Top 3 Entrance Options for Legal Secondary Suites

There are many different ways that you can provide an entrance into your legal secondary suite, but there are also rules that must be followed. Today we will take a look at secondary suite entrance regulations, and what types of entrances we would recommend.

Regulations

Calgary

In Calgary, the city regulations state that;

The main residence and suite must have at least one exit that leads directly outside. This may be a door that leads to an exterior stair or a door to a common set of interior stairs that is separated from both the main residence and suite.

• A stairway used in an exit requires a minimum width of 860 mm and must have at least one handrail.
• Handrails should be mounted between 800 mm and 965 mm above the stair. The height is measured vertically from the front edge of the stair tread.
• At least one light fixture that can be switched both on and off at the top and bottom of the stairs is required.
• A landing must be provided at the top and bottom of all stairs. The landing must be at least 860 mm long and at least as wide as the stairs.

• Doors serving the exit are required to be a minimum of 810 mm wide and 1.89 m high. Utility rooms, laundry rooms, furnace rooms and all other doors leading to the exit must also be at least 810 mm wide.

Vancouver

In Vancouver, there are not as many regulations on entrance and exits, and there is no section dedicated to it. However there were two related regulations that I was able to find. They are;

• A minimum existing ceiling height of 6’6” is required over 80% of the suite area and all exit routes.
• Self-closing devices are required on any interconnecting doors between the principal dwelling unit and the secondary suite.

Toronto

Toronto also has only a few regulations on entrances.

• Façade: The exterior façade cannot be significantly altered. For example, adding a second and separate front door may not be permitted.
• Size: The Second Suite must be a self-contained dwelling, and in some municipalities(e.g., Toronto) it is required to occupy an area smaller than the owner’s unit. The Second Suite must also have a separate entrance and contain proper kitchen and bathroom facilities.

Basically, your suite needs to have a separate entrance, and you can not add a new door to an existing home.

Although Toronto and Vancouver’s regulations are a bit less detailed than Calgary’s I would recommend using the regulations that Calgary has as a guideline for other cities unless specified elsewhere. Following the Calgary guidelines will basically ensure that you are meeting the safety codes that are needed.

Entrance Types

There are three different entrance options that we will be taking a look at, and I will be ranking them from most to least ideal for a legal suite. Your home is ultimately going to be the biggest deciding factor on what kind of entrance you can have. But if you are building a new house, or looking at homes to purchase, take these thoughts into consideration.

1. Separate Out Door Walk Out Entrance

There really is no better entrance to a home than this. Whether it is a Garage Suite, or a Basement Suite, a walk out entrance does a great job separating the properties and making them feel like their own unique spaces.

For this to work in a basement suite your property would need to be sloped so that the basement at the back of the house becomes ground level. I have personally found that the best basement suites have this feature, as they also allow for big windows and lots of natural light.

2. Common Space Entrance

This is an entrance that you may see commonly in some of the older 4-Plex houses. There is one common door to get you into a common space, and then stairs leading upstairs to the top level of the home, and stairs leading downstairs to the bottom level of the home.

There is nothing inherently wrong with an entrance like this, but it does mean that you and your tenants may be seeing each other than you might like, as you leave during the morning commute. If it means that you can add a secondary suite to your property though, then it is worth it.

3. Separate Entrance with Stairs

This is probably the least ideal entrance to a suite that you can have. Many of these entrances are steep and narrow, making it challenging to bring furniture in and out of the suite. It’s also worth remembering where you live. Canada gets cold, and these entrances need extra maintenance to keep the ice off, and they also need proper drainage at the bottom of the stairs to allow the water to escape. These entrances are also almost always made out of concrete, so if there is any aspect of the entrance that is not up to code, the cost to upgrade is pretty high.

If your entrance is up to code, and the rest of the property is great, then don’t let this deter your legal suite aspirations. This kind of entrance will still work, just make sure that you are ready for the extra steps involved.

To Sum It Up

So long as you make sure that you home follows a few simple regulations, you can easily ensure that you can put a legal suite in your home. There are many ways that you can put a separate entrance in your home, and the more separate you can make them the better.

Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below!