Our Scarborough house has had a basement unit since the 1980s — built by a previous owner, never permitted, definitely not up to code. When our insurance renewal came and the adjuster asked about it, we decided it was time to properly legalize it.
What we were working with: 2-bedroom basement unit, 680 sqft, existing 3-piece bathroom, small kitchen. But: no egress windows in either bedroom, plank subfloor above with no fire separation, interconnected smoke alarms missing, shared electrical panel.
Toronto ARU permit process: Applied through the Additional Residential Unit permit stream at the city. Our application took 28 days. They required: site plan, floor plan showing unit layout, window schedule showing egress compliance, and a note on the fire separation assembly we intended to use.
Fire separation scope: The inspector told us our plank subfloor above the unit was “no assembly” — it needed Type X drywall on the basement ceiling to achieve 30-minute fire resistance. We installed 5/8-inch Type X drywall on furring channels to the entire basement ceiling (720 sqft including mechanical room): $4,200. All penetrations — 14 of them — fire-caulked.
Egress windows: Both bedrooms had the original 1980s hopper windows, 12x18 inches — nowhere near OBC requirement. We installed new casement windows: $1,800 for both. No wells required — the windows are at grade level and barely below grade at the sill.
Other scope:
- New smoke alarm system (interconnected, combination CO/smoke in basement): $380 parts, $280 install
- Sub-panel for the unit: $1,450
- New exterior door with self-closer (required at the unit entry from common area): $1,100
- Permit fees: $740
Total: $9,950
Now fully permitted. Insurance sorted. Unit rents for $1,700/month. We should have done this years ago.