13 · Additions

Garage and above-garage additions.

The space above a garage is the easiest addition on most lots: the footprint exists, the setbacks are already met, and the room above it can be an office, a bedroom or a suite. The catch is that most garages were never built to carry a floor, so the job usually starts with new footings and a new frame. Savino Construction builds the garage, the room above it, or both.

Garage and above-garage additions, concept imageryConcept imagery
What is included

On the drawing.

01

A site walk with a look at the garage foundation and the zoning check for height

02

Engineered drawings with the load path decided: new footings, a new frame or a new garage

03

Building permit filed and followed by us

04

Foundation work, framing, roof and envelope tied into the house where attached

05

Stair, mechanical, electrical and finishes for the room above

06

A deficiency walk with the list closed before the last payment, and a written warranty

What sets the price

Drivers, not figures.

DriverWhat we look at
What the garage can carryA slab-on-grade garage usually needs new footings and walls before a floor goes on.
Attached or detachedA room over an attached garage ties into the house; over a detached one it needs its own stair and services.
What the room isAn office is a room; a suite is a kitchen, a bathroom and a fire separation.
Roof and envelopeMatching the house's cladding and roof, and the window count.

No price per square foot on this site. The site walk and the drawings set the number.

Permit notes

Paper first.

  • A building permit with engineered drawings is required in every GTA municipality.
  • The zoning height limit applies; a design above it goes to the Committee of Adjustment first.
  • A suite above a garage needs a fire separation and its own egress, reviewed with the permit.

The paperwork wall: WSIB, insurance, licences, the HCRA status and the warranty, on one page and dated.

Questions about garage and above-garage additions

Rarely as it stands. Most garages sit on a slab with no footings, so the job usually means new footings and a new frame, or a new garage built to carry the floor. The site walk tells you which.

In most GTA municipalities, yes, under the additional residential unit rules, with a fire separation, its own egress and a kitchen and bathroom. The zoning check confirms it for your lot.

Yes, attached or detached, with or without a room above. A new garage built to carry a floor costs little more than one that cannot, so we ask what you might want up there later.

Yes, in every GTA municipality, with engineered drawings. We prepare them and file it.

The number comes from the site walk and the drawing.

Start with a site walkSee the work