ADU Design Portfolio
THE MADRONA - Multi-Generational ADU
The Whatcom Housing Alliance (WHA) is a local organization whose goals are to support efforts to stabilize housing in our community. In October of 2023, WHA sponsored a contest for design firms to put their best foot forward by creating ADU concepts that meet certain design challenges. The design has to work on a lot with an existing home, with setbacks, no more than 1000 square feet and no more than 24 feet high to comply with the requirements for the recently-passed House Bill 1337. The goal of the contest is to promote ADU awareness and possibly set framework in which to have some plans pre-permitted with local planning departments to create a shorter plan-to-build timeline.
Our firm could not resist and submitted the following plan: The Madrona - Multi-Generational ADU
WHAT MAKES THIS PLAN MULTI-GENERATIONAL?
Low-threshold entry and back patio, wide doorframes, bedroom on the main, pocket door from bedroom to bathroom on the main, wardrobe access are just some of the features that make this an easy-living floorplan.
Check it out:
Why else would I want to live here?
We really took the occupant demographic into account here and as a result, this floorplan works for a number of different setups. Students, people with children, people needing separate living spaces can all benefit from living here.
Plus, outdoor living is a BIG focus. We have an ample back patio with recreational equipment storage right off the patio (great for those people who travel primarily by bike and don’t want to have it in the house). We even included a shared outdoor seating area with firepit! An added bonus? Natural surroundings – an oasis in the city! Check out the site plan:
And oh my gosh! – Did you SEE how we snuck in all that storage?
You can read the whole write-up about why we made the choices we did here:
The Madrona Multi-Generational ADU Write-Up.pdfAffordability
Building an affordable unit was one of the objectives, but we didn’t set out to build the cheapest ADU out there. Our goal was to build an ADU that people would really want to live in that didn’t just look like a shed or an afterthought. However, this unit pays for itself either in rent, in eventual appreciation, or as a unit that can be condoized and sold separately (or, if lot splitting were allowed, that would also be a way to increase housing and be profitable!).
We are going to see more of this product in the coming years, so we encourage you to get familiar with it and know there are great ADU design solutions out there!
This design earned us an Honorable Mention by the Whatcom Housing Alliance!
Questions? Reach out!