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Sample Street6 m35 m

Existing house
By-right
Precedent
Variance

Fits recorded rules61.34 m² · 2 storeys

Garden suite · Sample property · Toronto

Adjust the design and see how each choice changes the available area and planning path.

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What we know about your property

6.0 × 35.0 m · RS · Interior lot

12 checks complete · 0 things to confirm · 4 nearby similar approvals

Access

Clear route from the street to the backyard

You report a clear access route. Emergency-access dimensions and fire-safety design must be checked at the permit-design stage.

01 · How tall?

Storeys

Building height6.3 m

Allowed

5.4–6.3 m

No precedent

6.3 m and up

No variance for this control.

Placement on the lot

Choose all three setbacks before the model is placed. Unanswered setbacks are not treated as zero.

Separation from main house7.5 m

No precedent

0–6.5 m

Approved nearby

6.5–7.5 m

Allowed

7.5 m and up

No variance for this control.

Rear setback1.5 m

No precedent

0–1.5 m

Allowed

1.5 m and up

No variance for this control.

Left side setback1.3 m

No precedent

0–0.6 m

Allowed

0.6 m and up

No variance for this control.

Right side setback1.3 m

No precedent

0–0.6 m

Allowed

0.6 m and up

No variance for this control.

A few details only you can confirm

No dataset can answer these — they come from standing in the backyard.

Is there already a garden or laneway suite on this property?Recorded · No

Thanks — we’ve recorded that there isn’t another garden or laneway suite.

Will you keep an existing shed, garage, or other small building?Recorded · No

Thanks — the estimate assumes no other small buildings will remain.

Calculation assumptions

We’re using the current general zoning rules and the public building footprint on file.

Use a previous transition exception

Known main-house footprint (m², optional — not total floor area)

Things to confirm as the design develops

These don’t change today’s feasibility result, but your designer should review them as the project moves toward permit.

1Site & access2 items

Clear rear-yard passage

Professional review recommended

You report a clear access route. Emergency-access dimensions and fire-safety design must be checked at the permit-design stage.

Tree protection

Professional review recommended

Tree protection zones should be reviewed once the final suite location is developed. An arborist may be needed.

2Landscape & building details1 item

Floor area versus main house

Professional review recommended

The suite GFA must remain smaller than the main house.

Your garden suite fits the recorded rules

61.3 m² · 2 storeys · 6.3 m high

Your current design meets the recorded controls. You can still review the detailed checks below.

Recorded-rule results · 11 checks

Other recorded checks · 11

Garden suite use permissionMeets the control
Recorded: Permitted use · Proposed: Garden suite
The mapped residential zone and your answers support the general accessory-suite use screen. Site-specific zoning and permit approval are outside this calculation.
Building heightMeets the control
Recorded: 6.3 m · Proposed: 6.3 m
The configured building height is within the recorded limit.
StoreysMeets the control
Recorded: 2 storeys · Proposed: 2 storeys
The configured storey count is within the recorded limit.
Rear setbackMeets the control
Recorded: 1.5 m · Proposed: 1.5 m
The measured rear setback meets the recorded minimum.
Left side setbackMeets the control
Recorded: 0.6 m · Proposed: 1.3 m
The measured left side setback meets the recorded minimum.
Right side setbackMeets the control
Recorded: 0.6 m · Proposed: 1.3 m
The measured right side setback meets the recorded minimum.
Separation from main houseMeets the control
Recorded: 7.5 m · Proposed: 7.5 m
The measured separation from main house meets the recorded minimum.
Footprint areaMeets the control
Recorded: 63 m² · Proposed: 30.67 m²
The measured footprint area is within the recorded limit. Public footprints may not match a survey. Assumes no other shed, garage, or ancillary building is retained.
Constraint layer screeningScreen recorded
Available municipal constraint layers were checked with no flags. Tree protection is separate professional information for the next design step; public screening is not permit approval.
Maximum garden-suite floor areaMeets the control
Recorded: 120 m² · Proposed: 61.34 m²
The measured floor area is within the 120 m² limit. This figure is a conservative upper-bound estimate — the true zoning gross floor area, after any by-law-permitted deductions, can only be lower — so this result is reliable regardless of what those deductions would have been.
One-storey floor area limitNot applicable here
Recorded: Not applicable above one storey · Proposed: —
The one-storey floor-area limit only applies to a one-storey garden suite.

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