The Northwest Cottage Company was founded in 2019 by Ian Story, a Seattle architect and real estate developer. Wanting to support the growing trend toward infill development and backyard living, Ian launched Northwest Cottage Company to fill a niche in the Seattle market for affordable custom-designed accessory dwellings.

Hi, I’m Ian Story, an architect and the owner of Northwest Cottage Company. We are a Seattle architectural design firm specializing in backyard cottages and other home additions. We work directly with homeowners like you to develop a design that is tailor-fit to your unique space, prepare the construction drawings, and obtain permits to do the work.

In August 2019, the City of Seattle published sweeping code changes making it easier than ever to add a second (or third!) unit on single family lots. If you have any questions on what you can do with the extra space on your property, we’ll be more than happy to answer your questions and talk you through the options.

An Accessory Dwelling Unit, or ADU, is sometimes called a backyard cottage or a mother-in-law (MIL) apartment. They can be detached or attached: a separate building, a remodeled basement, a section of your home with a separate entry, or an apartment above a garage. ADUs are a great way to create opportunities for income generation, as well as options for aging in place.

Here are just a few reasons you might want to build an ADU on your property:

  1. Earn rental income.
  2. Create private living space for a family member, whether it’s aging parents or adult children.
  3. Age in place (live in the smaller space and rent out the main house, or use the smaller space for a caregiver).
  4. Help create much-needed affordable housing options in our city.

There is no such thing as a “standard” Seattle lot. To make the most of a tight space and the unique design constraints of ADUs often requires unique solutions tailor-fit to individual lots.

We are eager to share our knowledge and assistance. Whatever stage your project is in, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions, or to request a free consultation. We want to see more of this innovative housing added to our urban environment.

Ian Story

ian@northwestcottage.com
Cell: (206) 566-7529