Bungalow-to-duplex conversions, rear and upper additions, basement apartments, and infill builds on narrow lots.
East York is where we have done more of our work than almost anywhere else. Three of our completed projects are here, all of them conversions or infill builds on narrow lots.
The housing stock explains why. East York is full of small post-war bungalows on lots that are deep but narrow. Those houses are too small for most families now, but the lots have more capacity than people expect. Almost every project we have done here started with a house under 900 sq. ft. and finished at three or four times that.
All of them conversions or infill builds on narrow lots.
Bungalows that finish at three or four times their original size.
Close to both the sites and City Hall.
Narrow lots are prone to feeling like corridors. Large windows, well-placed skylights, and a plan that pulls light into the middle are what keep these builds from reading as spec boxes.
One project started as an 800 sq. ft. bungalow on a narrow lot in an emerging part of East York. We worked with a local developer who wanted something that would stand out from the usual spec build, without overbuilding for the street. We took it to roughly 3,000 sq. ft. across three storeys and designed a flexible duplex layout that suits a range of occupants. We used large windows throughout and placed skylights to pull light down into the middle of the plan. The site was also planned so a garden suite can be added later.
A second infill project followed similar logic on another narrow lot. We reimagined it as a 3,000 sq. ft. duplex with oversized windows, light earthy tones, and a handful of built-in nooks and architectural details that give it character rather than leaving it as a plain box. Again, we planned for a future garden suite so the property can grow in value over time.
Not everyone wants to build a duplex from scratch. A lot of East York owners want more room for their own family and a rental unit to help carry the mortgage.
One family bought their house just before the pandemic wanting exactly that. The lot was tight and the zoning was restrictive. We designed a rear addition that extended the basement, main floor, and second floor, which added over 500 sq. ft. on each level. That gave them a three-bedroom main dwelling of about 1,200 sq. ft. plus a self-contained one-bedroom basement apartment with a separate entrance. Both units are genuinely independent, not one carved awkwardly out of the other.
The proposal went to the Committee of Adjustment and was approved in full. It fit what the city has been asking for: gentle density in established neighbourhoods without changing the character of the street.
Most of the questions we get in East York come down to the same thing: how much can I actually build here?
The answer depends on lot coverage, setbacks, height limits, and whether the design fits as of right or needs relief from the Committee of Adjustment. We check this at the design stage rather than after, which means we know early whether a plan needs a variance and can adjust the drawings instead of discovering the problem months in.
We have taken East York projects through the Committee of Adjustment successfully. That process adds time, so knowing whether you need it before you commit to a design is worth a lot.
East York lots tend to be deep, which makes them good candidates for garden suites. Two of the properties we have worked on here were deliberately planned so a suite could be added later.
If you are already renovating, roughing in the utilities now is far cheaper than retrofitting them later. Even if a suite is five years away, the servicing decisions are made today.
We have built here repeatedly, and that repetition is worth something. We know which trades turn up on time, we have been through the same inspection process more than once, and we have already solved the problems narrow East York lots create.
East York is part of the City of Toronto, so the permit process, zoning framework, and Committee of Adjustment are the same as the rest of the city. Our office is downtown, which keeps us close to both the sites and City Hall.
We start with a conversation at your house. We look at the lot, talk about what you want, and give you a straight answer on whether it works.
