Secondary Suites Exploring, Planning and Secondary Suites: Exploring, Planning and Building

Exploring Leanne Petrin Affordable Housing Programs Coordinator

Planning Svan Sinclair Planning Technician

Building Kevin Hiebert Building Inspector EXPLORING Secondary Suite Development

Questions to ask

People to speak with

Decisions to make What is a secondary suite?

A secondary suite is a complete residential unit that is secondary to the primary unit on a property.

Three types of suites are allowed in Brandon: attached suites, suites, and carriage suites What are the benefits of having a secondary suite?

– Assists with mortgage payments

– Provides safe, independent housing for grown children or aging family members

– Creates more affordable housing What does it cost to build a secondary suite?

Estimate: between $20,000 - $30,000

The cost varies by the type of suite built, the primary residence, contractors prices, choices of the homeowner, and many other factors. How do I know if my property and are right for a secondary suite?

- Are you living in a single detached ?

- Are you living full time on the property?

- Was your home built after 1960?

- Is there space for one additional off-street parking spot? What do I need to consider when becoming a landlord?

1. Who will my tenants be?

2. How much rent should I charge?

3. What are my rights and responsibilities as a landlord? What financial considerations are there?

Property Values

Property Taxes

House Insurance

Provincial Incentive MB Housing Secondary Suites Program

Exists to help homeowners build a new secondary suite

Provides 50% of construction costs to a maximum of $35,000.

Assistance is provided in the form of a 10 year forgivable loan.

Homeowners are required to rent the suite at affordable rents for 10 years, the duration of the agreement.

Tenants must have a gross annual income that is no higher than the Program Income Limits determined by Manitoba Housing. LEGALLY NON-CONFORMING SUITES

Legally non-conforming (grandfathered) suites exist throughout Brandon

April 9, 2001

PLANNING

Zone Residential Residential Residential Residential Residential Residential Large Lot Single Low Moderate High Mobile Detached Density Density Density Home Attached P P P P P NP Suites Garage C C C C C NP Suites Detached C C C C C NP Suites P = permitted NP = not permitted C = conditional use PLANNING PLANNING

Presuming you have a single detached house and would like to build a secondary suite in your . Here are some things to consider:

– Parking: require a minimum of two off-street parking spaces. • Side by side. Not single file.

– Entrance: if the attached secondary suite is to have a separate entrance, the entrance must be located on the side or rear.

– Size: secondary suite cannot exceed 40% of total area or 861 sq. ft, whichever is lesser. • E.g. if you have a 1000 sq. ft. main floor, with a 1000 sq. ft. basement, you can have up to an 800 sq. ft. secondary suite. PLANNING

Presuming you have a single detached house and would like to build a secondary suite in your basement. Here are some things to consider:

– A site cannot have more than 1 secondary suite.

– A site cannot have both a boarding house and a secondary suite.

– You cannot subdivide a secondary suite. PLANNING PLANNING PLANNING

Presuming you have a single detached house and would like to build a detached or garage suite; here are some things to consider:

– Garage/detached suites can only be located behind a single detached dwelling.

– Attached garages turned into a suite are then considered an attached suite. PLANNING

Presuming you have a single detached house and would like to build a detached or garage suite; here are some things to consider:

– Parking: require a minimum of two off-street parking spaces. • Side by side. Not single file.

– Size: garage/detached suite cannot exceed 60% of total floor area or 753 sq. ft, whichever is lesser. • E.g. if you have a 1000 sq. ft. main floor, with a 1000 sq. ft. basement, you can have up to a 753 sq. ft. secondary suite because it’s less than 1200 sq. ft (60% of 2000 sq. ft) PLANNING

Presuming you have a single detached house and would like to build a detached or garage suite; here are some things to consider:

– Height: maximum height of 6.5m (21 feet), or the height of the principal detached dwelling, whichever is less.

– Required yards for garage/detached suites are the same as those of single detached dwelling in the same zone. • Unless you have a back lane; rear yard requirement is reduced to 3m/10 feet PLANNING BUILDING

• Building Permit must be obtained prior to any construction

• Must meet all requirements of the current Building Code

• Viewed the same way as a complete new house SUBMIT DOCUMENTATION

1) Detailed set of plans showing compliance with City of Brandon Building By-Law and Manitoba Building Code (MBC) 2) Site plan showing parking spaces in compliance with Zoning By-Law 3) Dollar value of construction cost (reasonable estimate) including both materials and labour 4) Contractor information 5) Letter of authorization from the owner if different from applicant 6) Signed owner occupancy affidavit 7) Copy of Title from Brandon Land Titles Office no more than 30 days old Plan Details

1) Party shall comply with Art. 9.10.11.2 of the MBC 2) The separation of dwellings requires a continuous smoke tight barrier as per Art. 9.10.9.14 of the MBC and a sound class rating not less than 43 as per Sentence 9.11.2.1 (2) of the MBC 3) with an area greater than 400 m2 or greater than 2 stories require a service complying with Art. 9.10.10.3 of the MBC 4) heights shall comply with Art. 9.5.3.1 of the MBC and the City of Brandon Building Safety and Property Standards By-Law Section 36 and 37 5) must be constructed in compliance with Section 9.8 of the MBC. Including: landings, guards, and handrails 6) The shall comply with Art. 9.7.2.2 and Art. 9.9.10.1 of the MBC 7) wells shall comply with Art. 9.14.6.3 and Art. 9.9.10.1 of the MBC Plan Details(continued)

8) Smoke and CO alarms shall comply with Subsection 9.10.19 and Art. 9.32.3.9 of the MBC 9) Protection of soffits shall comply with Art. 9.10.12.4 of the MBC 10) Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems are required to comply with Sections 9.32 and 9.33 of the MBC 11) Emergency is required as per Art. 9.9.12.3 of the MBC 12) to be installed as per the MB Plumbing Code 13) in smoke-tight barriers shall comply with 9.10.9.3(2) of the MBC 14) Access to exit shall be independent as per 9.9.7.5 of the MBC and shall not be through any other dwelling unit, service room or occupancy 15) Service where in fuel-fired appliances are located shall comply with 9.10.10.4 of the MBC APPROXIMATE BUILDING ESTIMATES

Approximately 700 sq. ft. secondary suite New construction Laundry facilities shared 1 only in the secondary suite Bathroom consists of: – – Sink – Tub or shower APPROXIMATE BUILDING ESTIMATES

1 sink HRV: heat recovery ventilator Range hood Separate heating system for the secondary suite ** Costing estimate does not include cost of separate heating system APPROXIMATE BUILDING ESTIMATES

Assuming you are building the secondary suite during a new home build:

Item Labour Materials Unground plumbing $225 $350 rough in HRV ducting rough in $550 $250 HRV unit Venmar K8 Included in above $550 Thermostat, whisper Included in above $120 grill, bathroom control Rangehood Included below $200 Rangehood ducting $100 $50 APPROXIMATE BUILDING ESTIMATES FOR PLUMBING Assuming you are building the secondary suite during a new home build: Item Labour Materials Waterline rough in $225 $200 (framing) Tub/shower/control $350 $1100 valve Water (toilet) See below $250 Additional materials for $40 $50 toilet (valves, wax seal, ect) Bathroom sink and taps See below $150 Additional materials for $100 $50 sink (trap, pipe, etc) APPROXIMATE BUILDING ESTIMATES FOR PLUMBING Assuming you are building the secondary suite during a new home build: Item Labour Materials Kitchen sink, taps, $100 $400 additional plumbing

Total rough estimates: $1690 $3720 Total = $5410

Difference in price between building a secondary suite in an existing building and a new home build is the cost of any barriers in the existing building. For example, jack-hammering of existing concrete floor, cutting open an existing for plumbing and associated repair and finish. QUESTIONS?

Leanne Petrin, Kevin Hiebert, Affordable Housing Programs Building Inspector, Coordinator, City of Brandon Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Ph: 729-2510 Corporation Email: [email protected] Ph: 729-2412 Email: [email protected] Greg Merke, Svan Sinclair, Building and Safety Manager Planning Technician, City of Brandon City of Brandon Ph: 729-2114 Ph: 729-2154 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]