About
Thirty years of building. Now it goes on the page instead.
Bob Hall grew up in the Pacific Northwest and started swinging a hammer as a carpenter in the 1990s. He never really stopped — and never fell out of love with it.
Over three decades he moved from framing to running his own projects, and eventually specialized in the two things he liked most: custom homes, and detached accessory dwelling units. By the time he put the tools down he had finished more than 100 DADUs around the Seattle area — on tight lots, sloped lots, tree-covered lots, and plenty of lots that turned out not to work at all.
That last group is why this site exists. Bob watched too many homeowners spend real money on architects, plans, and consultants before anyone checked the things that actually decide whether a backyard cottage is possible: setbacks, tree tiers, sewer capacity, drainage, access, and where the existing house already sits.
Bob is retired. He isn't taking on new builds, isn't designing houses, and isn't looking for clients. These days he writes — the free guides, the Pro Guide, and everything on this site — for one reason: to hand down what he learned so the next Seattle homeowner can make a clear-eyed decision before spending a dollar.
Away from the job site
Bob spends his time with his wife, Sarah. He hikes as often as the weather allows — Snoqualmie Ridge is the one he keeps going back to — skis through the winter, and sees a lot of his three adult children.
Start with the free guides
Everything Bob learned, written down.
Two in-depth guides, free and no email required. The Pro Guide goes the rest of the way — setbacks, tree tiers, utilities, the permit roadmap, and the 13 mistakes he saw most often.