OTTAWA SECONDARY DWELLINGS

Coach House Permit Plans

Coach House Permit Plans in Ottawa

Ottawa Secondary Dwellings is Ottawa's leading coach house company.

We are experts at consulting, drafting and building coach houses in the Ottawa and all the surrounding regions.

What is a Coach House?

A coach house (Accessory Dwelling Unit) refers to a secondary living space that is often built on the same property as a primary home, typically in a separate or detached structure.

These units are becoming increasingly popular in Ottawa and Ontario due to their potential for offering affordable housing options, rental income, or private guest space.

Additional Income

Renting out a coach house can be a great way to generate passive income, wether it's short term, long term or use as Airbnb.

Space for Guests or Family

Coach houses offer a great solution for multigenerational living, where parents, adult children, or elderly family members can live independently but still close to each other.

Increased Property Value

A well-designed coach house can increase the overall value of your property. Potential buyers often see a coach house as an attractive feature, especially if it has rental potential or extra living space.

Benefits of coach houses

Our Portfolio

The team at Ottawa Secondary Dwellings has decades of experience with numerous coach house and custom build projects.

We are certified & insured

We are a fully insured company ready to assists you with your coach house project. With BCIN certified in-house designers, we guarantee all of our coach houses are designed and built to code.

We have experience with creating:

- Coach house conversions in garages / lofts

- Newly built "mini homes" in backyards

- Coach houses in rural areas

and more.

Types of Coach Houses

Existing Structures

Garage Conversions

These coach houses involve converting existing garages (lofts count as well) into a livable space.

This is one of the most cost-effective options because it repurposes existing structures and often requires less foundation and infrastructure work compared to a new build.

New Builds

Tiny Home

A style of coach houses built in the form of tiny homes—small, self-contained, and highly efficient spaces.

These units are purposely designed to be extremely compact and energy-efficient, with innovative storage solutions, multi-functional furniture, and minimalist design.

Services

The coach house will require access to potable water, a sanitary sewer disposal system, proper stormwater drainage, electrical connections, and potentially a natural gas hookup.

Connecting a coach house to municipal water and sewer services can cost anywhere from $10,000 to over $30,000.

The final cost ultimately depends on the lot's factors.

Maximum Size

The coach house must adhere to the following requirements:

a) The size of the coach house must not exceed 40% of the primary dwelling
b) must not cover more than 40% of the yard where it is located.
c) must not exceed 80 m² for properties in urban areas

Maximum Height

The maximum height of the coach house must not exceed the height of the existing primary dwelling.

The maximum height of the coach house is 3.6 meters, with a flat-roof coach house having a maximum height of 3.2 meters.

Coach houses are not permitted to have a shed-style roof.

Parking

Parking for a coach house is not mandatory.

However, if parking is provided, a space may be located on a driveway that runs through the front yard to a garage, carport, or other parking area, and may be arranged in tandem within the same driveway.

Urban Coach House Requirements

Services

The coach house will require access to potable water, a sanitary sewer disposal system, proper stormwater drainage, electrical connections, and potentially a natural gas hookup.

Connecting a coach house to municipal water and sewer services can cost anywhere from $10,000 to over $30,000.

A coach house located on a lot serviced by a private well and septic system is required to connect with either the well or the septic system servicing the principal dwelling.

An approval from the OSSO is also required for both a new septic system and/or a shared septic system.

A Site Plan Control application will be required where a lot is privately serviced and greater than 0.4 hectares.

Maximum Size

The coach house must adhere to the following requirements:

a) The size of the coach house must not exceed 40% of the primary dwelling
b) must not cover more than 40% of the yard where it is located.
c) must not exceed 95 m² for properties in rural areas.

Maximum Height

The maximum height of the coach house must not exceed the height of the existing primary dwelling.

the maximum permitted as-of-right height for a coach house is 4.5 metres.

If the living area of the coach house is entirely located on the second storey above a detached garage, the maximum allowable height is 6.1 metres.

Coach houses are not permitted to have a shed-style roof.

Parking

Parking for a coach house is not mandatory.

Rural Coach House Requirements

Fire Safety Experts

With the help of Ottawa Fire Safety, we have certified BCIN designers and expert Fire Inspectors working alongside all our projects.

Drafting Experts

R.Viau Drafting & Design Ltd. works closely on all of our Additional Dwelling Unit projects. They have a team of BCIN designers, architects and engineers making sure that everything is done right and up to code.

Zoning Experts

With hundreds of zoning reviews done over the last 40 years, we have great knowledge of the obstacles regarding coach houses.

With a zoning review, we can highlight the problem areas before you get any work started.

Construction Experts

Our team also provides a combined 80 years of construction knowledge and expertise.

We have experience with many additional / secondary units, new builds and so much more.

Our expertise includes

Our process

Site Visit / Consultation

Book us for a site visit to get a free quote.

We provide standalone consultations, building code reviews and or zoning reviews to assess your situation before doing any work.

Preliminary

Our proficient designers prepare the preliminary schematics and design till a final idea is communicated upon with you.

Construction plans are then put together.

Permit Plans

In-house engineers and BCIN professionals review and stamp the construction drawings which assures a smooth permit issuance to the city with no hiccups.

Construction

Let us handle the entire project. Our in-house trades have years of experience with renovations and custom builds.