Just how tall can a backyard suite in Calgary be? It’s a good question, one that we get asked often by potential clients. The answer is straightforward:

Garage suites built in Calgary cannot be taller than 24.5 feet. This is a restrictive land-use bylaw in place by the municipality. As a result, backyard suites only have enough height allowance for two levels above grade.

Below, we go over some other common questions and answers that people have with respect to the height of laneway houses in Calgary. Also see:

Can My Garage Suite Have a Rooftop Patio?

Another common question we get is whether garage suites in Calgary can have a rooftop patio. The answer to this question is no, they cannot, due to the 24.5-foot height restriction.

This important rule is in place to prevent privacy creep on neighbours.

Imagine if garage suites were allowed to have a rooftop patio, meaning that there would technically be a viewing deck at nearly 25 feet high. This would enable the suite’s residents to easily peer into the surrounding yard spaces and even nearby home windows. No thanks!

Please note that garages follow different rules. In many instances around the city, there are garages with rooftop balconies. Still, these are only one-storey high, preventing privacy creep for the most part, and also require privacy screens on the sides (not to be confused with garage suites, where there is an accessory residential dwelling attached to the garage).

Can I Get Relaxed to Make My Suite Taller?

Over the past several years, we have not seen any backyard suites get relaxed by the City of Calgary planning department regarding height restrictions. In fact, this rule may be the hardest line they have, where any suite above precisely 24’ 6” is denied because of the restriction.

We highly recommend designing your backyard suite under 24.5 feet tall, so that it sails through the permitting stage with the city. Once again, we’ve never seen a harder red line when it comes to land use bylaws than the height. Other rules, like square footage, are somewhat “relaxable” up to a specific limit, but in our experience, the height is not by any means.

Garage Suite Floor Heights

Another important consideration when designing your garage suite is the height of the ground level and how it may impact the ceiling height on the second floor.

For example, suppose you decide to go with 10-foot, 11-foot or 12-foot-high ceilings on the garage level to accommodate car lifts, more storage, or for another reason altogether. In that case, the upper floor’s ceiling height will be restricted when using a standard roof profile to remain under the 24.5 height restriction.

When using a standard 12 by 3 or 12 by 4 roof pitch, having an 11-foot ceiling on the ground level, for example, means that the upper suite ceiling is going to be severely restricted, potentially being maxed out at 8 feet high, depending on the design. This is because of the middle floor and roof height requirements; the middle floor can be 1.5 to 2 feet thick, while the roof also needs at least 3 to 4 feet of pitch to meet the required ratio for a standard roofing structure.

One solution to maintain a reasonably high ceiling height on the second floor when you have a tall ground-level ceiling is to go with a non-venting flat roof. This eliminates the need for a 12 by 4 pitch standard roof, providing you with more height to play with on the upper floor. However, keep in mind that torch-on and metal roofs come at a significant upgrade cost.

Can I Build a Basement in a Garage Suite?

If extra space is a must-have for your garage suite, you might have the option of building a basement in the suite. However, there are several things you should be aware of with such a build:

#1 – Building a garage suite with a basement can easily cost ~$50,000 or more for an unfinished space, extra costs to account for the added excavation, engineering, weeping tile, concrete, and so on. Finishing the space would cost more on top of that.

#2 – Having a basement in a garage suite may be a significant challenge due to the main house city lines. If the basement comes in the way of the main home’s sewer and water lines, you’ll have to relocate the lines or figure out a way not to interrupt the main house services while adhering to all city bylaws.

#3 – While some people like to entertain the idea of a basement in a garage suite, the complications and costs that come with it are often too much to overcome. For the record, we have never built a garage suite with a basement in Calgary to date.

Questions about Laneway Homes?

contact garage suites Calgary today

Garage Suites has an experienced team ready to serve you — put your trust in the pros to complete your garage suite project! Give us a call anytime at 403-797-4918 or contact us online to discuss your goals, and we will be happy to chat. We look forward to helping you accomplish your backyard suite goals!