What does a garden suite contractor do?

A garden suite contractor builds a self-contained second home in the back yard, with its own kitchen, bathroom, sleeping area and entrance, detached from the main house. Beyond construction, the work is proving the lot is feasible, getting the design through zoning and the building department, and running water, sanitary and hydro to the rear of the property.

Does the contractor handle the building permit?

Deomax prepares and files the building permit application and carries it through the review comments. Some municipalities also require a site plan and a grading plan. Always check whether a quote includes the permit, because a construction-only quote is not comparable to a design-build one.

What decides whether my lot can take a garden suite?

Lot size and depth, setbacks and separation from the main house, height and footprint limits, the emergency access route, and servicing plus any tree or conservation review. Emergency access is the most common reason a lot that looks suitable does not work.

What should I ask before hiring a garden suite contractor?

Ask whether they have built one in your municipality, whether the permit is in scope, how the servicing trench is priced, who confirms the zoning position before design work starts, what the contract excludes, and whether they can provide a certificate of insurance on request.

Is a garden suite the same as a laneway house?

They are the same kind of building. The difference is the lot. A laneway house sits on a lot that shares a property line with a public lane and is entered from the lane. A garden suite sits on a lot with no lane behind it. If there is no lane, a garden suite is the option available to you.

Garden Suite Contractors in Toronto & the GTA

What a Garden Suite Contractor Actually Does

A garden suite contractor builds a self-contained second home in your back yard: kitchen, bathroom, sleeping area and its own entrance, detached from the main house. The real job is not the framing. It is proving the lot works, getting the design through zoning and the building department, and getting water, sanitary and hydro to the back of the property. Deomax builds garden suites across Toronto and the GTA and carries all of that on one contract.

How we run a garden suite, start to finish

Feasibility on your actual lot. Before anything is drawn, we check lot size and depth, setbacks and separation from the main house, height and footprint limits, the emergency access route, and whether trees or servicing will move the building. Emergency access is the single most common reason a lot that looks perfect does not work.
Design. Layout, elevations and the working drawings, sized to what the by-law will actually allow rather than what looks good on paper.
Permits and approvals. We prepare and file the building permit application and carry it through the review comments. Some municipalities also want a site plan and a grading plan.
Servicing and site prep. Trenching for water, sanitary and hydro from the house or the street, excavation, and the foundation. This is where budgets move, so it is priced off the real distance on your lot, not an average.
Build. Framing, envelope, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, insulation, drywall, finishes, kitchen and bathroom.
Inspections and handover. Trade and final inspections, deficiency walkthrough, and the paperwork you need before anyone moves in.

What you should ask any garden suite contractor

Have you built one in my municipality? Rules and review times are set locally. Toronto, Mississauga and Brampton do not run the same process.
Is the permit in your scope or mine? A quote that stops at construction and leaves you to file the permit is not comparable to one that does not.
How is the servicing trench priced? Ask whether the quote assumes a distance. A long run to the rear of a deep lot is real money.
Who confirms zoning before design? Design work done before the zoning position is confirmed is design work you may pay for twice.
What does the contract exclude? Get the exclusions in writing at quote stage, not at change-order stage.
Can I see a certificate of insurance? We provide ours on request.

Where we build garden suites

Start with the full guide on our garden suites page, which covers what a garden suite is, what the rules turn on, the cost drivers and the timeline. Then your city: Toronto, Mississauga, Etobicoke, Scarborough, Brampton, Oakville, Milton and Guelph.

If your lot backs onto a public lane, the build you want may be a laneway house instead. We explain the difference in laneway versus garden homes. Worth reading before you commit: Ontario Bill 23 and backyard suites, garden suite zoning by-laws and the benefits of granny flats for homeowners and investors.

Free in-home consultation anywhere in Toronto and the GTA. Call (647) 760-3999.