Accessory Dwelling Unit for a North Seattle Lot

A view from the kitchen of the ADU.

Shown here is an accessory dwelling unit for a lot in north Seattle.  In repurposing an existing back yard garage slab, we are able to reduce construction cost.  An open and airy living space is organized around a large and tall east facing window which opens out onto the lawn.  The result is an airy, open and delightful Accessory Dwelling Unit.

A view of the sitting area and dining.

view from the stair to the living area

view from the stair.  The stair is to be laminated marine plywood construction.

Exterior Color Selection

Building exteriors are important not only to you personally but for the larger community.  Some consistency in building colors makes for a more cohesive place.  Santorini is a beautiful town marked by its whitewashed buildings.  The common use of the whitewash helps create cohesiveness as well as keeping the buildings cooler.

In Paris there is a sense of consistency with the warm ochre of the buildings along the street.  The color makes the place more uniform and cohesive.

Here in the northwest we often have a backdrop of dark forest.  We have become advocates for somewhat darker colors for buildings to help blend with the forest backdrop especially if the building is around a treed area.    

When selecting colors, we try to work with what colors are nearby. 

Here we are checking colors against the existing shore pine bark.  There were several on the site.  The warmer color of the beach pebbles shifted the palate a little.

Applying large swaths of several colors and comparing them to the value of the opposite shore convinced us to darken the building color.

Here the building blends well with the surrounding landscape.