Question 1

Does adding a suite in Vanier need a permit if little work is planned?

Accepted Answer

The City of Ottawa requires a building permit before adding a secondary suite, even where little or no work is planned. The City's adding-an-apartment page states the permit is needed because the change of use must be reviewed, not only the construction. The drawings submitted with the permit application must show the wall construction and the floor and ceiling construction between the new unit and the main dwelling and common areas.

Question 2

Does a basement apartment in Ottawa need two layers of Type X?

Accepted Answer

No, Ontario's Building Code does not require two layers of 5/8-inch (15.9 mm) Type X drywall between a basement apartment and the main dwelling. The Code gives two routes, and a single layer of 5/8-inch Type X on the right surfaces is one of them. What the Code actually says Ontario's Building Code (9.10.9.16) sets out the separation between dwelling units in a house that has a secondary suite. The first route is a fire separation with a 45-minute rating (9.10.9.16.(1)).

Question 3

Who decides which fire separation route fits my Nepean suite?

Accepted Answer

The City of Ottawa decides, through the building permit review for your secondary suite. Ontario's Building Code sets out two routes for separating dwelling units in a house with a secondary suite. One is a fire separation with a 45-minute rating (clause 9.10.9.16.(1)). The other is a continuous smoke-tight barrier of 5/8-inch (15.9 mm) Type X drywall on both sides of the shared walls and on the underside of the floor-ceiling framing between the units (clause 9.10.9.16.(4)).

Question 4

Do supporting beams need Type X in an Ottawa house with a suite?

Accepted Answer

Ontario's Building Code requires that light-frame walls, columns, arches and beams that support floors between dwelling units in a house with a secondary suite be protected by not less than 5/8-inch (15.9 mm) Type X drywall (clause 9.10.8.3.(2)). These are minimums for new work, and the City decides through the permit how they apply to your renovation, so confirm the scope with the City's Building Code Services before any board goes up.

Secondary Suite Separations

Does adding a suite in Vanier need a permit if little work is planned?

Does a basement apartment in Ottawa need two layers of Type X?

Who decides which fire separation route fits my Nepean suite?

Do supporting beams need Type X in an Ottawa house with a suite?