What’s a Coach House? And Can You Build One?

For Home Owners

Simply put, a coach house — also known as a carriage house, secondary suite, or granny flat — is a small dwelling that exists on the same property as a larger house, most commonly located in the backyard.

Back in the 19th century, coach houses were really popular additions to homes in typically wealthier neighbourhoods. Whether they were built for relatives, guests, or even household staff to stay in, coach houses were able to serve a lot of different purposes. In fact, many coach houses from that era are still standing in some of Toronto’s older neighbourhoods!

Today, however, coach houses are making a big comeback, especially with the rise in popularity of TV shows like Tiny House Nation and Extreme Small Spaces that demonstrate just how much homeowners can do with smaller spaces.

While those popular TV shows are primarily all about how smaller homes can function as primary residences and the process of building them, there are also many other uses for small spaces like coach houses in today’s world too.

Whether you’ve considered building a new coach house-like structure from scratch or renovating an old stable or garage that already exists on your property, there’s a huge range of uses you can get out of owning one. Here are a few considerations you should make if that sounds like you.

Looking for a real estate agent who can help you build a profitable secondary suite? Call or text me at 647-239-7587 or send me an email at melissa@southetobicoke.com to get started.

Can I Build One On My Property?

While I’d like to give you a clear answer here, it really comes down to a few different factors. And, at the end of the day, it’s ultimately up to your local municipality and their specific zoning and planning requirements as to whether you can build a coach house or not.

However, if you’re based in Ontario and are really motivated to build one, you might be in luck. A couple of years ago, the Province of Ontario passed some legislation that actually encourages coach houses to be built!

Why did this legislation get passed? Well, there are a few reasons, but the two biggest ones are:

  1. Property Affordability
  2. Multi-Generational Living

You see, coach houses can present homeowners with a great housing solution for both elderly family members and adult children. Instead of paying for your parents to live in more conventional seniors’ homes, you can save that money while providing them with more comfort and independence by setting them up in a coach house on your property.

Alternatively, if your kids aren’t quite ready to live on their own just yet, whether they’re still in school or recent graduates, they can find some of the privacy they’re looking for in a coach house.


Looking for more tips that can help you find a great investment property in South Etobicoke? Check out these posts from my blog. 


The City Always Has A Say

If you do want to build a coach house, the city still has a say in what you can build and where you can build it — even though it’s in your own backyard.

Between things like the coach house’s size, its distance from the street and other dwellings, and a lot of other particular planning details, you can definitely expect the city will have a lot to say about your coach house project.

While the input and red tape from your local municipality is always a bit of a pain, it generally has good intentions behind it. Their rules and regulations behind the building of new structures are in place to protect the property values of you and your neighbours’ homes while also ensuring your new structure doesn’t negatively impact the local environment or endanger anyone nearby.


Looking for a great home in Etobicoke? You might find what you’re looking for in these blog posts. 


Your Steps To Building A Coach House

If you’ve got your heart set on building a coach house, the best place to start is by going down to City Hall. There, you’ll be able to ask them if there are any by-laws in your area that could prevent you from building a secondary suite or coach house.

If you’re lucky and there aren’t any prohibitive by-laws, your next step is to get a contractor to draw up some plans for your coach house. From there, you need to submit those plans to the city for approval and wait to hear back from them. Oh, and it always helps if you cross your fingers too.


➤ Updating your coach house isn’t the only renovation you can do to add major value to your home’s current market value — read about the Big Home Renovations That Bring A Big Return here.


When you hear back from the city, they’ll reply to your planning proposals with one of three answers:

  1. A direct denial
  2. A direct approval
  3. A denial accompanied by a list of amendments that would see your proposal accepted if completed.

In the end, building a coach house is really no different than any other construction or major renovation project. In the case of coach houses though, these types of projects are much easier to plan and facilitate now than versus a few years ago before that change in municipal legislation.

Ready to get started on finding a great investment property in South Etobicoke? Call or text me at 647-239-7587 or send me an email at melissa@southetobicoke.com to get started.

Want to know how much homes in South Etobicoke are selling for?

Sign up for my Sold Report.

Get Access

Related Posts

© 2024 Melissa Emond Made by Artifakt Digital