Wanting to be closer to her family, Sylvia recently moved from North Dakota to this modern “granny flat” in her daughter’s Seattle backyard. When her daughter’s family purchased their house, they had made sure it was zoned for an accessory dwelling unit (ADU)and that the yard was large enough to add one. 

The property they chose was ideal for an ADU. The backyard sloped away from the house, with views over the neighboring homes to Seattle’s Lake Washington and the more distant Mount Rainier. The slope would allow for large window areas facing the views and the sun without compromising privacy.

Those factors drove much of the design by architect Bruce Parker of microhouse, a Seattle firm that specializes in backyard cottages. He placed the cottage to one side of the yard so as not to block views from the main house, and put the living room on the downhill end. The bedroom and bathroom are at the other end with the kitchen in the middle.

Source: A grandmother’s modern backyard cottage | microhouse