Garden Suites and Laneway Suites

Looking to build a Garden Suite or a Laneway Suite? We can help you:

1. Understand the feasibility of building one of these secondary suites on your property,
2. Prepare the architectural and structural drawings needed to obtain a permit to construct one, and
3. Facilitate the permitting application process so you don’t have to.

Our group has the inhouse architectural and structural engineering expertise to prepare a permit package that will allow you and your contractor to construct a garden suite or laneway on your property.

As of July 4th 2022, the City of Toronto has officially adopted the Garden Suites Official Plan Amendment and Zoning by-law Amendment allowing homeowners to construct Garden Suite located in their rear yards behind an existing house. The City’s Garden Suite and Laneway Suite programs encourage eligible Toronto property owners to develop secondary ancillary dwelling unit on their properties as a means of gaining passive rent income from tenants of their suites and supporting the city’s initiative to increase housing choice and access to Toronto residents. Homeowners who decide to invest in a garden suite can take advantage of the less restrictive bylaws such as setbacks to build a secondary unit in an ancillary building with an adequate space for rental.

For terminology, a Garden Suite is like a Laneway Suite in that it is an ancillary building on a property to be used as a secondary suite on the property; only a Garden Suite is not required to be adjacent to an accessible laneway.

For more information on Garden Suites and Laneway Suites, visit the city website at https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/planning-development/planning-studies-initiatives/garden-suites/

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