A SECOND HOME WITHIN A HOME
Additional unit the perfect solution for retired couple
If you think condo apartment prices have been rising lately, you're right. And if that's throwing a wrench into your plans to buy your first place or to downsize, you're not alone.
In February 2018, the benchmark price of an Ottawa apartment was $268,600, according to the Canadian Real Estate Board. By February 2023, that had soared to $411,500, a 53 per cent increase. Meanwhile, the average Ontario hourly wage rose by just 17 per cent in current dollars over the same five years.
Those statistics may have you thinking about building an apartment (or, to use the planning lingo, a “secondary dwelling unit”) in your basement, above your garage or in your backyard for yourself, your adult children or your retired parents. That became somewhat easier after the Ontario government passed the More Homes Built Faster Act in 2022. That legislation permits up to three residential units on land zoned for one home, without a municipal bylaw amendment.
However, building a secondary apartment is still not a project for those faint of heart or short on time. “Exits, fire code, regulations — all of that comes into play,” says Norm Lecuyer, president of Ottawa contracting firm Artium Design Build.
For instance, the City of Ottawa limits the size of a secondary unit to 40 per cent of the gross floor area of the main house, unless you're building a basement unit (in that case, there's no limit). You can add extra parking, but it can't be in the front yard. The renovation can't change the “streetscape character” of the original home. And the secondary unit must have a separate ground-floor entrance, but you can't add a second door to the front of the house.
A design-build contractor can help clients navigate the city's requirements, says Lecuyer. The contractor can also help people assess how the space will be used and set priorities.
For instance, an adult child moving in for a year or two might not need a full kitchen. However, an older couple planning to stay for decades will likely want a wellequipped kitchen — even if it has smaller appliances or fewer cupboards than they're used to.
If the space is being designed for seniors, homeowners should plan for items such as shower grab bars and wheelchair-accessible doorways at the design stage, says Lecuyer. And if the family hopes to eventually turn the space into an income-generating apartment, they should plan ahead for that, too. “It has to be built like a rental unit. It can't be retrofitted later — it's going to cost you a mint.”
Speaking of cost, Lecuyer says the budget for a new secondary dwelling unit usually starts at $100,000.
Brian and Judith Neal considered all this when they hired Artium in 2017 to design and build a new apartment above the garage of their Alta Vista home. Approaching retirement, they wanted to downsize, but they couldn't find a condo they liked. And condo prices meant they'd have had to take out a mortgage, even after selling the paid-off home they'd lived in since 1991.
Their son Steven, his wife Courtney and their two young sons had recently moved back to Ottawa and were living — temporarily, they all thought at first — with Brian and Judith. Then the family came up with the idea of building a new apartment for the Neal parents and renovating the kitchen of the main house for Steven's young family.
It took a year to finalize the design. Construction took another eight months. The project included demolishing an addition the Neals had built between the main house and the original detached garage, then expanding the garage into that space. Then a new second storey was built, housing an 800-squarefoot, one-bedroom apartment.
To avoid the chilly floors that can come with a garage renovation, Artium included a plenum — a heated space between the insulated garage ceiling and the apartment floor. Other Artium suggestions included a barn door on the bedroom closet, as there wasn't enough swing space for an ordinary door.
The city's ban on two front doors also required ingenuity. The designer's solution was to build extend the facade slightly so a new entrance door could be placed perpendicular to the front wall. That way, it isn't visible from the street.
Judith notes that as well as making useful suggestions, Artium was open to the Neals' ideas. For instance, Judith suggested a vaulted ceiling in the apartment's living-kitchen area, inspired by a pop-up trailer the couple had once owned. “It makes a huge difference to me,” Judith says. “It doesn't even feel like an apartment.”
The final tab for building the new apartment and renovating the old house was approximately $500,000, and the Neals say it was worth it. Not only were they all able to stay in a neighbourhood they loved, but they're also able to hang out together easily while still maintaining privacy.