Finding your backyard home just got easy

A backyard home is a home that is completely detached from the main dwelling. They must (1) be on a property with an existing main dwelling and (2) contain their own private kitchen and bathroom facilities.
These secondary living spaces are also known as:

• → Additional Dwelling Units (ADUs)
• → Additional Residential Units (ARUs)
• → Accessory dwelling units
• → Basement apartments
• → Carriage houses
• → Coach houses
• → Garage apartments
• → Garden suites
• → Granny flats
• → In-law suites
• → Laneway houses
• → Second units
• → Secondary dwelling units
• → Secondary suites
• → Subsidiary dwelling units

Although “backyard home” and “tiny home” may sometimes be used interchangeably, there are distinct characteristics between the general definitions of these two housing alternatives. While backyard homes are forms of permanent housing that exist in addition to a larger main dwelling unit on a lot, tiny homes are often the only residence on a small piece of property and/or are a mobile structure.

You’ve started in the right place! You can use the Resimate marketplace to determine if your lot allows for a backyard home and if there are additional considerations at this time. If your lot is suitable for a backyard home, you can select a backyard home model from one of our partner builders, place it on your lot, and get connected to the builder to start your build.

Building permit processes vary across municipalities. It usually begins with a preliminary review with your Planning and/or Building department before a formal application submission, so we would advise that you consult your local planning department for more information.

The cost of building a backyard home can vary greatly depending on factors such as location of your property, the type of backyard home you want to build (1 or 2 storey), the choice of construction (modular/prefabricated or custom conventional build), interior finishes (standard or upgraded), and even design. You also need to consider the ‘soft costs’ like design and permit fees, increase in property taxes, and site preparation/project management costs. Some builders offer full service pricing (meaning they take care of everything, start to finish), while others may only charge you for the unit or construction, and leave it to you, the homeowner, to take care of the extras. Modular or prefabricated builders often price the unit itself, and then add on the site preparation, delivery and installation (meaning foundation and inspections) separately.

It’s important to note that the price per square foot tends to be a bit higher ($350-600/sqft), as the smaller size and site specific considerations often result in higher initial fixed costs. As a rough approximation, backyard homes can cost between $120,000 to $500,000 to build.