How long it actually takes, stage by stage.
Total timelines already live on other pages. This breaks that total down by stage, so you know where the time actually goes. These are planning estimates, not a contract: your property and municipality decide the real number.
Where the weeks actually go.
- 01How busy is the building department?
- 02Is the application complete the first time?
- Feasibility check1 wk
- Permit drawings3 wk
- Permit review7 wk
- Approval to start1 wk
- Construction8 wk
- Start
- Apr
- Weeks
- 20
- Ready around
- Sep
Planning estimates, not a contract. Stages are shown end to end; some overlap in practice.
Two different project clocks.
Basement apartment
Garden suite
See where the time actually goes.
These are planning ranges. Your municipality, property and project scope can move the schedule. Review, highlighted, is the widest range on the page.
Roughly 3–5 months
- 01Feasibility checkProperty and code reviewAbout 1 week
- 02Permit drawingsBuilding + HVAC2–4 weeks
- 03Permit reviewMunicipality dependent4–10 weeks
- 04Approval to startFinal permit issueAbout 1 week
- 05ConstructionInterior build6–10 weeks
Some stages overlap in practice. Busier building departments can push review toward the top of its range or beyond.
Roughly 6–12 months
- 01Feasibility checkLot, zoning and servicing1–2 weeks
- 02Drawings + servicing planBuilding + servicing4–8 weeks
- 03Permit reviewMunicipality dependent8–16 weeks
- 04Approval to startFinal permit issue1–2 weeks
- 05ConstructionFoundation, framing, services, finishes16–28 weeks
New construction has stages that can’t overlap: you can’t frame before the foundation cures, and servicing is inspected before it’s covered. That’s why a garden suite is measured in seasons, not weeks.
Totals aren’t simple addition.
Drawings, consultant work and contractor planning can sometimes move in parallel, and finishing touches on drawings can happen while early review comments come back. That’s why the total can be shorter than every stage added together.
The one stage we don’t fully control.
A complete application
Missing information is the single most common cause of delay, not a difficult reviewer.
Drawings built for the reviewer
Drawings that anticipate the review comments a specific municipality tends to raise, not a generic package.
Timing
Filing when a building department isn’t backlogged. It varies by season and by each municipality’s current workload.
We’ll give you a realistic review-time estimate for your municipality at the feasibility stage, based on what we’re currently seeing there.
Reduce avoidable waiting.
Confirm feasibility first
Before drawings. Don’t design a project that zoning, height or servicing can’t support.
Keep decisions moving
During drawings. Quick decisions stop small design questions holding the set.
Submit a complete package
Before submission. Missing documents create avoidable delays.
Answer comments quickly
During review. Fast, clear revisions keep the permit moving.
Pick the question closest to yours.
Our Process
The same stages, told step by step.
Does my property qualify?
A self-check on space, lot rules and servicing before you call.
Cost & Financing
What it costs all in, and how homeowners pay for it.
A realistic timeline for your address.
For your specific property and municipality, not a generic one.