FAQ
Find answers to commonly asked questions
Pre-Construction
Yes! New legislature in Ontario from 2019 is causing many municipalities to expedite the approval of Garden Suites and Accessory Dwelling Units within their city limits. Book a free consultation today to determine whether your city / town permits the construction of accessory dwelling units.
Accessory Dwelling Units or Garden Suites can come in many shapes and sizes, from an attached garage conversion or an in-law suite to a backyard guest house or a basement studio apartment. The best ADU design is one that matches the use cases, budget, and needs of both you and your property. Maison's architectural design team can help bring the best ADU for you to life.
The first step in the Garden Suite journey is determining site eligibility and zoning requirements. You can book a free consultation with us where we'll do a preliminary study to determine whether your property qualifies at no cost to you. From there, depending on the municipality you are typically required to produce architectural drawings, engineering drawings, and a site plan for permit package submission. Some municipalities will also require a survey / grading plan, and potentially require an arborist to get involved with the project. We can help you navigate this process.
Every municipality has different by laws and zoning regulations that determine how big of a garden suite you can build. The main items to consider are setbacks from your property lines (distance), separation from the existing structure, and lot coverage ratios that dictate what percent of your lot can be covered by accessory structures. You can get in touch with us for a free consultation and we can let you know whether your lot can support a garden suite.
Construction
Maison's ADU builder partners are local construction experts that specialize in ADUs and have decades of experience building in your area. Maison carefully vets all potential contractors to ensure that they not only do high-quality work, but also deliver projects at great, consistent prices.
The cost of a garden suite can be broken down into three categories. Firstly the pre-construction costs of architectural design and engineering. Secondly the permitting costs that are paid directly to the city. Lastly the actual cost of construction. The pre-construction costs can range from $6,000 - $20,000 depending on the complexity and size of the project. Permitting fees vary per city but range from $1,000 - $5,000.Construction costs will largely depend on the level of finishes and the size of the project. In general the cost to construct a garden suite can range from $350 - $450 per square foot. In general the larger structure you build, the more cost efficient the building process becomes from a per square foot basis.
Every municipality is a bit different, but usually you are connecting services directly to your main home. We'll help you figure out the best path forward to getting services to your garden suite.
The best way to reach us is by viewing our catalogue and booking a meeting directly from that page.