Zoning Pre-Submission

Now that we know the online SDCI request process works--better than a counter chat, in my opinion--should we seek pre-approval of the basic plan? I think so, but I want to think through the downside.

We're seeking approval for a 20' x 18.5' 370 SF workshop addition and construction of an ADU with bathroom and kitchen in the former garage. The existing bathroom and bedroom from the 1980s was apparently non-permitted, but we'll be studs out for inspection of new work and any old work that remains.

We're providing one-car off-street parking using the existing curb cut and not within the required front yard. Because we're not providing a garage, 23.44.016 F.1.a (garage closer than the house to the street) does not apply. Per 23.54.015 Table B, this space will house a "Medium vehicle, 8' x 16'" because this is a single family residence. The driveway will include an "S" turn with a 24' center radius and 12' width as required by 23.54.03 D.1.e. 

Shifting the practical driveway (not the curb cut) to the east, incidentally, moves vehicular traffic away from the established Douglas Fir.

Zone: NR-1. The new addition respects the 20' front yard and 5' side yard. Actually, the west wall of the addition and ADU is at least 11' from the west property line. There is no construction in the rear yard, which is sensitive due to a steep slope into Carkeek Park.

Lot coverage is limited to 35% of parcel size of 10,600 = 3,710 SF, with an average depth of 117.65'. The existing house and non-permitted ADU is 1,706.5 SF and we're adding 370 SF for a total of 2,076.5 SF, or 19.6% of parcel size.

Our proposal is extremely respectful of neighborhood character.

Workshop addition shown in blue

Approach from the west

Seattle Residential Code

I feel as if I was aware of this, but I was reminded today. The 2021 Seattle Residential Code governs this project. This is the IRC with some changes.

We seem to be in a D₂ Seismic Design Category, per Figure R301.2.2.1(5). Alternate is E, per Figure R301.2.2.1.1(5). Because this becomes important later in the code, I filed a new request (11/25) with SDCI to confirm. I'm also curious if Fatima answers all requests.

Update 26 Nov: Cici Sun answered my request with the following information:

Parcel number: 761120-0125 Address: 817 NW 118th St.
ASCE Design Hazards Report: Risk Category: II, Soil Class: Default, Sds=1.06, Sd1 = 0.81. 
Per SRC Tabel R301.2.2.1.1, the seismic design category is D2. 
 

Per R401, we need to check the soils report or just assume clay, sandy soil with bearing pressure of 1,500. Per R403, 1-story slab-on-grade only requires 12 x 6 footings for 50 psf roof/snow load.

Use details #1 and #4, Figure R403.1.3 (p4-10) because we're in D₂ Seismic Design Category. Per Figure R403.1.7.1, our existing south footing must be 24' from the top of slope (H/3, where H=~72'), and it is. New footings are farther from the top of slope.

Table R602.10.4 PFG=Portal frame at garage. See section R602.10.6.3. Only seems to apply to Seismic A, B, or C (we're D₂).

I thought we might be subject to the Seattle Existing Building Code (and we still might be). There are 3 levels of alterations. Chapter 11 concerns Additions.

• Level 1. Replacement or covering existing materials or equipment with things that serve the same purpose.
• Level 2. Add or delete door or window or installing addl equipment
• Level 3. Work area exceed 50% of the building area. [For this house, work area is 770 SF, 45.1% of 1,706.5. It's close, if "building area" excludes the ADU, we'd be at 59%.]

Alternative

I'm not sure if it would help to show SDCI what their rules allow. If I scrape the house, I could build a solid facade 80' wide and 30' high, with a single-family residence, an attached ADU and a detached ADU, totalling 3,710 SF.

Remember When We Planned to Build an ADU?

I spoke today with Permit Specialist Fatima with the City of Seattle. She was nice enough to call to follow up with her email response to my email request. 

1. You can park in your front setback, but you can't establish parking in your front setback for the purpose of satisfying the 1-car parking requirement.
2. You can't have a driveway unless it leads to a garage (or a valid off-street parking space, not in the front setback).
3. A variance is expensive, unlikely to be granted, and fees are non-refundable.
4. She looked at street views and saw a garage. I told her the previous owner had converted the garage and I could find no record of a permit and she took several sentences to say "You're screwed."

Essentially, the unpermitted garage conversion blocks consideration of a new permit that does not include it. She didn't say it that directly, but that was the gist. That is, the current ADU plan would be fine--we would be requesting a permit for the existing bath and living space--but that's a garage and it can't come closer to the street than the house.

Actually, we discussed parking in the front yard but we did not discuss 23.44.016 (F.1.a), the rule about a garage closer to the street than the house. I will reply to her email and ask, but I suspect she'll take a hard line on that code, too.

If for some reason that rule can be bent, I realized that it's just a structural issue to move the rear wall of the workshop/garage south into the ADU space. 

Since the power has been out for the last two days, I've been in "make myself comfortable" mode. So, if the City takes a hard line on its rules, fine: I'll convert BR3 back into a garage, redo the kitchen and BA1 (and the other Main House things) and live happily ever after. I never liked the idea of a sewage ejector anyway.

It would probably make sense to a realtor to build an ADU above the garage and breezeway. Sounds like a hassle for me, but it's just a 500 SF addition--$150,000 or so and the garage is practically free. Lazy me says convert the garage back and show potential buyers that they could build an ADU above it.

We also discussed building in the backyard and she said something about the ECA requiring an additional 15' setback. The problem is that there are overlapping jurisdictions--the ECA people, zoning, soils, fish and wildlife. To put it mildly, they don't agree on a common set of requirements.

See this post and this post for setback requirements. Setbacks, indeed.

Parking Requirements

23.54.015 - Table B, line K "Single-family dwelling units" need 1 space.

23.54.03

A.1. "Large vehicle" 8.5' x 19'

A.2. "Medium vehicle" 8' x 16' - use for SFRs (B.1.a)

A.3. "Small vehicle" 7.5' x 15'

A.7. If along a property line, must be 9' wide

D.1.a. Driveways 10' min. width.

D.1.e. Turning radius (one-way traffic) is 18' inside, 30' outside, 12' driveway width. (24' center radius)

According to 23.43.030 Table A, we are permitted 2 curb cuts because our 90' frontage is not located on a principal arterial or easement frontage.

Proposal

Okay, so here's what we do. We proceed with the ADU/Workshop as planned and do what we have to do to get inspections on the non-permitted work--we're already opening the floor and redoing walls, it might as well be studs out--don't try to save some drywall in the existing BR3.

We grade the front yard to add a parking space between the kitchen and the workshop. Not my first choice, but the ADU can use the off-street parking (and the workshop can use the outdoor workspace. Seattle wins--they can screw up the neighborhood with their arbitrary rules (they certainly have done so with their prior approvals of various monstrosities), but we get what we want.

The far end of the new parking space could be at nearly 263' (the kitchen and breezeway fin. floor) if we raise the workshop and mudroom a foot or so (which could take a couple of risers out of the breezeway stairs. Raising the workshop regrades the driveway to put positive drainage into the street (they won't like that, but it would be helpful) and gives the Douglas Fir roots a bit more cover. The downside is that it makes the west side yard grading not as good.

Kitchen Cabinet Reuse

I've looked at this inventory before, but I wonder if we have enough for the kitchen I have in mind.

Base cabinets

• 14" drawer over door
• 12" drawers
• 36" sink base
• 9" door
• Weird blind corner: 38-1/2" with a 12-1/2" door

Wall cabinets

All cabinets 35" high, 12" deep except where noted.

• 41" dbl doors
• 39" dbl doors
• 15" door
• 30" dbl doors x21" high (microwave)
• 22" dbl doors x18" high (refrigerator)

Cup Pulls

We have 27 cup pulls total. Luckily, the 2-1/2" centers are pretty standard and I found these in brushed nickel for $2.72 each. Home Depot has a similar pull in satin nickel for $5.93.

Room

The main wall is 168-1/2", drywall to drywall. Minus a 30" range, 24" dishwasher, and 30" refrigerator, we need 84-1/2" of base cabinets and we have 71" if you don't count the blind corner one.

The ceiling height is 92-1/4" and the counter height is actually 35-1/2". The toekick is 3-1/2" and the base cabinets are 30-1/4" net. The 35" wall cabinets are 18" above the counter and there is a 3-3/7" crown molding. 

ADU and Laundry Changes

Here's the latest as of Monday night.

Tuesday: East wall, as requested. With a change or two.

ADU living room

Overall floor plan

Laundry looking into Kitchen. Who said the mirror doesn't work?

Kitchen looking toward Laundry.

Breeze and Bonus Room

Other side of the ADU living room

IKEA Kitchen Cabinets

Mark Tobin, the YouTube kitchen guy, says Ikea's 25-year warranty makes their cabinets the obvious choice. The only weird thing about the SEKTION line is upper cabinets are 15" deep. I'm realizing that doors on base cabinets are not good--you want drawers. Also, Ikea makes a nice slide-out pantry.

Ikea Pantry (18x24x80, $323)

Base cabinets are 30" high, resting on 4-1/2" legs. 24" deep (but they also sell drawer units that are 15" deep). 12", 24", 36" widths.

Wall cabinets are 30" high, 15" deep, hanging on rails sold in 84" lengths. 15" and 30" widths. They also have a 30W x 15D x 15H cabinet with a barrister door that tilts up.

There seem to be a lot of Tall cabinets, in 80" and 90" heights, 24" and 15" depths. 18", 24". 30" widths. One pantry unit is 18W x 24D x 80H with pull-out wire shelves.

There are a ton of door options:

• BODBYN white, raised panel. Very similar to existing cabinets. $110. Glass with muntins $145.
• ENKOPING is Shaker white $38. Glass panel $64
• AXSTAD very similar to ENKOPING, with reveal at panel, but $95. Glass panel $101
• VEDHAMN wood finish Shaker $131
• LERHYTTAN black wood finish Shaker $95
• VALLSTENA flush white. $14
• VEDDINGE flush white $22
• HAVSTORP flush, matte green-gray. $22
• NICKEBO flush, matte green-gray $54
• ASKERSUND flush light ash wood, horizontal grain. $30
• TISTORP flush Walnut look $33
• HEJSTA black frame, gridded obs glass $79
• STENSUND beige, raised vertical boards. $68
• RINGHULT gloss white. $100

If we're staying with existing cabinets, new (in the ADU, say) should be BODBYN. Would probably look awful side by side.

BODBYN

Compare to existing:

I put this together in 2022. I could cut grooves to match Ikea, but we'd have to repaint. No go.

But if we're going with all new, we might try VEDHAMN (although it's pretty pricey). 

Or matte gray-green NICKEBO.

ADU Kitchen

This isn't as easy as I thought. This is my home during Phase II, and I'll need a kitchen.

Sink

The ADU is 36" lower than the main house. The drains in the bathroom run to a sewage ejector that pushes the water into the basement and uphill into the main sewer. The toilet is 3" diameter, the shower is 2" and the sink is 1-1/4"--if they did it to code. They would have had to cut and patch the concrete floor to accomplish this.

Drain line from the ADU. Black pipe above is washing machine drain.

So. I don't think we can drain a washing machine through the existing sewage ejector, but tapping in another 1-1/4" line to drain a kitchen sink is possible. We need 4" of fall to be on the other side of the room; it's not clear how low the toilet drain goes--if it's shallow, we need to excavate and rebuild the toilet drain--I'm not sure a kitchen sink is worth it.

Kraus undermount stainless steel sink is 17"W x 19"D x 10"H.

We should also have a garbage disposal in such a small sink, right?

Refrigerator

Under-counter, 3.x cu. ft. units are too small. Peggy and I like a taller, 7.x cu. ft. model, like this one from Vissani. (Freezer below is more efficient, but I haven't found one to buy.) 

Cooking

One of the things I cook is scrambled eggs. I considered two burners, but one would do. Here's a basic induction hot plate that is 11.5"W x 13"D x 2.56"H.

A countertop toaster oven big enough for a frozen personal pizza, such as this Hamilton Beach model that is 18.7"W x 15.24"D x 9.4"H.

I use my countertop grill as well. It is 16.25"W x 13.75"D (wall to handle). It is 7"H, but 14.25" when open. 

An, of course, a microwave oven. Here's your basic dorm microwave. It is 22"W x 16.4"D x 12.5"H, and of course the door has to sweep open. This one is 1.4 cu. ft., 1100W. We could go smaller, such as this 700W, 0.7 cu. ft. model that is 17.25"W x 13"D x 10.13"H. It can be mounted under a cabinet.

Coffee

Don't laugh, but I use both my coffee makers. 

The Keurig is 8"W x 13.5"D (from wall). It's 12.13"H, 17.5" with the top up.

The Black and Decker is 8"W x 10"D. 13"H, or 21.5" with the top up.

Storage

Upper cabinets for plates, bowls, glasses, mugs.

Base cabinets for pan, popcorn bowl. Sink cabinet for cleaning supplies. Drawer for silverware, drawer for knives, spatulas, etc.

Pantry-type storage for coffee pods, spices.

Broom-closet: tall storage for Swiffer

Dishwasher

A dishwasher is kind of "free"--it drains using the sink pipes, and it draws less power than a cooking appliance. Maybe something like this Midea model, which is 17.6"W x 22.6"D under the counter.

Angled Flooring

Here's an idea I just came across on YouTube--why not install the LVP at a 30 or 60-degree angle? I like the way it looks and a 77-year-old house can't count on walls and corners being as square as they were when the house was younger. Clearly, it will be harder to install, but that's why it looks more high-end.

 

Interior Colors

I've been wondering if the Color Lady (Anya Moller)'s idea for a warmer white was going to work for me. I would prefer what I call "museum white," but she made a strong case that cooler doesn't work here. So I bought some Westhighland White and tried it out.

Previous experiments at the front door. Dark gray and blue not good.

 

Westhighland provides good contrast with the white trim and white switch plate.

In the bedroom, there's almost zero contrast with the yellow I hate. It's subtle, but I like it.

This is the palette: White trim, light wood (not gray!) LVP flooring, and Westhighland White.

Chief Architect doesn't have a good way to model the quartz counters, but I'm thinking something like these from Lowes:

I'm leaning toward "Ocean Foam."

A is $80/SF, installed. B is $88/SF. The kitchen is ~32 SF, so we're talking $2,800 for kitchen counters (and I'd like to use matching quartz on counters in the Mud Room, the baths, the laundry, and so on.

ADU update

Work continues on the ADU design. Peggy thinks a lockable patio door makes the existing deck a viable entry, and I'm starting to agree. Locks for patio doors can even include push-button combination locks. Peggy pointed out that there was a door on every wall of the living room in the first design.

Here's a new approach, including some west side yard improvements.

West side with trash enclosure and workshop patio

Overview

ADU entrance

 

Prison cell for deposed dictators? Why would you even say that?

ADU living room from the wall without a door in it.

Local Builders

I'll use this post to list the builders I might want to engage with.

Blue Sound Construction - I spoke with these guys in early 2015. I saw a sign on 122nd St. I'm still on their email list.

Masterwork Builders - I spoke with them, too. I got their name from the Schwesinger's at 122nd and 8th, the house with the metal roof. They noticed my sagging garage roof and said they'd just rebuild it, no big deal.

Fosmore Construction - I talked to Wally Fosmore and his wife in 2015. He may have retired. I saw a project they were doing in Edmonds that was very nice. Fosmore was the guy who liked the corner window in the kitchen and said in a half a day, he could blow away the breezeway and the vault under it, concrete or no. Fosmoreconstruction.com seems dead, but there's a listing on Yelp.

Magazine Quality Kitchens - They did Luke's remodel. Their portfolio looks good. I would check back with Luke, but I don't think he had any problems with their work.

Hammer and Hand - I've seen their trucks around. Apparently, they're in Portland, too. Classy graphics.

TSG Remodeling - Internet. Additions, ADUs, kitchens. 

Wygal Builders - They're remodeling 814 NW 118th now. They plan to take 18 months! 

Jackson Design-Build - Found on the Internet. They specialize in "vintage Seattle homes," by which they mean 1900-1950. We qualify. Not clear if they'll work without doing the designs.

Unique Home Construction - Internet. They specialize in kitchens and bathrooms, but they show off a garage addition and say they specialize in that, too.

Elite Construction - Internet.

Ready Home - Internet. Email sean@readyhomellc.com 

Masterwork Builders

Blue Sound Construction

Hammer and Hand DADU

Hammer and Hand Kitchen

Jackson Design-Build

I'm watching the 814 NW 118th project (Wygal Builders). It seems that the Gadgil's bought the house on 8th Ave and adjusted the property line to give the backyard to 814. It's an "L." Blue Sky Electric. Quality Plumbing 206-789-7676. Also, for the lot adjustment, they used Terrane (formerly GeoDimensions), the same surveyor that I used.

Phase Two

Once we have a certificate of occupancy for the ADU, I'll move there and let the contractor work on the main house. We'll rearrange the two bathrooms and modify the kitchen.

Same plan as Project 2025.

Bedroom 1. The bookcase has a surprise.

The Dining Room with built-in hutch.

Kitchen overview. Bathroom 2 has a bathtub!

Galley kitchen with more counter space.

Kitchen and Laundry beyond from Dining Room.

Utility counter in Breezeway.

Living Room still looks into Kitchen.