DADUs Made Easy
MyKabin makes building a mother-in-law apartment a simple endeavor
By Jorn Peterson March 31, 2020
This article originally appeared in the March 2020 issue of Seattle magazine.
This article appears in print in the March 2020 issue. Click here to subscribe.
As Seattle loosens its grip on residential zoning laws, Bellevue-based MyKabin makes it easy to maximize the potential of your own backyard. The new company simplifies the experience of building a detached accessory dwelling unit (DADU), or mother-in-law apartment, completing the process, from permitting to inspection, for one flat fee. Using MyKabin’s free online property evaluator, you can plug in your address and find out immediately if your property qualifies for DADU permits. The company’s construction process uses a foundation that meets the structural regulations known to keep DADU dreams stuck in the permitting phase, and the method for laying the foundation is easy on the environment. Yet most of the structure is still fully customizable, so long as it meets the building code. “Even though no two cabins will ever look the same to the human eye, they will look the same to the structural engineer at the city planning department,” says MyKabin cofounder Tom Todaro. Units range from 250 to 1,000 square feet, include a full bathroom and functional kitchen, and utilize local, renewable resources for lighting and insulation.
Follow Us
Master of Transparency
Award-winning architect Eric Cobb’s work seamlessly meshes glass, space and light
Noted architect Eric Cobb is collaborating on a second-home project near The Gorge Amphitheatre with a former junior high school soccer teammate, embodying a classic Seattle story of connection. The new Cliffe Pointe at the Gorge project located within the Cave B Estate grounds features 60 second homes surrounded by vineyards, natural sage, and rolling…
Sandy Sanctuary
Mercer Island couple find bliss with a cabana on the beach
With 8,000 lakes, fifth most in the country, Washington is a happy hunting ground for waterfront lots. Highly popular Lake Chelan, the third-deepest lake in the United States, is not on the top of the list of affordable freshwater options, at least not anywhere near Chelan, where scarce waterfront residential lots start at $2 million….
The Space Arranger
Kyle Gaffney and SkB take a holistic approach to building design
To say that Kyle Gaffney backed into a career in architecture may be a bit exaggerated, but he did get a late start. Gaffney, a cofounder and principal at Seattle architecture firm SkB, suffered a devastating knee injury and lost a soccer scholarship to the University of Puget Sound. Instead of college he went to…
Prairie Townhome Companions
Couple remakes Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired property
Place two architects, a hedgehog, and more than $100,000 under house arrest, and watch the magic unfold. Sandy Wolf founded Seattle’s Office of Ordinary Architecture in the belief that beauty is found in everyday objects. She and her husband — fellow architect Daniel Ash — were not disappointed in that regard in their long search…