A coach house can leverage your home’s value
Did you know that in the Ottawa area, you can build a coach house on your property if all the stars are aligned?
Great as a nanny suite, student housing or just plain rental, the coach house is defined by the City as a small apartment located on the same lot as your home, but detached from it.
Is your lot eligible on which to build one?
- It must be serviced by municipal water and waste water
- Or, if in a rural area, the lot must be at least 0.4 hectares and serviced by a private well and septic system
- A detached, semi-detached, duplex or townhouse must already exist on the lot
- You may be able to convert existing structures, such as garages, sheds or stables
- Once built, the coach house cannot be sold separately or severed and it needs pedestrian access to a public road
- Mature trees on your property must be preserved
- An electrical connection must be provided from the principal dwelling
- No additional parking is required – and parking in tandem in the existing driveway is permitted
- If you already have an income suite within your home or live in Rockcliffe Park you do not qualify to build a coach house
On one hand, this coach house will provide you with additional income.
However, there are additional financial factors to take into consideration:
- You may have to increase the electrical capacity to your existing home;
- Property taxes may be affected by adding a coach home; and
- As rent counts as income, it will affect your personal income tax.
In addition to your construction costs, there are various costs from the city including a building permit, development charges and committee of adjustment charges (if needed).
Section 142 of the zoning Bylaw outlines the requirements at https://ottawa.ca/en/part-5-residential-provisionssections-120-141#coach-houses-section-142
This excellent City of Ottawa article, “How to plan your Coach House in Ottawa” takes you through the process step-by-step:
https://documents.ottawa.ca/sites/default/files/how_to_coach_en.pdf