Mid-century homes on the hill east of I-5, with attached garages and decent backyard room, make attached-garage conversions and modest backyard ADUs common asks.
The Roosevelt neighborhood sits on the hill east of Interstate 5, and the housing stock is mostly mid-century, built from the 1940s through the 1970s. That changes the typical project. Where the older neighborhoods near downtown have detached garages off an alley, a lot of Roosevelt homes have an attached garage and a decent backyard. So the common asks here are attached-garage conversions, turning that bay into a studio or one-bedroom unit, and modest backyard cottages where the lot has the room.
An attached-garage conversion is often the lower-cost path to a unit, because the utilities are close to the house. The work is the usual mid-century list: insulating walls that were never meant to be living space, dealing with the slab, replacing the roll-up door with a wall and real windows, and making sure the panel can carry a second kitchen and a heat pump. We run a free feasibility check, design the conversion to keep the house and the unit comfortable, pull the permit, and build to current energy code.
ADU costs in Roosevelt depend on the type. A ground-up detached backyard cottage runs $250,000 to $400,000 or more, a garage conversion runs $80,000 to $150,000, and a basement apartment conversion runs $90,000 to $180,000. The drivers are size, finish level, site access, and how far we run utilities to the unit. We give you a line-item number after a free site visit, so you know exactly what your project costs before you commit.
Do you build ADUs in Roosevelt?
Yes. Roosevelt is one of our core service areas, and we build backyard cottages, garage conversions, in-law suites, and basement apartments here. We start every project with a free feasibility check against your lot size, setbacks, and the City of Bellingham rules, so you know what your lot allows before you spend anything on design.
Who handles the permit for an ADU in Roosevelt?
We do, start to finish. Roosevelt is inside Bellingham city limits, so your garage conversion runs through the City of Bellingham. We handle the permit and the inspections. We assemble the full permit package, manage the review including answering reviewer comments, and carry it through to an approved permit, then handle the inspections during the build.
Ready for a free Roosevelt feasibility check?
Tell us about your lot and your goal. We'll reply within 15 minutes during business hours.