WHAT ARE LEGAL SUITES?

Legal Suites are all the rage in today’s housing market. Back in the day, they used to be called Mother-in-law suites, in Australia they’re called granny flats, and in the United States, they’re called ADU’s or accessory dwelling units. HUH?

Here, in good-ole Edmonton, we call them legal suites, or secondary suites and lots of people don’t want to buy their new home without one. Every single-family detached garage home that Daytona Homes builds has the option for a secondary suite.

So, what is a legal suite? Secondary suite? Garden suite?

A secondary suite is a self-contained dwelling unit that is part of a house. Suites include a kitchen, bathroom, and separate entrance. Why does everyone call them a legal suite then? Well, long story short, when everyone was inspired by Scott McGillivray on TV to renovate our basements and make income properties, some people may have missed a few things, and the definition was hazy, so the term, ‘legal suite’ became a buzz word. They can also be called legal secondary suites.

And here’s the difference between a basement development and a suite:

Houses with legal secondary suites are required to have independent heating and ventilation for the primary suite and the secondary suite, as per the National Building Code – Alberta Edition. Independent heating and ventilation can mean 2 furnaces or a combination of permanent alternate heating sources and independent ventilation systems.

The Alberta building code requirements for secondary suites came into force on December 31, 2006. The objective for creating these requirements was to establish standards for secondary suites.*

In other words, updating your wood paneling and green shag for renters doesn’t make it a legal secondary suite without the aforementioned. But you don’t have to worry about that, Daytona Homes builds great houses with both Secondary(basement) and Garden suites- all legal!

Garden suites (they used to be called garage suites) are stand-alone structures built in the back yards of homes, and must have their own kitchen, bathroom and living space- You can see this example in the Orchards at our Carrera-Z Show Home.

We also have an example of a secondary basement suite in our Tiguan II-z quick possession home in the Uplands at Riverview.

Another great thing about legal suites is the opportunity for income to help you offset your mortgage. Wouldn’t that be nice? Having someone else contribute to your dream home. Daytona Homes is the leader in investment suites. Which do you like better: The basement development or garden suite? Suite!

This month only, add a secondary suite to your new home and we will pay your suite mortgage for TWO YEARS**! Click HERE and submit your information to learn more today!

*source Government of AB website Secondary suites – Building codes | Alberta.ca

** terms and conditions apply.