Her own front door, thirty steps from yours.
A detached second home on the lot you already own. Since 2023, most Washington city lots may hold up to two — no owner-occupancy required, and the unit can be sold as its own condo.
Nobody does this for the square footage.
Close for Sunday dinner, separate every evening
The alternative is $6,975 a month in assisted living, or a spare room that never was.
A first place that isn't across the state
57% of 18-to-24-year-olds live with their parents. Everyone gets their privacy back.
Rent that helps carry the mortgage
A one-bedroom in Everett rents for a median $1,545. What yours earns depends on your lot and city.
A separate address you can sell
State law lets the unit be sold as a condominium. Whether it works on your lot depends on your city, lender and title company.
Illustration, not a rendering of your property. What fits on yours is what the report works out.
Your city's ADU rules, applied to your parcel.
From public records
Your city's ADU rules — units, size, height, setbacks, coverage, parking, condo sale — then your lot: what's left after setbacks, flood, wetland, slope and soil flags, sewer or septic.
Only on site
Truck access to the back of the lot, protected trees, the sewer lateral, unrecorded easements, your HOA. Page four names each; a site visit settles them.
Roughly 400 to 1,200 square feet. Seven to fourteen months.
Three size bands — compact one-bedroom, two-bedroom, larger two-story — and a sourced planning range for the one that fits your lot. Recent proposals ran from about $293,000 to the mid-$400,000s, before permits, utility fees and sales tax. A fixed price comes only after a site visit and a design.
Working figures from 2026 proposals. Construction by United Signature, WA contractor reg. UNITESE790Q3.
Compact one-bedroom · two-bedroom · larger two-story
Design to move-in. Permitting is the least predictable part.
Every rate in it is dated. A fixed price only from a proposal.
Questions people ask about backyard homes
Do I have to live on the property?
In most Washington cities, no. Your report says which rule your city enforces.
How big can it be?
Cities can't cap it below 1,000 sq ft; many allow more. Your setbacks and coverage usually decide it first.
Can I sell it separately?
State law says yes, as a condominium. It takes a survey, a declaration, a lender and a title company; the report says whether that's realistic on your lot.
Find out what fits on your lot.
One page, two minutes. Your report within the hour.