Metrohomes Design Build

This is the part of a garden suite build that makes everything feel real. The framing is going up in Mimico.

For weeks, the site looked like prep work. Permits, excavation, foundation, concrete. Important stages, but hard to picture what is actually coming. Then the framers show up and within days, walls are standing, rooms have shape, and you can finally walk through what used to be just a rendering on a screen.

This is when clients start to see it. They can stand where their kitchen will be. They can look out from where a window is going and see their backyard from a perspective that did not exist before. The structure is still open to the sky, still raw lumber and nail guns, but the footprint is real.

We are building a one bedroom garden suite on this lot. The homeowner will have a fully self contained rental unit in their backyard, built under Toronto’s current zoning allowances for garden suites. From slab to this point took a matter of weeks. From here, we move to sheathing, then roofing, then the work moves indoors.

If you have been thinking about what your backyard could become, this is what it looks like when that idea starts becoming a structure.

Metrohomes Design Build

👇 Tap “more” to see how this backyard becomes a home (and monthly income).

Project
📍 Mimico | Garden Suite Build | Day 2

What We’re Building
🏡 430 sq ft on one level — 1 bed • 1 bath • full kitchen • living room • dedicated storage.

Today On Site
🛠️ Demolition complete → excavation in progress → foundation layout set → next up: footings & pour.

Why It’s Smart
• Legal rental potential for steady cash flow 📈
• Multigenerational living with privacy (in-laws, grads)
• Adds resale value without changing your address

How We Build
📐 Design → Permits → Build — to code, insulated for four seasons, privacy-first layout & sound control.

metrohome.ca

Tap to see why a backyard garden suite can beat a Toronto condo.

This garden suite is larger than most condos in Toronto. It costs less than buying a 400 sq ft condo in the city, and you are not waiting four years for a preconstruction unit. A build like this can be completed in roughly 4 to 6 months and you already own the land. The next step is turning that land into something that can pay you back.

Project:
Danforth | Garden Suite Build

What you are seeing:
Job site progress combined with exterior and interior renderings of the suite

Why it matters:
Backyard infill that adds real living space, rental potential, and long term value without changing your address

By:
Metrohomes Design Build

Tap to read how Toronto’s garden suite bylaw can turn a backyard into a two bedroom home.

Thanks to the City of Toronto’s 2022 garden suite bylaw, eligible lots can add a detached backyard home with tight clearances, up to two storeys, and floor areas typically ranging from about 400 to 1,000 square feet. That can mean a two or three bedroom unit in your own yard.

This garden suite stands at almost 1,000 square feet above grade, with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a full finished basement.

Project:
Toronto | Garden Suite Build

What you are seeing:
On site progress combined with exterior and interior renderings of the suite

What we are building:
Nearly 1,000 sq ft above grade
Two bedrooms, two bathrooms
Full finished basement

Why it matters:
Backyard infill that creates high value living space, rental potential, and stronger resale without changing your address

By:
Metrohomes Design Build

Tap more to read how we place and finish a slab on grade for a garden suite.

Beautiful day for concrete. Aerial shots show the pour, screeding, and a flat finish for a durable slab.

Project:
Toronto/GTA | Garden Suite Build

What you are seeing:
Concrete placement on slab on grade
Screeding and surface finish

Why it matters:
Stable, level base that speeds framing and improves finish quality

Next steps:
Cure
Layout
Start framing

By:
Metrohomes Design Build

Tap “more” to read how we pour a slab on grade for a garden suite in Mimico.

Back on site at our slab on grade foundation. Rebar is installed and concrete is ready to pour. Aerial shots show the grid and forms. Close ups capture placement, screeding, and finishing.

Project:
Mimico | Garden Suite Build

What you are seeing:
Aerial shots of the rebar grid and forms
Concrete placement
Close ups of screeding and finishing

What we are building:
400 sq ft garden suite for income or additional living space

Why it matters:
Level, durable base for an efficient build

Next steps:
Cure
Layout
Start framing

By:
Metrohomes Design Build

Tap “more” to read how we start exterior cladding on a Danforth garden suite.

We removed sections of the neighboring fences for access, set up scaffolding, and began installing Hardie board and batten on the exterior. Modern farmhouse design coming together.

Project:
Danforth | Garden Suite Build

What you are seeing:
Fence sections removed for access
Scaffolding mounted
Hardie board and batten install starting

What we are building:
Garden suite with a modern farmhouse exterior

Why it matters:
Durable, low maintenance cladding and clean architectural lines

Next steps:
Continue cladding, install battens and trim, seal and finish

By:
Metrohomes Design Build

Tap “more” to read how we go from stone slinger to a stable slab on grade for a garden suite in Mimico.

Today we are slangin’ gravel. The stone slinger precision loads the base for slab on grade. Gravel flies, the crew guides, and we level it for a flat, compacted foundation. Next up: rebar, insulation, and the slab pour. Mimico garden suite coming to life.

Project:
Mimico | Garden Suite Build

What you are seeing:
Stone slinger placing gravel for slab on grade
Crew spreading and leveling the base

What we are building:
400 sq ft garden suite for income or additional living space

Why it matters:
Stable, level foundation for a durable, efficient build

Next steps:
Rebar
Insulation
Slab pour

By:
Metrohomes Design Build

Tap “more” to see the stone slinger in action.

Project:
Mimico | Garden Suite Build

Today on site:
Stone slinger placing gravel for slab on grade
Excavation and forms complete
Service trench tying the garden suite into the main house
Next steps: rebar, insulation, slab pour

What we are building:
400 sq ft garden suite for income or additional living space

How we deliver:
Design-Build. One team from concept to completion

By:
Metrohomes Design Build

👇 Tap to see how your backyard becomes monthly income.

🏡💸 You turned unused yard into steady income—the lawn got a job and your mortgage took a nap.

What’s a Garden Suite?
A detached, self-contained backyard home with its own kitchen, bath, living area, and private entrance.

Why It’s Smart (Toronto/GTA)
• Legal rental potential for steady cash flow
• Multigenerational living without losing privacy
• Flexible guest suite / WFH studio that adapts over time

Build Highlights
• Designed to code with year-round insulation and sound control 🔒
• Separate entrance + smart layouts for privacy
• Permits + compliance handled end-to-end

The Upside
📈 Monthly income, stronger resale value, and real flexibility—without changing your address.

By
Metrohomes Design Build — design → permits → build