Garden Suites in Edmonton
Thinking about building a home in your backyard, but don't know where to start? YEGarden Suites can help. We are Edmonton's only independent, non-profit, garden suite organization dedicated to serving homeowners who are interested in building what are now known in Edmonton as a Backyard Housing.
Through workshops, tours, and educational events, we provide you with all the information you need to start your own Backyard Housing project. Scroll down to learn more about Backyard Housing, what we do, and how we can help you.
PURCHASE OUR BACKYARD HOMES E-BOOK TODAY
Building a better city can start in your own backyard. This book tells the stories of twelve early-adopters of backyard homes in Edmonton, and includes 65 pages of inspiring garden suite photography.
What is a garden suite?
Simply put, a Garden Suite is a Backyard Home... and under the new Zoning Bylaw, that's what they're called!
Backyard Housing are a form of infill housing that offers social, environmental, and economic benefits to owners, renters, and the city as a whole. They can be built on almost every single-family residential lot in Edmonton, and are becoming increasingly popular in cities across North America. They can be as small as you like, or well over 2,000 square feet, depending on your lot size.
A Backyard House is a living space that’s located in the backyard of a property. To qualify as a Backyard House, the space needs to have its own kitchen, bathroom, sleeping and living space.
Some Backyard Houses include garage space and some have no garage at all.
- City of Edmonton
Benefits of Backyard House
People choose to build Backyard Housing for many different reasons.
Whether it's to house aging parents close to home, generate a rental income, or plan for your future, Garden Suites are a flexible form of housing that can help meet you and your family's changing needs.
rental incomE
Build a home, rent it out and make some additional income. Use your suite as a mortgage helper, investment, or retirement income.
Downsize & Age in place
With Backyard Houses, long-time residents can downsize and age in their community when their main home becomes too much work.
affordable housing
Building a house in your backyard can help add to Edmonton's affordable housing stock.
Healthy communities
Backyard Housing helps create more walkable, compact, and attractive communities that support physical and mental health.
Multigenerational Living
Backyard Houses can enable multigenerational living, where aging parents or young adults can live close to their families, while still have privacy and independence.
building in instead of out
As a form of infill, Backyard Housing helps Edmonton build in instead of out, which promotes fiscally, environmentally, and socially responsible development.
Suite Stories
Hear the stories behind different Backyard Houses in Edmonton
Attend a workshop or tour, ask us a question, get involved.
YEGarden Suites is an organization that helps Edmontonian's who are thinking about building Backyard Housing. We host regular Backyard Housing Workshops and Tours, and connect citizens with industry experts. We provide you with all the information you need to build the suite of your dreams, while advocating for policy changes that reduce the barriers to infill development. Have a Backyard Housing related question? Contact us here!
We have a vision for an Edmonton that provides it's residents with a mix of housing choices that meet diverse and evolving needs. Backyard Housing will help us achieve this vision.
industry DIRECTORY
Interested in building a Backyard House? Take a look at our new Industry Directory to connect with a builder or designer, expert in energy efficiency or financing, and more! Our Industry Directory provides you with a list of individuals and companies who can help you on your Backyard Housing journey.
Get in touch
Have a Garden Suite-related question? Ask away! Want to stay updated? Join our mailing list!
Make sure to subscribe to our mailing list (below) so that you receive our newsletters. They contain information on upcoming workshops, tours, and events, as well important Garden Suite news. Subscribers also have access to pre-sale tickets for our events!
