Ballard Modern Studio

A compact 1-bed studio DADU on a tight Ballard alley lot — pre-approved plans, 2-week permit, full rental within 5 months of contract.

Size

560 sq ft

Investment

$215k

Build time

4.5 months

Ballard Modern Studio — DADU exterior in Seattle, WA

— The Build

How this one came together.

Seattle's DCI pre-approved plan-set program turned permitting into a 2-week formality. The owner — a single homeowner on a 4,200 sq ft Ballard lot — signed in March and collected first rent in August.

We oriented the unit toward the alley to keep the main house's sightlines and added a green roof over the storage shed to meet Seattle's stormwater requirement without a detention vault.

Today it rents at $2,300/mo unfurnished with a 14-day vacancy average. Payback projects at 7.8 years.

What's inside

✓SDCI pre-approved plan set
✓Black-stained cedar siding
✓Green roof over storage (stormwater credit)
✓Heat-pump water heater
✓Bike storage + EV outlet

Owner

"Two-week permit. Five-month build. First tenant paid rent before my first mortgage payment on the loan."

J. Park · Homeowner, Ballard

— Questions

About this build.

What's a Seattle pre-approved DADU plan?+

SDCI maintains a library of pre-vetted DADU designs. Using one cuts permit review from 12+ weeks to 2–4 weeks and avoids most design-review hearings.

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