13th Ave E on capitol hill. The L3 zoning of the lot allows for greater density, size and  height than backyard cottages which are allowed only single family residential zones. Parking will be located in a garage under the duplex units. The entire project will consist of 10 units arranged around a courtyard. 

Can I convert my garage to a backyard cottage (DADU)?

For a single family lot in a single family zone in Seattle an existing detached accessory structure may be converted to an accessory dwelling unit (DADU) if it meets certain requirements outlined in the Seattle Municipal Code. One of these requirements is meeting minimum side and rear yard setbacks 5 ft (DADUs are not allowed in required front setbacks). Most detached garages are built on or within 5 ft of the side property line. At the discretion of the director  these to be converted to backyard cottages if the accessory structure was constructed legally prior to June 1, 1999 and the conversion does not increase its non-conformity.

Tandem Parking OK for Backyard Cottages (DADU's)

Backyard cottages (DADU's) require one parking space in addition to any other parking space required for the primary residence. These parking spaces can be provided in tandem. However, these spaces cannot be located in the required front setback.

Backyard Cottage Parking

Backyard cottages (DADU's) require one parking space in addition to any other parking space requirements. For many Seattle lots providing an additional parking space may not be feasible. I spoke with a number of people at the PNA home fair that have sloping lots with existing bunker parking in the front setback. For them providing an additional parking space is not feasible. The question then is can the requirement be waived? The short answer is yes. There is an exception under SMC 23.44.041.5 "Director may waive the off-street parking space requirement for an accessory dwelling unit if: a. The topography or location of existing principal or accessory structures on the lot makes provision of an off-street parking space physically infeasible". The DPD reviewer acting on behalf of the director will make the determination of what qualifies for the waiver on a case by case basis. The challenge then is to get a firm ruling prior to preparing a full submittal. This is probably best done with a pre-submittal conference where these issues can be addressed and the answers can documented by DPD. In the case of the bunker garage and the sloping site the waiver will most likely be granted.

Early Prefab Housing in Washington State

Many of the prefab houses built by the govenment in the 1940's are still around including the one that I lived in for a year. An unassuming 400 sq. ft. 1 bedroom modern box. 1,800 were built in 1944.  "Home blown, the history of the homes of richland", published by the City of Richland,  is a great booklet documenting the history of these houses. I look forward to doing some early prefab mashups for the microhousenw site.  The one bedroom prefab pictured below shows the gable roof added to the prefab above in the early 1950's.  

This nice web site has an overview of the Richland letter houses.

http://ebchs.org/architecture/Richland/h_letter_house.htm

microhous in the news

microhouse featured yesterday in the fremontuniverse blog.

http://www.fremontuniverse.com/

backyard cottage complete

Some more photos