Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) have arrived in Seattle. When you search ‘ADU Seattle’, your top four results are ad spending ADU contractors ready to deliver your personalized backyard ADU. Whether you live in Seattle, Kirkland, Shoreline, or Burien, each City has a slightly different building and land use code for ADUs.
ADU’s Can Provide Affordable Housing
In Seattle, affordable housing is one of the biggest challenges we face today. Seattle City leaders have identified the need for providing a mix of housing types at prices people at all levels of income, both for homeowners and renters, can afford. Increasing the number of ADUs in single-family zones is part of addressing our housing affordability crisis. ADUs include both backyard cottages or Detached Accessory Dwelling Units (DADUs) and in-law or basement apartments or Attached Accessory Dwelling Units (AADUs). ADUs have the potential to provide new housing opportunities in neighborhoods where single family homes are often unaffordable to many people.
New ADU Codes Provides Entrepreneurial Opportunities
Over the past decade, Seattle’s ADU code has evolved and now allows two ADUs on a single-family zoned parcel. The most recent code iteration eliminates the owner occupancy requirement for the principal dwelling, AADU, and DADU. This really opens the entrepreneurial opportunity to real estate investors to own multiple properties, add ADUs, and provide efficient in-City rental options for Seattleites. In their efforts to promote and support the development of ADUs, Seattle’s planning department is building a database of preapproved DADU Designs ready to be built.
ADU, DADU or Both?
Depending on your situation as a homeowner, the most cost effective ADU typically is to customize your existing basement space into a legal ADU (or mother-in-law unit). For homeowners with a bit more financial reach, you can utilize a preapproved DADU plan and hire a reputable ADU contractor and have your brand new DADU in your backyard in six months or less. For the investor looking to maximize their net rental income, you might choose to add both an ADU and a DADU to your existing residence.
Benefits of an ADU
Residential homes are updated over time to adapt to the next generation’s needs. Part of updating your home can be increasing its energy efficiency, designing more functional space and functionality, adapting to accommodate multi-generational living or rentable space, and redesigning for greater privacy. These benefits can also be achieved with adding an ADU.
The team at Blue Pacific Real Estate has a depth of experience with ADUs. They can guide you in helping you identify the right purchase where you can add the value of an ADU or DADU. They have experience in developing and constructing ADUs. Blue Pacific Real Estate also can guide you if you want to sell your ADU.
