HMH Construction — Masters of Renovation

Project story · Toronto

Two-Storey Garden Suite in Scarborough

A full second home built from bare ground in the back yard — two storeys over a full basement, on its own services.

The completed two-storey garden suite from the front, with stone facade, gabled entry canopy and bay window
The completed two-storey garden suite from the front, with stone facade, gabled entry canopy and bay window

Most garden suites are a single storey. This one is two, over a full basement — effectively a detached house in a Scarborough back yard, with its own kitchen, three bathrooms, laundry, furnace and water service.

What the project had to achieve

The lot had the depth and the rear access to carry a real second home rather than a token unit. Building up rather than out kept the footprint modest while producing a suite big enough to live in properly.

Project goals here are read from the signed scope of work. We don't publish our clients' names, addresses, or anything they told us in confidence.

Scope of work

How it was built

  1. June 2023

    Digging a real foundation

    The existing bungalow sits at the front of a deep lot, with the rear yard running well back behind it — enough room for a second home without crowding the first. A two-storey suite over a basement starts the same way a house does: clear the site, excavate the basement, set formwork for the footings, and get the City through before any concrete is poured.

    The existing bungalow at the front of the lot, seen from the street before the garden suite went up behind itAerial view of the rear yard excavation, with the mature trees and the existing house at the front of the lotAerial view of the excavated foundation footprint in the back yardFooting formwork set out on the excavated ground before the pourReinforced foundation forms squared up and braced ready for concreteThe excavated pad with forms in place across the full basement footprint

  2. August 2023

    Services in before the slab

    With the foundation walls up, the drain network was laid in gravel across the basement floor and the stacks set for the bathrooms and kitchen above. Everything below the slab has to be right the first time — it is the one part of the build nobody can revisit later.

    Under-slab drain lines laid in gravel across the basement floorCapped plumbing stacks set in position for the bathrooms and kitchen above

  3. August – September 2023

    Two storeys go up

    Framing moved fast once the foundation was cured. The basement was framed out, then the first and second floors went up and the whole structure was sheathed and wrapped ahead of windows and doors.

    Basement level framed out with the stair opening formedThe two-storey structure framed and standing in the rear yardSheathing and building wrap installed on the completed frameExterior wrapped and windows set, with the crew working on the front entry

  4. September – November 2023

    Mechanical, electrical, and a water service from the street

    Furnace, ducting, panel and rough-in wiring all went in behind the walls. The suite also needed its own supply: a new water service was trenched from the municipal line at the street, through the front yard and along the side of the existing house to the back.

    Mechanical and electrical rough-in running through the framed wallsWide view of the basement with furnace, ducting and rough-in completeTrench dug from the street to run the new water service to the garden suite

  5. December 2023

    Boarded, painted, and a kitchen goes in

    Insulation and drywall closed the suite in before winter. Paint followed, then the kitchen was set — cabinets levelled and hung against a laser line, counters and appliances after.

    Main floor drywalled and taped with floors protectedUpper floor boarded out with the stair opening and rooms definedKitchen cabinets being levelled and installed against a laser lineBase and upper cabinets set in the finished kitchen opening

  6. January 2024

    Finished and handed over

    Flooring, trim, tile and fixtures completed the interior across all three levels, and the exterior was finished in stone and siding with a gabled entry canopy and bay window.

    Completed kitchen with quartz counters, stainless appliances and window over the sinkFinished bathroom with glass shower enclosure and tiled wallsCompleted bathroom with rainfall shower panel and full-height tileFinished interior looking through to the kitchen, flooring and trim completeFinished front entry with stone surround, bay window and covered porchThe completed garden suite exterior with grading finished around the building

The result

A finished two-storey, three-bathroom home in the back yard of an existing house — stone and siding exterior, complete and occupied.

Services used on this project

Garden Suites →Multifamily Conversions & ADUs →Home Renovations →

Questions about projects like this

What does a garden suite cost to build?

A good planning figure is about $300 per square foot, which puts a typical single-storey garden suite in the $150,000 to $200,000 range. This one is at the top end of the market because it is two full storeys over a basement — it came in just over $300,000. We have also completed detached garage conversions for just over $100,000.

Can a garden suite really have a full basement?

Yes, if the lot and access allow the excavation. A basement adds usable space at a lower cost per square foot than building up, and on this project it carries the mechanical room and additional living space.

Does a garden suite need its own water and hydro?

It needs its own servicing to function as an independent dwelling. On this build we ran a new drain line and an upgraded 25mm water service from the street, and installed a 100-amp panel in the suite.

How long does a build like this take?

This one ran about eight months from excavation to a finished, occupied home. A single-storey suite on a simpler lot is faster. Excavation, foundation and servicing are the stages most exposed to weather and City scheduling.

Planning something similar?

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