Garage builders glossary
Short, plain-English definitions of the terms you'll meet when choosing a garage builders provider in Ontario.
- What is a carriage house?
- A detached garage with residential living quarters above it, historically used to house horse-drawn carriages and now a popular design for secondary suites and laneway homes in Ontario.
- What is a fire-rated wall assembly?
- A wall or ceiling assembly built with fire-resistant materials, such as specified drywall ratings, designed to slow the spread of fire from an attached garage into the home.
- What is a floating slab foundation?
- A floating slab foundation is a concrete base poured directly on compacted soil with thickened perimeter edges, used for detached garages where frost heave is not a concern.
- What is a frost wall?
- A frost wall is a foundation wall that extends below the frost line to prevent ground heave and settling caused by freeze-thaw cycles in winter.
- What is a garden suite?
- A garden suite is a detached secondary dwelling unit built on the same property as a primary residence, permitted in many Ontario municipalities under provincial legislation as a distinct housing form.
- What is a grade beam foundation?
- A grade beam foundation is a reinforced concrete beam supported on piles or deep footings, used to span unstable soil conditions or elevation changes in garage construction.
- What is a laneway house or laneway suite?
- A laneway house is a secondary residential dwelling constructed at the back of a property lot, typically facing a rear laneway rather than the street, providing independent living space on the same parcel of land.
- What is a legal secondary suite?
- A legal secondary suite is a self-contained residential unit that meets Ontario's fire, egress, and building code standards, typically created by converting or adding a garage space with proper separation, exits, and utilities.
- What is a polyaspartic coating?
- A polyaspartic coating is a two-part polyurea-based floor finish that cures in hours rather than days, resists UV fading, and offers durability comparable to epoxy for garage floors.
- What is a setback requirement?
- A setback requirement is the minimum distance a garage structure must be positioned from the edges of a property, as mandated by local zoning bylaws in Ontario municipalities.
- What is a site plan for permit?
- A site plan for permit is a scaled technical drawing that shows property lines, setbacks, the proposed garage location relative to existing structures, and other site features required by Ontario municipalities to approve a garage building permit.
- What is a torsion spring?
- A torsion spring is a horizontally mounted coiled spring positioned above a garage door opening that stores and releases energy to counterbalance the door's weight, enabling smooth operation with minimal effort from the opener.
- What is a vapour barrier?
- A vapour barrier is a layer of polyethylene sheeting installed on the warm side of insulation to prevent moisture from migrating into wall cavities, where it can cause rot and mold in heated garages.
- What is a zoning variance (minor variance)?
- A minor variance is formal approval from a municipality's Committee of Adjustment that permits a proposed garage to not fully comply with specific zoning bylaw requirements such as setback distance, maximum height, or lot coverage limits.
- What is an accessory structure?
- An accessory structure is a secondary building on residential property that is subordinate to and located on the same lot as the principal dwelling, such as a detached garage, shed, or carport.
- What is an additional dwelling unit (ADU)?
- An additional dwelling unit (ADU) is a second or third residential unit built on a single residential lot in Ontario, including garage conversions, accessory apartments, and laneway houses.
- What is an egress window?
- An egress window is a code-mandated opening large enough to serve as an emergency exit from a bedroom or basement, typically requiring a minimum clear opening of 20 inches wide and 24 inches tall.
- What is an epoxy floor coating?
- Epoxy floor coating is a two-part polymer resin system mixed and applied over concrete to create a hard, bonded surface that resists stains, moisture, and impact.
- What is frost depth in Ontario?
- Frost depth is the maximum distance soil freezes downward during winter in a given region; Ontario building codes require foundation footings to extend below this depth to prevent frost heave damage.
- What is lot coverage ratio?
- Lot coverage ratio is the percentage of a property's total land area occupied by buildings and structures, including the primary house, garage, sheds, and other permanent improvements.
- What is Ontario Building Code garage classification?
- The Ontario Building Code classifies garages as detached or attached structures and sets size and height thresholds that determine whether a full permit set or simplified drawings are required.
- What is R-value insulation?
- R-value is a numerical rating that measures the thermal resistance of insulation material; higher numbers indicate better insulating performance and slower heat transfer.
- What is R-value vs U-factor for garage doors?
- U-factor measures the total heat transfer rate of an entire garage door assembly, while R-value measures insulation resistance of the material alone; U-factor is the more accurate metric for comparing real-world thermal performance.
- What is radiant floor heating?
- Radiant floor heating is a system that uses heated water lines (hydronic) or electric cables embedded in a concrete slab to warm a garage space evenly from the ground up.