Britannia Garage Suite Conversion

Britannia is one of Calgary's most prestigious neighborhoods, but lot sizes can limit expansion. The owners wanted to replace a crumbling detached garage with a modern 3-car garage featuring a luxury studio suite above for visiting guests and potential future rental.

The design challenge was to create a structure that looked like an architectural feature, not just a service building. They wanted it to match the mid-century modern aesthetic of the main house.

Did you know? You can now build a backyard suite AND a legal basement suite on the same lot.

We poured a structural slab-on-grade engineered to support 3 vehicles and the living space above. In-slab hydronic heating was installed for the garage floor, a must-have for luxury Calgary properties.

For the suite, we used a separate forced-air system for rapid response heating. The exterior features commercial-grade ACM panelling and cedar soffits.

The interior is a compact 600 sq. ft. studio with a full kitchen, laundry, and a bathroom with a skylight. We maximized storage with built-in millwork along the knee-walls.

This project won a "Best Garage Suite" category award. It provides flexible space that has been used as a home office, guest house, and short-term executive rental.

It rents for $2,500/month as a furnished executive unit due to the premium location.

Garden Suite Specs

The Brief & Strategy

🏡 Garden Suite Details

Structure & Systems

Exterior & Efficiency

Can I Build This?

Project Timeline

Demolition & Excavation

Foundation & Slab

Framing

Exterior Finishes

Interior Finishes

The Transformation

Challenges We Solved

⚠️ Challenge

✅ Solution

⚠️ Challenge

✅ Solution

Project Gallery

The Outcome

Project Insights

Why explicitly choose 45" egress windows?

What is the specific fire separation used?

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