Laneway houses in Ajax
A laneway house is a self-contained home at the back of a lot that fronts a public lane, built where the garage stood, and the lot check comes before anything is drawn. The Ajax brief is usually a second storey on a 1950s house, a rear addition on a 1980s plan, or a lowered basement for a legal suite.
Ajax, on the ground.
Ajax is wartime and 1950s houses near the lake and the old town, 1970s and 1980s subdivisions through the middle, and newer stock north of Taunton. In Ajax that means checking the lane, the fire access route and the lot depth against the rules before the design starts. Lots take a crane and a bin, and Duffins Creek and the waterfront put some lots inside a conservation authority's regulated area. The garage comes down, the services are trenched from the house or the street, and the new house goes up at the back of the lot with deliveries from the lane.
Read more about building in Ajax or the full laneway houses page.
On the drawing.
A lot check against the laneway by-law: lane frontage, fire access route, setbacks, height, lot depth
Engineered drawings and a rendering of the laneway house
Building permit filed and followed by us, with the demolition permit for the garage
Foundation, framing, envelope, roof, mechanical, electrical and finishes
Services from the main house or the street as the drawings call for
A deficiency walk with the list closed before the last payment, and a written warranty
Paper first.
A laneway house needs a building permit with engineered drawings and a demolition permit for the garage, and the fire access route is part of the review. The Town of Ajax issues the permit, and lots near Duffins Creek add a conservation authority review.
- A building permit with engineered drawings is required, plus a demolition permit for the garage.
- In Toronto, laneway suites are permitted as-of-right on qualifying lots under the City's by-law; a lot outside the rules goes to the Committee of Adjustment.
- The fire access route from the street is part of the permit review.
- Other municipalities have their own additional residential unit rules. [Kam confirms which ones Savino has built under.]
The paperwork wall: WSIB, insurance, licences, the HCRA status and the warranty, on one page and dated.
| Driver | What we look at |
|---|---|
| Storeys and floor area | One storey or two, and how much of the allowed footprint is used. |
| Services | Water, sewer, gas and hydro run from the main house or from the street, and the distance sets the trenching. |
| Fire access | The route for a fire hose from the street decides whether sprinklers or other measures are needed. |
| The old garage | Demolition and whether the old slab and footings can go. |
| Finish level | Kitchen, bathroom and flooring chosen from the catalogue. |
No price per square foot on this site. The lot check and the drawings set the number.
It needs lane frontage, a fire access route from the street and the setbacks and lot depth the rules call for. We check the lot before drawings. [Kam confirms the Ajax rules Savino has built under.]
the Town of Ajax issues the building permit and the demolition permit for the garage, and the fire access route is part of the review.
The Town of Ajax. Additions, second storeys, new houses and second units all need a building permit with engineered drawings.
Usually, once ceiling height and egress meet code. Underpinning fixes the height in older houses. We measure at the site walk.