Sibling house in Seattle, WA

Faced with a tight budget, a narrow lot, and a strict timeline, Dubroca Studio designed a complementary yet distinct addition for a couple’s growing family in Seattle, WA. The project began when Tim and Elin Windus approached the firm’s founder, Juliette Dubroca, with an all too familiar problem: they needed more space—fast—and without breaking the bank. With both parents working from home and a second baby on the way, their two-bed, one-bath home was no longer cutting it; however, Tim and Elin loved their current house and its location in West Seattle’s vibrant community, so, rather than move, they opted to expand. Dubroca Studio’s design solution came by way of adapting the firm’s pre-approved ADU design. The resulting extension completes the couple’s forever home, all while being designed and built in just nine months with a drastically reduced cost thanks to utilizing the pre-approved design.

The couple discovered Dubroca Studio while looking through the dozens of submissions for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on the City of Seattle website. The architect’s 330-square-foot cottage stood out thanks to its small footprint, efficient space planning, and contemporary yet warm aesthetic. It was the perfect starting point for the couple’s tight budget and narrow lot. At their first client meeting, attended by the sleep deprived parents and their newborn baby, the couple laid out their goals for the project: time, cost, and elegance were of the essence.

The pair adored their 1950’s bungalow, and wanted a separate but adjacent volume that complemented the existing house. The architects responded with a vision for a pair of volumes featuring a big sibling/little sibling dynamic, that is—similar but separate. The two volumes are grounded in the same fundamental design approach, while playing off each other’s distinct personalities. Like the main home, the addition is also oriented east to west and overlooks the large backyard. It takes its design cues from the existing bungalow’s profile. Whereas the existing home is defined by its wide character, horizontal strip of windows, and low gabled roof, the addition features these same elements but augments them to create a distinctly tall, narrow, and slender personality. The addition, including its windows, is oriented vertically and the pitch of its gable roof is notably steep in comparison with the main home. The volume’s are inconspicuously connected via a Jack-and-Jill-style passageway.

From the beginning the addition was conceived as a respite from the loving chaos of the main home. While the existing home contains the children’s bedrooms and shared gathering spaces, the new addition contains the parents’ primary suite with a bedroom, closet, and bathroom. It also includes an ever-important office that Dubroca Studio deftly slid into a narrow mezzanine within the double-height volume. While the addition’s exterior is painted bright blue in contrast to the main house, the interior is much more restrained with a largely neutral palette accented by pops of blue and green that maintain a cohesive visual identity.

The design is acutely aware of the surrounding landscape and the experience of each of the four seasons. The surrounding maple and magnolia trees were incorporated early in the design to magnify their presence from the inside. The changing colors of the trees are visible through the slender but generous windows, contrasting beautifully with the canvas-like interior and providing the primary suite with an acute sense of time passing.