[UserNameToronto]

Putting a basement apartment into an existing house isn't easy. For a new basement apartment to be legal, it needs:

- A certain amount of ceiling height (min. 6 foot 5 inches)
- 2 entrances
- Fire seperation from the main unit
- Planning permission, permits, building inspection, fire inspection

Sources: : http://www.toronto.ca/faq/housing.htm#secondsuites , http://www.expertinspector.com/BasementApartment.html

This would be nearly impossible in my house, so I'm not interested in a full-on legal second unit.

However, the rules are less stringent for live in caregiver (nanny) accommodation. Per HRSC:

Housing: Employers must provide the live-in caregiver with suitable accommodation in the home of the person receiving care. Suitable accommodation is considered to be a private and furnished bedroom that has a door with a lock and safety bolt. The bedroom must also meet the municipal building requirements and the provincial/territorial health standards.

Requirements: Must be greater than 9 square meters (97 square feet); In house where care is given; secure exterior window that closes and locks from within; Finished walls; Finished floors; Finished ceilings; Heating; Lighting; Closet; Bed with mattress; Bedding : (sheets, pillows, blankets)

The live in caregiver must also have reasonable access to kitchen and bathroom (note, not their own kitchen/bathroom).

Source: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/jobs/foreign_workers/caregiver/ , http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/jobs/foreign_workers/caregiver/bedroom_description.shtml , http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/jobs/foreign_workers/caregiver/bedroom_description.pdf

Some thoughts:

1) Most basements should be able to accommodate at least a 10x10ft nanny bedroom, no? There's no ceiling height, separate entrance, or fire separation requirement. There's no requirement to have a separate bathroom. Even the window isn't required to open, only to close!

2) Does anyone have experience adding such a suite (actually, a bedroom really) in the basement? Was it used for a nanny, or for inlaws? How did it work out?

3) It seems adding a bathroom down there, if possible, would be a bonus as the nanny wouldn't be sharing the main bathroom with the family. It would also be helpful to say "nanny suite" rather than "basement bedroom".

 

[Eug]

Putting in a formal second suite is definitely not necessary. The point of those is for legal rentals. Note that once you get one, your house becomes a multi-family dwelling. I redid my basement, complete with a full kitchen. The latter generally isn't allowed in single-family dwellings, but I got a zoning variance to put it in. The only significant thing I have not done that would be required for a second suite is a drywalled furnace room... but I don't want a second suite because I don't want a multi-family dwelling and I don't want to rent it out.

For simply a basement living area for a nanny, I'd recommend a nice window, a bathroom, a decent sized bedroom, and a decent ceiling height. I think code requires 6'5" anyway for a finished basement, regardless if it's for a second suite or not, and I think that's appropriate. However, double-check that to make sure. Of note, my basement ceiling height is mostly about 6'7" IIRC and it feels low to me, and I'm only 5'7". Actually, I think for new builds, basements need to be 6'11", but yours would be a retrofit so AFAIK that doesn't apply. Don't forget to include the thickness of your ceiling drywall, and subflooring plus flooring. I lost a couple of inches after the drywall, Dricore subflooring, and engineered hardwood floors.

Be careful when you submit your design drawings though. I didn't label my basement bedrooms at all, and the person at the city actually told me not to call them bedrooms. They advised me to label it as a den and study, probably because too many people try to build illegal basement apartments.

 

[UserNameToronto]

Putting in a formal second suite is definitely not necessary. The point of those is for legal rentals. Note that once you get one, your house becomes a multi-family dwelling. I redid my basement, complete with a full kitchen. The latter generally isn't allowed in single-family dwellings, but I got a zoning variance to put it in. The only significant thing I have not done that would be required for a second suite is a drywalled furnace room... but I don't want a second suite because I don't want a multi-family dwelling and I don't want to rent it out.

For simply a basement living area for a nanny, I'd recommend a nice window, a bathroom, a decent sized bedroom, and a decent ceiling height. I think code requires 6'5" anyway for a finished basement, regardless if it's for a second suite or not, and I think that's appropriate. However, double-check that to make sure. Of note, my basement ceiling height is mostly about 6'7" IIRC and it feels low to me, and I'm only 5'7". Actually, I think for new builds, basements need to be 6'11", but yours would be a retrofit so AFAIK that doesn't apply. Don't forget to include the thickness of your ceiling drywall, and subflooring plus flooring. I lost a couple of inches after the drywall, Dricore subflooring, and engineered hardwood floors.

Be careful when you submit your design drawings though. I didn't label my basement bedrooms at all, and the person at the city actually told me not to call them bedrooms. They advised me to label it as a den and study, probably because too many people try to build illegal basement apartments.

Many thanks. It sounds like we're looking to do the same thing, minus the kitchen.

We have a downtown rowhouse, and the area we're looking to finish (10x15 bathroom/laundry room + 10x15 bedroom) will total 300 square feet. Because it's for a nanny we won't be using high-end finishes. Based on your experience, what might this cost?

 

[Eug]

I dunno, because I did other things like revamp the HVAC with HVAC engineering drawings and new furnace, AC, and ductwork. We also put in granite counters, and hardwood floors on top of a Dricore subfloor. All walls got foam insulation too. I also knocked down support walls, and put new support beams in, complete with architectural drawings and engineering assessments, as well as re-routed plumbing and sewer lines, and even redid the entire basement slab. (My original slab was as thin as < 2 inches in some areas, and was resting right on the soil. We dug down 1 foot, put 6 inches of crushed rock down for proper drainage, and then put another 6 inches of cement in for the new slab.) Furthermore, I did none of the work myself (except pulling cable for Gigabit Ethernet). ie. Mine was really expensive.

In any case, I've read that the cost could be anywhere from $20 per square foot to $100 per square foot. $20 per square foot seems too low though, unless you're doing some of the work yourself, and there's no bathroom. Mine was more than $100 per square foot, but it included a LOT of extra work and much higher end finishes than most people use for basements.