The project began when the client couldn’t find appropriate
housing for “Granny” in their neighborhood. With a growing family,
they didn’t have enough space in their house to accommodate her
needs and maintain the privacy everyone in the family wanted.
And with a shortage of affordable housing in Seattle, the option of
moving to a larger house in the city was out of reach.
That’s when Best Practice stepped in. The firm saw converting the
client’s existing garage (previously used as storage) as the perfect
solution. Design considerations included looking at the project
on both a short-term and long-term timeline. First, Best Practice
needed to address the immediate needs of the client. They also
considered future uses of the space as a possible rental unit,
studio, office or other income generating project for the family.
And they needed to do all of that using just 571 square feet.
To accommodate the decreased mobility associated with aging,
the living area needed to be one level. Rather than make several
small rooms, the team opted to create open, central spaces that
can be easily adapted to changing mobility issues. Carefully
placed windows and skylights provide lots of daylight. Rafters
were left exposed in the ceiling.The existing garage door was
removed, and the old structure became the entry, kitchen and
sitting room. A short walk through the entryway reveals the
bedroom, closet with laundry and bathroom. A lofted space above
the bathroom (accessed by a ladder) will be used as storage for the
time being,but can easily be transformed into an office or sleeping
loft in the future. All of these details come together to create a
soaring, open feeling that makes the relatively small footprint of
Granny Pad feel much larger.
Behind the structure sits a private back deck which connects to
the loft space. The yard itself had a natural 6 foot elevation change
when Best Practice began the project, which inspired the firm to
build Granny Pan into the hill itself. And the bunkering made the
loft an easy—and natural—addition.
With unique and forward-thinking design, Best Practice was able
to provide their client with the perfect solution for their current
housing needs and a world of possibilities for their future.
www.bestpracticearchitecture.com
CAREFULLY PLACED WINDOWS AND
SKYLIGHTS PROVIDE LOTS OF DAYLIGHT.