11 · Georgina, York Region

Laneway houses in Georgina

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. Georgina is year-round houses and former cottages in Keswick, Sutton and Pefferlaw, with shoreline lots along Lake Simcoe. In Georgina that means checking the lane, the fire access route and the lot depth against the rules before the design starts.

Laneway houses · Georgina

Georgina, on the ground.

Shoreline lots bring setback rules and the conservation authority's review, and unserviced lots bring a well and a septic system. 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 Georgina or the full laneway houses page.

What is included

On the drawing.

01

A lot check against the laneway by-law: lane frontage, fire access route, setbacks, height, lot depth

02

Engineered drawings and a rendering of the laneway house

03

Building permit filed and followed by us, with the demolition permit for the garage

04

Foundation, framing, envelope, roof, mechanical, electrical and finishes

05

Services from the main house or the street as the drawings call for

06

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

Permits in Georgina

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 Georgina issues the permit, and shoreline lots add the conservation authority's review before the application is complete.

  • 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.

What sets the price in Georgina
DriverWhat we look at
Storeys and floor areaOne storey or two, and how much of the allowed footprint is used.
ServicesWater, sewer, gas and hydro run from the main house or from the street, and the distance sets the trenching.
Fire accessThe route for a fire hose from the street decides whether sprinklers or other measures are needed.
The old garageDemolition and whether the old slab and footings can go.
Finish levelKitchen, bathroom and flooring chosen from the catalogue.

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

Laneway houses questions from Georgina

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 Georgina rules Savino has built under.]

the Town of Georgina issues the building permit and the demolition permit for the garage, and the fire access route is part of the review.

Usually, with reinforcement decided by the engineer from a test pit. On a shoreline lot the height limit and the setback come from the zoning check.

Yes, and many have been. The shoreline setback, the conservation authority's review and the septic capacity decide the footprint. We map those before you commit to drawings.

A Georgina laneway houses starts with a site walk.

Start with a site walkSee the work