Backyard homes in Peterborough, ON
Backyard homes, sometimes called garden suites or coachhouses, can be a practical way to add living space to your property.
Flexible Living Options
There are a variety of reasons homeowners choose to build a backyard home:
- Age-in-place — the benefits of downsizing without the upheaval and expense of selling and moving.
- Housing for family members — providing an independent living space for loved ones. Providing connection and privacy.
- Rental income — creating a highly appealing space in Peterborough\'s in-demand rental market.
City Rules
Over the last few years the City of Peterborough have changed the rules to encourage backyard homes — which they call "ARUs" (Additional Residential Units) — where only single family homes were allowed before.
An ARU can refer to detached a backyard home or an apartment within the existing home. Here's the City's definition:
a self-contained residential unit with a private kitchen, bathroom facilities and sleeping areas within dwellings or within structures ancillary to a dwelling. Additional Residential Units are also referred to as second units, basement apartments, accessory apartments, granny flats, in-law apartments or nanny suites.
Understanding what you can build can be a bit tricky if you aren't used to navigating the planning system. A good place to start is the City's online guide. Some of the factors to consider in designing a backyard ARU:
- Maximum footprint for a backyard home — this is calculated based on the size of your lot and existing buildings.
- Maximum size — an ARU is allowed to have only two bedrooms and a single storey. (There are options for basements and mezzanine levels within the rules though).
- Parking requirements — in many areas of the city you need to provide two parking spaces for the main dwelling plus one space for an ARU. Parking requirements vary by location though.
- Backyard homes can't be "severed" and sold separately from the main dwelling.
A Guide Through the Process
I'm a big advocate for "gentle density" like backyard homes and secondary suites. As a certified BCIN designer I can create the plans required by the City for the permitting process. Please get in touch if you have questions or a project you would like help with.