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Standard plan profileA7

Flats + backyard quad

6 homes, 2 income-restricted, existing house kept

Existing house converts to 2 affordable flats, with room for 4 townhomes behind. Nothing demolished.

Urban Acupuncture modeled standard plan

Repeatable program, parcel screening, schematic placement, and economics model — not City-pre-approved construction drawings.

Homes
6
Building type
Two flats in the retained house plus four rear townhomes
Existing house
Keep + convert
Typical new footprint
39 × 39 ft
New-building height
3 stories
New-home bedrooms
3 bedrooms

Representative site plan

Existing house — converted to 2 flatsABCDSTREETREAR / ALLEYLot 52' (representative)N020 ftSchematic · not for permit

New: 4 homes in a 39×39 ft pack. Drawn on a typical lot — every real lot differs, so this is illustrative, not a site-specific layout.

The program

6 homes — 2 covenant flats in the converted house + 4 market townhomes in a 39x39 backyard quad.

+5 net new homes per lot, 2 income-restricted.

Workbook-baseline economics

If built and sold at today's modeled prices, this project could return $843K–$876K in gross modeled owner value before mortgage payoff and taxes.

Gross modeled owner value
$843K–$876K

Across conservative and base selling-cost cases, before mortgage payoff and taxes.

All-in project cost
$2.98M

$497K per home

Does it pencil?
Tight

A 5% market-home price drop erases the profit under conservative selling costs.

What to check first
Parcel-specific inputs

Representative workbook baseline — not adjusted for a specific parcel.

Illustrative workbook baseline — a real packet adjusts these with the parcel's own assessor, market, and rent data.

Where it fits

Mid-block neighborhood-residential lots at least 49 ft wide and 110 ft deep (5,500+ sq ft), with a modest house of roughly 1,600-3,400 sq ft sitting toward the street and a clear back yard of 55 ft or more. The owner keeps living on the property throughout.

What must be true

  • A wide, deep lot with the house toward the street and a clear rear yard
  • A workable two-flat conversion inside the existing house
  • The affordable-alternative regulatory path remains available to the parcel

Verify before relying on it

  • Existing-house floor plan, egress, and conversion feasibility
  • Affordability covenant, assistance, and buyer qualification assumptions
  • Trees, rear access, utilities, title, and townhome pricing

Check Flats + backyard quad at a Seattle address

Choose a parcel to open this exact model in the feasibility packet. We will test its screening match, place the program schematically, and adjust the economics with parcel data.

If the plan does not pass this parcel's screening, the packet will say so and offer other paths.

Funding and programs that may apply

Programs that may pair with this plan

Matched from plan facts only. Parcel geography, income, utility territory, and owner facts can change the final list.

Browse all programs

Home Improvement Property Tax Exemption

King County Assessor / RCW 84.36.400

Plan trigger

Temporary property-tax exemption on qualifying added improvement value.

Exempts added value up to 30% of original structure value

Washington HEAR Home Electrification Rebates

Washington Department of Commerce / local HEAR administrators

May apply

Point-of-sale rebates for heat pumps, heat-pump water heaters, electrical panels, and related electrification work.

Up to $14,000 / household