Sample Street6 m35 m

Possible · 1 approval likely64.74 m² · 2 storeys

Existing house
By-right
Precedent
Variance

Sample property · Toronto

Garden suite

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

Comparable applications within 1 km: 6 · 4 recorded approvals · 2 permit projects

4 of these applications have usable approved variance details. Sliders show only dimensions matching that control.

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.

How tall?

Storeys

Building height6.3 m

No variance for this control.

Placement on the lot

Adjust the setbacks to explore where your building can sit.

Separation from main house7 m

4 approvals nearby support this range.

Rear setback1.5 m

No variance for this control.

Left side setback1.3 m

No variance for this control.

Right side setback1.3 m

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 is buildable with one approval

64.7 m² · 2 storeys · 6.3 m high

Your current design meets the recorded controls except for the 7.0 m separation from the main house. Moving it to 6.5 m would match nearby approval evidence; moving it to 7.5 m would remove this approval issue.

Recorded-rule results · 11 checks

Checks to understand

Separation from main houseGoes beyond the control
Recorded: 7.5 m · Proposed: 7 m
The measured separation from main house is short of the recorded minimum by 0.5m; professional review is required.

Other recorded checks · 10

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.
Footprint areaMeets the control
Recorded: 63 m² · Proposed: 32.37 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
Recorded: — · Proposed: Municipal layers screened
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: 64.74 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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