Can your backyard pay your mortgage?

Before you spend on design or construction, get the property answer first. Ontario Garden Homes reviews your Toronto lot and delivers a plain-language feasibility report within 48 hours.

Check My Property See the suites

Toronto launch area · Etobicoke to Leslieville · The first purchase is a decision tool — not a construction promise.

A woman with blonde hair approaching a garden suite along a planted side path — What we check on every lot: the main house, the rear yard, existing structures like a garage — and where a garden suite could actually sit.

48 hoursReport delivered by email

One propertyOne address per report · HST included

Green / Amber / RedA clear verdict on your lot

Upgrade creditYour report fee applies toward Tier 2 or 3 within 30 days

The AAA tenant experience

Reliable renters choose more than square footage. A private, polished home — privacy, smart planning, and details they’re proud to maintain — is what attracts tenants who protect your rental income and want to stay.

Working & independent

A self-contained home, with its own entrance and its own space.

Comfortable & safe

A calm backyard setting designed to feel secure, welcoming, and separate from the main house.

Easy to maintain

A smart, polished footprint designed for comfortable everyday living.

Hotel-inspired finish

Refined interiors, quality updates, and a relaxed atmosphere tenants are proud to maintain.

A woman reading at a two-person café table in a bright one-bedroom garden suite with a slim fridge and compact kitchen — Open the door to small-space luxury: a complete kitchen, a bed behind the seating area, and a quiet spot to read at a round table by the window — warm wood floors and sunlight pouring in, the ease of a boutique hotel, in a home of their own.

From address to a clear next step

Enter your address

Share the Toronto property, the layout you’re considering, and your construction budget.

We review the lot

The feasibility process checks the property envelope and flags servicing needs — water, sewage, and hydro.

Get the report

Your plain-language feasibility report arrives by email within 48 hours, from [email protected].

Decide with confidence

Use the report to decide whether your property and budget support a garden suite — and which next step, if any, is worth taking.

The Feasibility Report

A preliminary desktop assessment of your property, prepared from public City of Toronto data — zoning, parcel mapping, and current aerial imagery. It ends with a verdict: Green (likely standard fit), Amber (possible with review), or Red (no standard fit) — and the reasons, in plain language.

Annotated aerial view of your propertyCurrent aerial imagery with your parcel, the building outline, and any lane drawn on it — the imagery date is noted on your report.
Property snapshot & lane checkLot size, rear yard, main house footprint, zoning, and heritage status. If your lot abuts a public lane, the City treats it as a laneway-suite site — the report says which rules apply to you.
Existing structures assessed honestlyGarages, sheds, and decks are measured against the space a suite needs. A garage can eliminate the space entirely — if it does, the report shows that instead of selling you a design.
The rules, applied to your lotToronto’s garden suite rules (Zoning By-law Ch. 150.7): separation from your house, height, lot coverage, setbacks, soft landscaping, and fire-department access — each checked against your measurements.
Preliminary buildable envelopeA schematic diagram of the space a suite could occupy on your lot — buildable width and depth, maximum footprint and floor area.
City pre-approved plans, testedEvery City of Toronto pre-approved garden suite plan variant is tested against your lot, so you can see which real, buildable designs fit — before paying for drawings.
Rental income & cost pictureA rental income estimate from CMHC comparables, an illustrative return estimate with every assumption shown, and a City fees section — including the development charges and parkland fees garden suites are exempt from.
Flags — and what closes each oneTrees, heritage, fire access, servicing, and data gaps are flagged with the step that resolves each. Servicing connections (water, sewage, hydro) are always a separate, paid add-on — never bundled invisibly.

How your lot is drawn

Every report maps your property the same way: lot lines, what’s already built, and the space a suite could take. These samples show typical layouts — your report uses your own property’s current aerial imagery.

Lot with a garage

Street

Main housefootprint & height measured

Rear yard

Possible garden suite60% of the house, as drawn

Garagesame size as the suite

Rear lot line / lane

Lot with a long yard

Street

Main housefootprint & height measured

Long rear yard

Possible garden suite60% of the house, as drawn

Rear lot line

Typical Toronto yard layouts, top-down — schematic only, not to survey. Boxes are drawn with the suite at about 60% of the house’s size and the garage the same size as the suite; actual sizes depend on your lot. Your report uses your own property’s aerial imagery, and setbacks and conflicts are flagged, not hidden.

What the report does not include: a survey, a site visit, drawings, engineering of any kind, an arborist report, utility locates or servicing, City applications and fees, a minor variance or rezoning, legal advice, or construction pricing — and it is not a guarantee of approval, cost, rent, or value. A feasibility report is an early property review, not a permit, approval, final design, engineering opinion, or construction quote. Permit drawings at the design stage must be prepared or reviewed by a BCIN-qualified designer, a licensed architect, or an engineer.

Three layouts to maximize your blueprint

Each unit is self-contained, with water, power, and heat set up, and designed to be green and environmentally friendly.

A man walking a garden path toward a backyard garden suite, carrying groceries — A self-contained backyard home with its own path, planting, and entrance, separate from the main house.

What it looks like

A man relaxing on a sofa with a cat nearby in a garden-suite kitchen and living area — A full kitchen and a comfortable living area in one bright, open room.

A woman resting on a sofa beside an orange cat in a garden-suite kitchen and living area — Warm wood, big windows, and a quiet place to unwind at the end of the day.

Arriving home: down the garden path and in through a private entrance.

A walk-through of a bachelor-style suite: kitchen, sleeping area, and a seat by the window.

XL Bachelor

550 ft² (up to)

$1,800+/mo rental income

Extra breathing room in an upscale, hotel-inspired open plan — the layout most Toronto lots can take.

One Bedroom

600 ft² (up to)

$2,300+/mo rental income

A private bedroom and a refined living area, for a comfortable long-term home.

Two Bedroom

700 ft² (up to)

$2,800+/mo rental income

Two bedrooms, and a backyard play area bordered by 6-foot wood fencing on both sides.

City of Toronto pre-approved studio garden suite floor plan GSH-0, showing one open kitchen, dining, living and bedroom area, a washroom, and a mechanical room — City of Toronto pre-approved studio (bachelor) garden suite plan, GSH-0, about 16′ × 16′. Toronto Building has reviewed these drawings against the Ontario Building Code and the City’s zoning by-law. A building permit is still required, and where the suite sits on your lot is reviewed separately. Shown for reference only; it is a smaller studio, not the 550 ft² XL Bachelor above. View the City’s pre-approved plans.

All three are reviewed within Toronto’s 60 m² limit — about 646 sq ft — and your property’s smaller applicable limit: Toronto rules cap a garden suite footprint at the smaller of 40% of the rear yard and 60 m². Rental figures are the income each layout is designed to carry; your report estimates rent for your property from CMHC comparables. Read the City’s own summary: City of Toronto garden suites and garden suite rules (PDF).

Financing the next step

Effective January 2025, a federal program allows an insured refinance of up to 90% of your home’s value to add a secondary suite. Here is one illustrative example of how a $150,000 build can fit into the monthly picture:

$150,000 build cost → $15,000 down at 10% → ~$725/mo mortgage → $2,100/mo rental income = ~$1,375/mo left after the mortgage

This is a refinance, not a purchase program

An insured refinance for an existing homeowner adding a secondary suite — you must already own the home, and you or a close relative must occupy one of the units.

The suite must qualify

Self-contained and legal, and not used as a short-term rental. Amortization up to 30 years; arrange the financing before construction starts; the mortgage-insurance premium is rolled into the mortgage.

Approval is the lender’s call

The lender checks credit (including a 600+ score), income, and existing debts. Approval is not guaranteed.

Plan for HST

HST rebates for new rental suites exist, but eligibility and amount depend on the property and current tax rules. Keep all construction, professional-service, and permit invoices, and confirm the treatment with your accountant.

Illustrative example only. The payment estimate assumes financing the remaining $135,000; lender approval, interest rate, amortization, mortgage insurance, taxes, operating costs, and actual rent will vary. The estimated net cash flow shown is rental income less the example mortgage payment only. This is general information, not mortgage, tax, legal, or accounting advice.

Federal secondary-suite refinance rules · CRA guidance for secondary housing units

Toronto launch-area pricing

One step at a time — you only ever buy the step in front of you. Any design, permit, or project-management work is discussed only after your property has been reviewed.

Tier 1 – Feasibility Report

Start here

Verdict, annotated aerial view, buildable envelope, pre-approved plan test, income and fee estimates, and flags. Delivered by email within 48 hours. Your report fee applies in full as a credit toward Tier 2 or Tier 3 if you upgrade within 30 days.

Reserve my feasibility review

$450, HST includedfor one Toronto property

Tier 2 – Design

Site visit and measurements, a dimensioned site plan, a fire-access diagram, build cost ranges, and a timeline — the design direction for the suite your report approved.

Available once you are approvedyour report credit applies

Tier 3 – Design + Permit Help

An in-person assessment of the approved property, design development, and a complete drawing package shaped to the buildable footprint. Permit help only: we identify and pull together the permits your project needs — you handle submissions, fees, and follow-ups. Servicing connections are a separate add-on, quoted on their own.

Available once you are approvedyour report credit applies

Gold Standard – Managed Project

Full start-to-finish coordination of your garden-home build — trades, schedule, inspections, and budget through construction. Available after design, for owners who want the project managed through completion.

9%of the total project costadditional, charged on the whole build

Questions, answered straight

What if my report comes back Red?

If the verdict is Red, the report still explains why — the rules, access, existing structures or other flags that close a standard fit. You keep that plain-language explanation. A Red result at screening for a property that is outside Toronto, is not eligible, or backs onto a public lane is refunded in full. If a public lane is only discovered during the full review, you receive a $450 credit toward a Garden Suite Feasibility Report on another lot.

Is the feasibility report a permit or an approval?

No. It is a preliminary desktop review, not a permit, approval, final design, engineering opinion or construction quote. Final decisions rest with the City of Toronto.

My yard has a garage. Does that end it?

Not automatically. Garages, sheds and decks are measured against the space a suite needs. A garage can eliminate the space entirely — if it does, the report shows that instead of selling you a design.

What about water, sewage, and hydro connections?

Servicing needs — water, sewage and hydro — are flagged early in the report. Servicing connections are always a separate, paid add-on, quoted on their own, never bundled invisibly into the report or a design package.

How and when do I get my report?

Your plain-language feasibility report is emailed from [email protected] within 48 hours of your completed order — that is, payment and the completed intake together. The report is $450, HST included, for one Toronto property.

What does the report fee cover if I go further?

Your $450, HST included, report fee applies in full as a credit toward Tier 2 Design or Tier 3 Design + Permit Help if you book that work for the same property within 30 days of receiving your report. The credit is not transferable and does not apply to project management.

Want an on-site assessment?

Once you have your report, email Ontario Garden Homes to book a property visit — Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Toronto time — to discuss the full design package. Permit support, servicing connections, and full project management are additional services.

Book an On-Site Assessment

Reserve your $450 feasibility review

Limited review availability. Tell us the property and the layout you’re considering — your report is prepared for one Toronto property and emailed to you within 48 hours of your completed order.

Request your report

After you send this form, the next page has a Pay button so you can pay $450, HST included, right away. The report arrives by email within two business days from when payment and the completed intake are both received.

Full name

Email for your report

Toronto property address

Which layout are you considering?

All three are single-storey layouts sized under Toronto's 60 m² (about 646 ft²) one-storey limit. Your lot's own limits may be smaller.

XL Bachelor One Bedroom Two Bedroom

Sending this form does not charge you. After you send it, you can pay $450, HST included, on the next page. Privacy: we use your name, email, address and answers only to prepare your report and contact you about it. We don't sell them. Questions or deletion requests: [email protected].

After you send this form, you can pay $450, HST included, on the next page. Sending the form does not charge you.

What you get
Feasibility report for one Toronto property

Delivery
By email within 48 hours of your completed order

Due today

$450, HST included

Pay $450, HST included, securely with Stripe

Today’s decision is the $450, HST included, report for one property. Any design, permit, or project-management work is discussed only after the property is reviewed. If you book Design + Permit work for the same property within 30 days of receiving your report, we take a flat $450 off that work. The credit is not transferable and does not apply to project management. Privacy: we use your name, email, address and answers only to prepare your report and contact you about it. We don’t sell them. Questions or deletion requests: [email protected].