Birchwood ADU — Issaquah, WA
Overview
An adult child was moving back home after college, and the family wanted more than a bedroom with a lock on the door — they wanted a real, independent space. We converted an attached garage into a full accessory dwelling unit with its own entrance, kitchenette, and bath, sharing a wall with the main house but living like its own home.
The challenge
The garage slab sat several inches below the main house's floor level, and the shared wall carried plumbing and electrical for the kitchen above. Every structural and utility decision had to work around a live house on the other side of that wall.
Our solution
We poured a new elevated slab section to bring the floor level even with the main house, and coordinated the new plumbing runs during a week the family was traveling to minimize disruption. A private exterior entrance and a small covered stoop give the space its own identity, even though it's attached.
Our son has his own place to come home to, and we didn't have to add a single square foot to the lot. It just works.