A modern two-storey laneway suite on a Toronto lane, beside the neighbouring garages.

Design concept

Could You Build a Second Home in Your Backyard?

Find out whether your Toronto property may qualify for a laneway or garden suite. Complete our property check and receive a free preliminary property assessment and budget range.

Check My Property Free, and no obligation. Depending on the property and proposed design, a laneway or garden suite may be permitted without rezoning or a Committee of Adjustment application.

What happens next

We review the available zoning and lot information for your address
We look at access, existing structures and potential tree constraints
We give you our read on the suite size your property may support, and whether a City pre-approved plan could fit
You receive a written preliminary property assessment and a budget range, normally within 3 to 5 business days

This is a preliminary property assessment only and does not constitute architectural, engineering, legal or zoning approval. Final eligibility is subject to detailed review and municipal approval. Municipal zoning and building requirements change over time and must be verified for your specific property.

What usually decides it

A handful of measurements settle most laneway and garden suites in Toronto. The diagram below shows a laneway lot. A garden suite follows the same logic without the lane.

The lane, the separation from your house, the fire route back to the street, and the trees in between. All of it subject to verification for your specific property.

A public lane behind you, for a laneway suiteThe rear or side lot line generally has to abut a public laneway for at least 3.5 m (11.5 ft). Without a lane, a garden suite may be the route instead.
Fire access that reachesThe entrance generally has to be within 45 m (150 ft) of a public street through the lane, or 90 m (295 ft) past the house, with a clear path at least 0.9 m (3 ft) wide.
The right zoningGenerally permitted on residential lots with detached, semi-detached, row or duplex houses. Condominium and commercially zoned properties are excluded.
Room between house and suiteAround 4.0 m (13 ft) for a low single storey and 7.5 m (25 ft) at full height. This is what rules most short lots out.
No protected tree in the wayAny trunk 30 cm (12 in) or wider is protected. It means an arborist report, a permit, and sometimes a redesign.

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$5Mliability insurance, WSIB covered

2 + 7year workmanship and structural warranty

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One team. One point of contact. Every stage managed. From design, drawings and permits to construction and final completion, 905 Reno coordinates your entire laneway or garden suite project under one roof.

Could You Build a Second Home in Your Backyard?

Check your property

What usually decides it