New one-storey garden suite with light grey fibre cement siding and a warm oak front door in a Toronto backyard

See What a Garden Suite Costs Before You Plan Your Yard

Building a 600 sq ft one-storey, 1-bedroom garden suite in Toronto costs about $272,000 to $383,616 CAD before HST at 2026 prices. The low end has wide yard access and short utility runs, and the high end adds a second bedroom, long utility runs, narrow access, and upgraded finishes.

A garden suite is a small, separate home on the same lot as your house, for family or for rent. Your yard and the lot rules shape what you can build.

Prices updated October 2026

Price Your Garden Suite

Your Suite

sq ft
Enter the total floor area of the suite, across every storey, in square feet.

StoreysSelect how many storeys the suite has.
Enter how many bedrooms the suite has.

Enter how many bathrooms the suite has.

Site and Finishes

Water, Sewer, and PowerSelect how far the suite sits from the connections at your house.
Yard AccessSelect how workers and materials reach your yard.
Finish LevelSelect the quality level of the kitchen, bathrooms, flooring, and fixtures.

Upgrades

Tick when the soil needs a deeper foundation or helical piles.
Tick when a protected tree needs a City permit and protection during the work.
Tick to have True Frame Builders prepare the drawings and apply for the building permit.

Location

Enter the first 3 characters of your postal code to apply location-based pricing.

Fill in the fields above to see your price
Pick a time for True Frame Builders to visit, measure, and prepare your quote.Book a home visit

What Changes the Cost

  • Site access and staging: A narrow side yard or a crane over the house slows delivery and raises labour costs.
  • Foundation and structure: Poor soil needs a deeper foundation or piles.
  • Utility connections: Longer runs for water, sewer, and power cost more to trench and connect.
  • Kitchen and bathrooms: Each bathroom and a higher finish level raise the total.
  • Design, zoning, trees, and permits: Drawings, permits, and tree protection add to the cost before work starts.
Crane lifting roof trusses over a Toronto house into the backyard for a garden suite build
When the side yard is too narrow for deliveries, a crane lifts materials over your house, and the price goes up.
Crew installing helical piles for a garden suite foundation in a Toronto backyard
Soft soil needs helical piles or a deeper foundation so the suite stays level.
Trench carrying new water, sewer, and power lines from a Toronto house to a garden suite under construction
The farther the suite sits from your house, the longer the trench for water, sewer, and power.

What Your Estimate Includes

Your estimate covers a complete detached home with the rooms you select, its kitchen, and its utility connections to your house.

Before

Plain Toronto backyard with patchy lawn and an old wooden shed before a garden suite is built
The backyard before work starts, with an old shed and unused lawn.

After

New one-storey garden suite with light grey fibre cement siding in the same Toronto backyard
A garden suite in the same yard, with its own kitchen, bathroom, and front door.

What True Frame Builders Checks Before Your Quote

Whether your lot allows a garden suite depends on zoning, access, trees, and the building code. True Frame Builders checks them before your design is final.

Your final price depends on site conditions, measurements, chosen materials, and the full work plan. True Frame Builders visits, measures, and then sends your quote.

Common Questions

How much does a garden suite cost in Toronto?

Building a 600 sq ft one-storey, 1-bedroom garden suite costs about $272,000 to $383,616 CAD before HST at 2026 prices. The low end has wide yard access and short utility runs, and the high end adds a second bedroom, long utility runs, narrow access, and upgraded finishes. Your own cost depends on your answers in the estimate and the condition of your property.

Can I build a garden suite in my Toronto backyard?

Toronto allows garden suites on many residential lots. Your lot still has to meet the zoning rules, such as the size limit and the distance from your house, and True Frame Builders checks them on site.

What is the difference between a garden suite and a laneway suite?

A laneway suite sits beside a public lane and follows the laneway rules. A garden suite sits in a backyard with no lane. If your lot backs onto a lane, see the laneway suite estimate.

Plan the Next Part of Your Project

You can also compare a laneway suite, a detached garage, or a custom home. Each one has its own estimate, and your saved estimates add up to one project total.

For City of Toronto rules, see the City of Toronto garden suite guide.