Carriage houses, also known as coach houses, laneway houses or garden suites, are an excellent way to add functional living space to your property while increasing its value. Whether you’re looking to create a rental unit, a guest house, or a private home office, these small-scale dwellings offer flexibility and sustainability. With Squamish’s growing focus on innovative housing solutions, building a carriage house is now more accessible than ever.

Why is this important to me as a Squamish resident?
The District of Squamish permits homeowners to construct Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), commonly referred to as carriage houses, on their properties. This initiative aims to address housing shortages and offers homeowners opportunities to enhance their property’s value and functionality. Here are a few ways a carriage house or garden suite could benefit you:

● Guest Houses: A separate space on your property for hosting family or friends.
● Home Offices: A quiet, private area for remote work or personal projects.
● Rental Units: A potential source of extra income for homeowners.

What can I build?
In Squamish, carriage houses can be either attached or detached from the main residence and come in various sizes and architectural styles. The District’s zoning bylaws specify that the gross floor area of an accessory dwelling unit shall not exceed 750 square feet. However, as a density bonus, the maximum gross floor area of an accessory dwelling unit is 968 square feet for properties of 0.2 hectares or larger, provided certain energy efficiency standards are met.

Recent bylaw amendments have also increased the maximum height for ADUs to eight meters and reduced setback requirements, providing more flexibility in design and placement.