Garden Suites in Aurora - Design, Permits, Construction

Old Aurora lots routinely run 200 ft deep - the longest average rear-yard depth of any town in York Region. That depth is why Aurora is one of the few GTA municipalities where a two-storey garden suite with its own private yard still clears the angular plane without a minor variance. Aurora permits additional dwelling units with the Aurora Village and Northeast Old Aurora heritage districts adding design review in the core.

Large mature lots in Old Aurora with 200 ft depths, and Oak Ridges Moraine constraints on the western edge.

A garden suite is a free-standing building in the rear yard, so the governing numbers on a Aurora lot are rear and side setbacks, the soft-landscaping percentage that has to survive, and the separation distance to the main house required for fire spread. Because it is new construction on undisturbed ground, the footings go to 1.2 m and the roof is engineered for 148 cm of annual snow load - both poured and framed inside the May-October season. Rear-yard access for the excavator is the practical gate: where large mature lots in old aurora with 200 ft depths, and oak ridges moraine constraints on the western edge, we plan side-yard machine access or crane placement before pricing.