Legal suites
Legal suite builder in Calgary.
We build legal secondary suites in Calgary basements. The egress windows, the separate entrance and the fire separation the City asks for, then the kitchen, the bathroom and the bedrooms someone actually lives in.
Every suite is seen in person first and quoted as one fixed price in writing. The permits are pulled in the Lyon Homes name and paid for inside that price. Our Google reviews single out the communication and the quality of the finish.
Suites we have built.
Two finished in Calgary, each with two bedrooms and one bathroom. A third, also two bedrooms, is under way in Airdrie this fall.
See the photos
Two bedroom legal suite
A full kitchen with marble counters and a tiled bathroom. Photographed on handover, before the tenants moved in.
View project
Two bedroom legal suite for Airbnb
Built to be rented on Airbnb, and photographed furnished.
View projectGoogle review
“Legal suite, 2 bed, tenant moved in within the next month. The build was great, and the communication was amazing”
Before anything else
Four things decide whether a basement can be a legal suite.
We check the first three at the free site visit, with a tape measure, before anyone talks about kitchens. If the basement fails one, you find out for the price of an afternoon.
- 01
Ceiling height
1.95 m floor to ceiling, or 1.85 m under ductwork and beams. The ducting is usually what fails it.
- 02
An egress window in every bedroom
0.35 m² of clear opening with no side under 380 mm. Most unfinished basements need the concrete cut and a well dug.
- 03
A separate entrance
Its own way in that does not pass through the house upstairs. Cutting a new one moves the price more than anything else.
- 04
Fire separation
Between the suite and the house, with the smoke alarms in both interconnected. It is the first thing an inspector looks for.
From The City of Calgary’s secondary suite requirements, checked 27 October 2026. The permits, districts and fees are in our legal basement suite guide.
How a suite runs
One contract, from the tape measure to the tenant.
You speak to one person the whole way through, and the money is agreed before the work is.
- 01
Site visit
Height under the ducts, the bedroom windows, the entrance. Free, with no obligation.
- 02
Fixed price in writing
One number, the scope line by line, the exclusions stated and the payment terms in the same document.
- 03
Permits
A development permit where your district needs one, and the building and trade permits. All in the Lyon Homes name, all inside the price.
- 04
Our team builds it
Egress, entrance and framing first, then the rough ins, fire separation, kitchen, bathroom and finishes.
- 05
Inspected and handed over
Nothing is closed up before it passes. You walk the finished suite with us against the scope before we call it done.
Questions people ask
- How much does a legal suite cost in Calgary?
- We quote every suite as one fixed price in writing after we have seen the basement, because three things move the number more than any finish: the height under the ductwork, how many bedroom windows need cutting for egress, and whether the suite already has its own entrance. The City’s Secondary Suite Incentive Program is closed, so price a new suite without it.
- Can my basement become a legal suite?
- Yes, if it can reach 1.95 m floor to ceiling (1.85 m under ducts and beams), take an egress window in every bedroom, have its own entrance and be fire separated from the house above. We check the first three at the free site visit.
- Does a legal suite in Calgary need a development permit?
- It depends on the land use district. In R-C1, R-C1L, R-1, R-1N and R-C1N it needs a development permit and a building permit. In R-C1s, R-C1Ls, R-C2, R-2, R-2M, R-CG and R-G a building permit alone will do, if the suite meets that district’s rules.
- Who pulls the permits for the suite?
- We do, in the Lyon Homes name, and the fees sit inside the fixed price. We book the inspections and nothing is covered up before it has passed.
- How long does a legal suite take to build?
- About two months of build for a typical basement once we are on site, with City approval running on its own clock before that. A suite adds a development permit in most districts, and cutting a new entrance or egress windows adds time to the build. Your quote gives you both timelines separately.
- What is included in the price?
- Framing, full electrical to code, plumbing rough in and finish, drywall, doors and trim, paint, LVP flooring, kitchen cabinetry with quartz counters up to twelve feet, a standing shower with wall tile, every City permit and inspection, and a one-year workmanship warranty. If it is in the written scope, it is in the price.
- Do you build legal suites outside Calgary?
- Yes, in Airdrie, under City of Airdrie business licence LC2601925. A two-bedroom suite of ours is under way there this fall.
Book a free site visit.
We measure the basement, check the windows and the entrance, and tell you whether a legal suite is possible. Then you get a fixed price in writing.
Or call 587 832 4273