Laurelhurst ADU

Cathedral ceilings make the space feel bigger than it is

NEST design build created a legal ADU [Additional Dwelling Unit] in a Laurelhurst home that the homeowners rent as a luxury vacation apartment. The income-producing ADU brings passive additional income while adding value to their property through additional square footage and another full bathroom.

NEST’s goal was to design an attractive fully functioning apartment within very limited site requirements. Converting unused available space in the existing house and building out to the property line, only 275 sq ft was added for a total of 475 sq ft. Adding an exposed aggregate patio/outdoor living room integrates the garden setting, dominated by a spectacular 70 foot Deodar cedar tree.

This Laurelhurst ADU exemplifies NEST’s commitment to finding specific solutions to particular problems, blending the client’s needs with the reality of the site’s constraints. Design, practical concerns, aesthetic choices, construction considerations, code requirements, budget, and the client’s vision – these are the sometimes conflicting elements that NEST carefully teases out into an altogether satisfying outcome.

Outdoor dining under the Deodar cedar tree

The ADU’s efficient and space-saving features include:

Cathedral ceiling and skylight make the space feel larger and more open.
Wall of double glazed windows with French doors to the garden provides optimal natural light and integrates indoor and outdoor spaces.
Natural gas on-demand radiant floor heating is energy efficient and optimally comfortable.
The on-demand Rinnai unit is discreetly hidden in a small utility room behind the moveable refrigerator.
Fully equipped kitchen has compact stainless steel Energy Star appliances, including gas range, dishwasher, microwave oven and generous cabinets.
Stacked washer/dryer in storage/utility closet
Large storage space above bedroom

Compact full kitchen with oak cabinets, stainless appliances, butcherblock

Luxury features include:

Jacuzzi bathtub with shower
Custom stained and polished concrete floors with radiant heat
Hand finished oak woodwork
Custom tile work in bathroom
Specialty paint finishes
Private garden patio for outdoor eating/entertaining
Off-street parking with private entrance

Jacuzzi bath, extra wide sink, custom tile work

If the property is eventually sold, the ADU can easily be re-incorporated into the main house as a second master suite, a home office suite, nanny/caregiver quarters or a self-contained apartment for elders. The growing trend of the ‘Sandwich Generation‘ (adults caring for both their elder parents as well as their own children) will be a healthy market for houses such as this. Meanwhile the vacation rental unit, marketed solely on the web, is fully booked. Guests rave about this “beautiful, comfortable and efficient ‘home away from home’.

The value of this project is four-fold: the homeowners stay in their home, get a substantial income stream, the home’s value has increased, and Seattle has a great vacation rental to offer visitors!

Some photos of construction: