Laneway and garden suites are supplementary, detached units, typically located in the rear yard of a residential property. A Laneway Suite can only be built on a property that abuts a public laneway. A Garden Suite is a more flexible unit, permitted recently with the dismissal of the appeal for the Garden Suite bylaw, which can be built on properties that do not about a laneway. Both types of suites permit homeowners to expand housing options within the City of Toronto.

HAPPI Backyard housing has been designed with a number of different uses in mind. Some common uses include providing homeowners with an additional income stream through rental use, multi-generational living, or personal use such as a home office, guest house, or gym.

HAPPI backyard housing is prefabricatedLaneway and Garden Suites, designed by award winning multiple to fit within the City’s bylaw. We are not custom builders. If you are unsure whether your property meets the requirements necessary to qualify for an as-of-right build under City of Toronto bylaw, please contact us with your address and we can provide a free property assessment.

The three main considerations are as follows:
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1. The lot is within the boundaries of Toronto & East York community council boundary.

2. The lot meets Emergency Medical Service access requirements.

3. The lot and adjacent area do not contain established mature trees that would require removal or injury to accommodate a build.  
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PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL TO contact@happibuilds.com THAT INCLUDES THE ADDRESS OF THE PROPERTY YOU OWN, AND WE CAN BEGIN A PRELIMINARY ONLINE ASSESSMENT USED TO DETERMINE YOUR ELIGIBILITY FOR AN AS-OF-RIGHT BUILD UNDER CITY OF TORONTO BYLAW.

A limiting distance agreement is a contract entered into between two neighbours with a shared passageway between their homes. This is necessary when a passage of 0.9m, which is required for emergency services to access a suite, is shared by both neighbours. Upon completion, it stipulates that both neighbours agree to keep the passage free of obstruction.

Your suite will receive municipal services through connections to the main house. This includes not only water, gas, and electricity (if the main house does not have 200 AMP service, an upgrade will be required), but also roadside services such as garbage collection.

Despite being detached from the main residence physically, all municipal services are delivered by connections to the main house. Therefore, both Laneway Suites and Garden Suites are non-severable, which means that they cannot be divided and sold as a separate piece of property.

At this moment, suites are not permitted by the bylaw to be broken up into multiple apartment units. They are single family dwelling units, designed to be occupied by one family or household. Stay tuned as our team will keep you updated should this specification to the bylaw be amended.

Many species of trees are protected under City of Toronto bylaw, so the presence of trees in your yard or an adjacent yard can certainly impact the potential to build. The Private Tree Bylaw protects healthy trees from removal or injury due to construction activity.

The City of Toronto mandates a minimum protection zone corresponding to the size of the trunk measured at breast height (the larger the trunk in diameter, the larger the protection zone). A tree declaration form is required with the building permit submission.

If the proposed project infringes the protected zone, or removal of the tree is necessary, additional permitting must be obtained, following an arborist report. HAPPI can recommend an arborist for an assessment if this is the case.

The construction of HAPPI Backyard Houses will require the demolition of your garage, if the suite is to be located where the garage currently sits. As this is one of the construction services we offer, we take care of this element for you. This allows us to ensure the structural integrity and safety of all of our products.

Living in Toronto, you have probably experienced the disturbances construction can cause, whether it is in a residential area, condo construction, or road work. Fortunately, by choosing HAPPI you will be limiting the disturbance to your neighbours.

Our prefabricated models are manufactured offsite and assembled onsite in a “kit of parts”. Compared to traditional construction, the disturbance is significantly reduced as the foundation can be completed in a couple weeks and the exterior structure can be erected in as little as one day. After this, the work will be strictly interior, with minimal disturbances to adjacent neighbours.

Once we have determined your property’s eligibility we are able to provide you with a preliminary budget (not site specific). Once we have assessed your site in person and you have chosen a model, we can provide you with an indicative budget which will include the cost per square foot of the suite. Additional costs will depend on a number of site specific variables. These variables include: permit fees, demolition fees, topography/survey fees, and connection fees. HAPPI will arrange all of this for you!

Once we have approved permits in hand, prior to beginning construction, we will provide you with a final quote. Upon signing the contract with this quote, if you would like to build right away, the price given will be fixed. If, for example, we have approved permits to build but you would like to wait to start construction, we will provide an updated price when you are ready to begin. Permits are valid to start construction for one year after issuance.

This varies by site, however our onsite construction window end to end is 12 weeks. We can start construction once we have a signed agreement and approved permits in hand. The permitting process will vary in time by site, however it will take us around 8 weeks to assess your site, and collect the consultant information necessary for permit submission.

The Elevation Model is a 1 bed 1 bath 15×20 foot suite, suitable for many properties throughout Toronto. We are thrilled with the versatility of this product; the clean finishes allow you, your loved one, or your tenant to build your own story.

Our Superkül Model is a 2 bed 2 bath 20×26 foot suite, perfect for properties that benefit from a little more space. This model boasts the option for a barrier-free configuration.

We are currently working on a One-Storey Bunglaow Garden Suite with Pencil Design [link] to add to our product line, which will be ready for sale in the coming weeks.

Our clients can also look forward to a 20×26 Superkül model fitted with a garage.

Prefabrication is a means of construction by which panels are built offsite in a factory and then assembled onsite in a “kit of parts”. We use mass timber panels for their sustainable, carbon offsetting and aesthetic attributes. This building method reduces our construction timeline significantly, allows for a fixed price, and decreases waste production and other errors associated with traditional construction methods.

Sustainability: timber is the only construction material that grows naturally. Wood products have a lower impact on air and water pollution. Our sustainably sourced wood produces less greenhouse gas emissions throughout its lifecycle and has a reduced carbon footprint when compared to popular traditional materials such as steel or concrete.

Human health: studies show increased exposure to natural elements benefit human health and wellbeing.

Waste Reduction: factory-built panels are repeatable and consistent components that are designed to minimize waste throughout the production process. Less material is wasted in a factory design fabrication setting and less time and resources are used to assemble them on site.

Unfortunately, basements are not an option. Our building envelope is designed to passive housing standards, making it sustainable and making it easier to heat and cool (this means lower operating costs for you). Basements also increase the chances of flooding.

Detached ADUs can be a great investment, depending on your specific property and use case. Not only can they generate additional income from renters, but they can have a large positive impact on your existing property value and long-term appreciation. While we are not financial advisors, we will help lay out the potential long-term returns of adding a backyard house to your property.