Our home is more than just a building, it’s where family grows. Building a Garden Suite or Laneway House is the perfect solution for keeping aging parents close by or giving adult children a secure start in Toronto’s tough housing market. It offers the best of both: the support of multi-generational living with the privacy of a completely separate, detached home.
We acknowledge that this will be a personal idea. Because of that, our garden suite construction process is built with people in mind rather than just permits. We develop spaces that feel like home right away, ranging from making sure age-friendly designs are accessible to overseeing all City of Toronto zoning paperwork.
Why Should You Build a Garden Suite in Toronto?
Generate Passive Income: Offset your mortgage with rental income.
Keep Family Close: The perfect “Granny Flat” or adult-child starter home.
Increase Property Value: Instantly add significant equity to your home.
“As-of-Right” Zoning: New 2025 bylaws make it easier than ever to build.
Turnkey Construction: We manage the architecture, permits, utility connections.
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Expertly done and within the timeline. Professional service and friendly people. I’m very happy with the results.
Jonathan Soriano
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IcyReno was referred to me by my contractor to waterproof an exterior basement wall. I met with Vlad who provided a quote, explained the steps in the waterproofing process and completed the entire job in two days. Vlad and his team were extremely professional, competent, worked very hard and answered all my questions. They worked effectively and efficiently, and cleaned up any garbage. It was a pleasure dealing with them and their work was outstanding. I would not hesitate to recommend them.
Naznine Virjee
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Great work, rapid and neat. Great service.
I highly recommend.
Thank you Vlad and team.
Karen Brill
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Vlad and his team were amazing: Always on time, available by text, sent photos of the work, made recommendations once they assessed the foundation, worked very hard, completed ahead of time, so easy to work with - and have a 25 year guarantee. We’re waterproof! Highly recommended.
Diane G
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August 1, 2024- we had a leak in our basement and had them come out and do a quote. Within less than a week, they were here and completed the job. Professional services and amazing workers. They made sure the job was done. Well, took photographs, kept us informed throughout the process and did a great job cleaning up afterwards. It is very difficult to find contractors that are excellent and these ones are! They were recommended to us by friends and I will be recommending them to my friends also! Diane G.
Olena Sergiienko
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We hired ICYReno to underpin and waterproof our basement. From start to finish and beyond, Igor was always prompt in responding to any questions and always had a solution for any problem or challenge. His team worked quickly and were pleasant to deal with. The project was done in a timely manner. Igor has a great reputation in the industry and lots of experience, so we never had to worry about quality of his work.
I’d recommend Igor and his team without hesitation.
george shimi
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I recently hired ICYReno for my Etobicoke bungalow to do my basement waterproofing, new drainage and sump pump back flow valve, they completed the job in a timely manner and clean. I would highly recommend them.
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Toronto Ready-to-Build: Our Pre-Designed Collections
1. The Urban Studio: Efficient Backyard Living
Ideal For: Home Offices, Nanny Suites, or Short-Term Rentals.
Our Studio Garden Suite is the ultimate solution for Toronto homeowners wanting to maximize a standard backyard without sacrificing all their green space. Designed with a signature slanted roof for modern aesthetics and superior drainage, this unit feels spacious.
2. The Multi-Gen Suite: 2-Bedroom Family Home
Ideal For: Aging Parents, Adult Children, or High-Income Rentals.
When you need more than just a spare room, the Two-Bedroom Garden Suite delivers a completely independent home. This model is a favorite for multi-generational families in Etobicoke and Scarborough, offering enough square footage for privacy.
3. The Laneway Loft: Private & Independent
Ideal For: Bachelor Rentals, Student Housing, or Private Workspaces.
Built specifically for lots abutting a public lane, the Studio Laneway Suite turns the “back of the house” into a valuable asset. Unlike the garden suite, this unit is designed to orient towards the laneway, offering tenants a completely private entrance away from your main backyard. It is a top performer for long-term bachelor rentals.
4. The Executive Laneway: 2-Storey Living
Ideal For: Maximum ROI, Professional Couples, or Luxury Guest Houses.
This is the flagship of our collection. The Two-Bedroom Laneway Suite is designed to maximize the allowable square footage on your property, often featuring a second story to separate the living and sleeping areas. It transforms a standard parking pad into a high-value rental property that rivals downtown condos.
1000+ Leak-Free Basements and Counting
200+ Verified Reviewes Across Google, Homestars, BBB and Trusted Pros
Our Recent Garden Suite Building Projects In Toronto
Watch as we clear the site to prepare the ground for a brand-new garden suite. We handle all demolition and debris removal to ensure a perfect, clean slate for construction.
Heavy machinery moves in to excavate the footprint for this custom garden home. We dig deep to establish a rock-solid base that meets all Toronto structural bylaws.
See how we form and pour a durable, waterproof foundation for long-term stability. This critical phase ensures your suite is dry, warm, and built to last for decades.
EXPAND YOUR LIVING SPACE wITH a CUSTOM Laneway sUITE
Toronto’s Trusted Garden Suite Builders
Building a secondary residence is one of the biggest investments you can make, and we at IcyReno are aware of this. We create the contemporary, legally permitted Garden Suites (for backyards without laneways) and Laneway Suites. On top of it we build it all:
Foundation Security & Soil Management: From developing in the backyard of an established Toronto residence, to elevated areas in Bloor West Village or Rosedale. Soil pressure may change if you excavate close to your current residence. Before we even pour the concrete for your new suite, we specialise in site preparation and, if needed, offer professional underpinning services to stabilise the foundation of your main house.
Navigating “As-of-Right” Permitting: The rules for building in East York differ from those in North York. We are experts in Toronto’s specific “As-of-Right” zoning, which allows you to bypass the lengthy Committee of Adjustment process if designed correctly. We handle your entire building permit application, strictly adhering to the critical 1.0-meter emergency access rule and Tree Protection Zones (TPZ) that trip up less experienced contractors.
All Utility Connections Managed: We handle water service and sewer-drain connections for laneway suites. We connect your laneway or garden suite to municipal water and sewer systems from start to finish. That includes locating the best tie-in point, handling all permit applications and inspections, trenching and installing service lines, completing the municipal connection with the city, and final testing.
Custom Construction for Toronto Winters: We design for the climate whether you’re building a guest suite in Leaside or a rental apartment in Leslieville. Energy-efficient heating systems and high-performance insulation are given top priority during the construction of our garden suites.
We are proud to serve homeowners across the City of Toronto, turning underused backyards into valuable real estate. By combining local construction expertise with deep knowledge of Toronto’s ‘as-of-right’ zoning, we take care of everything, design, permits, and build, right here in your community.
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This is the most common question we get! The cost to build a garden suite in Toronto varies based on size, finishes, and site access, but you should generally budget between $350 to $450 per square foot for a turnkey project.
Unlike a simple renovation, this is building a standalone house from scratch. The price includes the foundation (and potential underpinning if near your main house), utility trenching (water/sewer/hydro), architecture, permits, and construction. While the upfront investment is significant, the ROI is often realized quickly through high rental income and increased property value. At IcyReno, we provide a detailed, itemized quote after a site visit so you know exactly where every dollar goes.
Absolutely. In fact, most of our clients build specifically for passive income. With Toronto’s rental market currently very tight, a newly built, modern 1-bedroom garden suite can typically rent for $2,300 to $2,700 per month depending on the neighbourhood (higher in areas like The Annex or High Park).
Because these units are brand new, energy-efficient, and detached (offering privacy), they attract premium tenants compared to dark basement apartments. Many homeowners find that the rental income covers the construction loan payments and leaves extra cash flow to help pay down the mortgage on their main property.
The difference comes down to your lot’s location. A Laneway Suite must be built on a lot that abuts a public laneway (common in Old Toronto, Rosedale, and Corso Italia).
A Garden Suite allows you to build a detached housing unit in your backyard even if you don’t have a laneway. This was a massive change in Toronto zoning bylaws recently, opening up thousands of properties in areas like Etobicoke, Scarborough, and North York to backyard housing. The construction quality and design process we use are identical for both; the only difference is the specific zoning rules we navigate for the permit.
Most residential properties in Toronto now qualify under “As-of-Right” zoning, but there are specific “deal-breakers” we check first. The most critical is the Emergency Access path. You typically need a clear, unobstructed path at least 1.0 meter wide and 2.1 meters high running from the front street to the backyard for firefighters.
We also check for Tree Protection Zones (TPZ). If you have a large protected tree in the backyard, we may need to adjust the foundation design or apply for special permits. As part of our service, we perform a feasibility study to confirm your eligibility before you pay for full architectural drawings.
This is where our expertise in underpinning and excavation shines. A Garden Suite needs its own connection to the city’s services. In most cases, we dig a trench from the main house to the new suite to extend water, sewer, and electrical lines.
We ensure that your existing water service is large enough (usually upgrading to a 1-inch pipe) to handle the extra bathroom and kitchen without dropping your water pressure. We also install separate hydro meters so your tenant pays their own electricity bill, keeping your operating costs low.
Building a home takes time, but we move as fast as the City allows. Generally, you should plan for 8 to 12 months for the entire process.
The Design and Permitting phase takes about 3-5 months, depending on how fast the City of Toronto reviews the application and if we need to navigate tree permits. The actual construction phase typically takes 4-6 months. We focus on “As-of-Right” designs to avoid the Committee of Adjustment, which significantly speeds up the permitting timeline compared to competitors who over-design.
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