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This tiny home built in a Seattle backyard was designed to maximize sunlight in one of the rainiest cities in America — see inside

This tiny home built in a Seattle backyard was designed to maximize sunlight in one of the rainiest cities in America see inside

Kelsey Neubauer

An ADU in Seattle.Peter Bohler for CAST Architecture

Small backyard homes are becoming increasingly popular in Seattle.
One architecture firm designed a unit specifically for the city's unique climate.

There have been a growing number of small flats, called accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, popping up in backyards in Seattle.

An ADU in a Seattle backyard. Peter Bohler for CAST Architecture

This comes about four years after Seattle first rolled back restrictions on these units in 2019, in an attempt to ease the city's housing shortage.

Source: Seattle Times

Insider spoke with Matt Hutchins, one of the architects designing these new abodes, to get a sense of what some of these units are like.

An ADU in a Seattle backyard designed by Cast Architecture. Peter Bohler for CAST Architecture

The unit was designed to connect the homeowners to the outdoors as much as possible, Hutchins, who is a principal at Cast Architecture, told Insider. The Washington city doesn't get much sunlight. It's cloudy for most of the year, and it either rains or snows for about 40% of the year.

Cast Architecture designed this unit, which is 636 square feet, Hutchins told Insider.

One of the ADUs that have been built in Seattle backyards. Peter Bohler for CAST Architecture

This unit cost $212,500 from start-to-finish, which included design cost, building costs, permitting costs, and furnishing costs, Dwell reported earlier this month. That's a fraction of the cost of a typical home in Seattle, which was $835,000 in June, according to Realtor.com.

"These are similar in size to the starter house that we used to build," Hutchins said. "They have all the amenities and livability of a small house."

It's one of Cast Architecture's two-bedroom designs, dubbed Cedar Cottage.

Cast architecture designed this unit, which the owners customized. Peter Bohler for CAST Architecture

It has a overhang that allows those that live in the house to sit outside no matter what the weather is — something designed especially for rainy Seattle, Hutchin said.

The siding of the house is Shou Sugi Ban, a type of wood that is treated with heat to make it resistant to water and pests.

Homeowners using this design can also use metal siding, wood siding, and shingles, Hutchins said. Peter Bohler for CAST Architecture

Cast designed the home with these massive windows like the one in the main room of the home, to maximize light that comes in on Seattle's many dreary days.

The kitchen cabinets cost the owners about $10,000, Dwell reported. Peter Bohler for CAST Architecture

Source: Dwell

The bedrooms are designed to maximize storage space in the tiny home. Hutchins used the high ceilings to include a storage space on top of the closet.

The bedroom also has large windows that maximize light. Peter Bohler for CAST Architecture

There is also an office space in the house.

The owners furnished this room. Peter Bohler for CAST Architecture

The owners customized most of the interior details of the house — like the kitchen cabinets, as well as the interior finishes, which cost them about $10,000, according to Dwell.

The owners designed the living room. Peter Bohler for CAST Architecture

ADUs like this one are popular. In 2022, the city of Seattle issued 1,000 ADU permits to homeowners.

ADUs are popping up in Seattle backyards like these. MarkHatfield/Getty Images

That's more than the total amount of single-family homes built in that year.

Source: Seattle Times

And its likely the total is likely to expand. Earlier this year, Seattle rolled back even more restrictions. Now, units can be up to 1,200 square feet and can be up to 25 feet tall, up from 23 feet before.

The city also axed the parking permit, something that made it impossible for many residents to build ADUs. Sean Pavone/Getty Images

So far, the total number of permits issued has tripled since the law went into affect, Hutchins said.

"We went from building roughly our permitting roughly one a day to three a day," he said.

A bill modeled after Seattle's ADU laws has been making its way through the state's legislature. If passed, there could be a swell of ADUs in the state, Hutchins said.

"It's great for people that are downsizing, aging in place, building for a family member," he said. "If your city doesn't allow it, you should have them look at what these units really are, and get them approved."