Building a backyard workshop in Mississauga

Relax said:
How likely am I to get a permit to build something larger than 10x10? I'm thinking 20x30. The yard is 60 wide and 170 deep.
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not very likly, but depends in what township you are in
 
So it would be about half the width of the yard, and there would still be 75 feet between the back of my house and the front of the workshop. I'd make it match the look of my house, more like a pool cabana (but without the pool). I really need more space for storing all the bikes, as well as the garden equipment and a workshop. Would this fall under a "minor variance"? I have absolutely no experience with building permits.
 
really don't think you'll get a permit for a building that big. Mississauga is very sticky on what they allow, you can always email them and see what is allowable
 
This one is a question for the city of Mississauga.... each type of building on the property has different rules and regulations.
Is it a shed? Or is it a detached garage? Wording and end use are very important.

www.mississauga.ca

Accessory buildings and structures

Zoning information for building accessory buildings and structures like a shed, gazebo, outdoor fireplace or pergola.
www.mississauga.ca www.mississauga.ca
 
Mad Mike said:
Start here: http://www6.mississauga.ca/onlinemaps/planbldg/ZoningInfo/res_detachedgarage.pdf

In most urban settings it's worth dropping into the town Building dept with a rough sketch of your lot and planned garage. Doing this is not easy, nor is it cheap.
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From the documents I read, the way I understand it is that a detached garage is not an option since I already have an attached one. I have the budget for the building itself based on some family members in construction that offered to build it for just the materials cost. I guess I will have to get off my ass and actually go into City Hall, assuming they're open.
 
Relax said:
From the documents I read, the way I understand it is that a detached garage is not an option since I already have an attached one. I have the budget for the building itself based on some family members in construction that offered to build it for just the materials cost. I guess I will have to get off my ass and actually go into City Hall, assuming they're open.
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Think about a well planned shed.
 
You need to check the zoning bylaws and accessory strucure (shed) bylaws. In my municipality you are allowed two detached structures in addition to your house. There are setback requirements and combined square footage needs to be less than 650 sq ft IIRC. Over 10 m2 or containing plumbing or electricity requires a permit. In my case, it looks like 10x50x15' tall is my maximum envelope. It is not happening in the near term so I havent run it by the municipality to see if I have missed anything.

Each municipality measures height differently and that can buy you a lot of room. For instance, some measure height to the peak of a single pitch roof or the break in a gambrel roof. So not only does the gambrel get you more interior volume from the shape, it also gets you more height.
 
Can you park a trailer in there?
if it's on wheels it's not a building.
 
Mississauga has very restrictive bylaws, if you already have a garage, the only option is making it bigger.

I built a 900sq, 1.5 story, cost a small fortune and I did most of the work. I had to reverse the slope of my lot and add a bunch of dormers and a retaining wall to get the average roof height into spec - that wiggling added $15k to my build cost, more than materials!E2EF31E8-D478-4A27-A04A-C2788B558D37.jpeg
 
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Mad Mike said:
Mississauga has very restrictive bylaws, if you already have a garage, the only option is making it bigger.

I built a 900sq, 1.5 story, cost a small fortune and I did most of the work. I had to reverse the slope of my lot and add a bunch of dormers and a retaining wall to get the average roof height into spec - that wiggling added $15k to my build cost, more than materials!
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Depending on his layout, the shed may not have "adequate access to the driveway" and therefore be a shed with a big door and not a garage.

EDIT:
Oh boo, they only allow 10 m2 of floor for a shed.

EDIT 2:
Skip the cheat sheet and read the zoning by-law directly. It looks like you are allowed up to 60 m2 for accessory buildings but each one can be max 20 m2. Seems backwards to me as one building normally looks better than a backyard subdivision but those are the rules. I wonder if you put two 20 m2 buildings back to back (or side by side) if they would freak out. Probably something in the bylaw about setback between buildings if I dug into it more.

For Trials, one trailer or one RV not in the driveway at max 7.0 m long, max 3.0 m tall. Smaller if it is in the driveway (or size I listed for 72 hours max).
 
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20m2 is a good size for a workshop, approx 11x20 or 10x22 feet, that’s bigger than some townhouse garages. You can get a roll up door, and it’s small enough to build on a poured slab. Using a stick 4/12 roof would allow 10’ walls and 12’ clearance in the middle — fit a hoist.
 
If you do a block foundation, sneak in a pit. I blocked in a 18x5 pit in my build, covered it with ply and dirt, unfortunately the building inspector figured it out and made me take it out.
 
Mad Mike said:
If you do a block foundation, sneak in a pit. I blocked in a 18x5 pit in my build, covered it with ply and dirt, unfortunately the building inspector figured it out and made me take it out.
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That's not a pit, that's trench drain with clean out access ;)
 
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