Residential building addition

Residential building addition projects are some of the most common development requests and include such projects as the addition of a sunroom, bedroom, office, or an entire second storey.

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What permits do I need for a building addition development?

Building additions can require up to three Parks Canada permits. Firstly, a Development Permit, which ensures conformance with the requirements listed in the Town of Jasper Land Use Policy including the Architectural Motif Guidelines for the Town of Jasper (PDF, 2.93 MB). Secondly, a Building Permit ensuring conformance to the National Park Building Regulations and National Building Code – Alberta Edition. Thirdly, after the construction is complete, and the final safety codes inspections are complete, you can then obtain an Occupancy Permit / Certificate of Completion to close out the project.

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Where can I find the specific development requirements for a building addition?

The Town of Jasper Land Use Policy contains both general and specific requirements that depend on what zoning district you are in. Your zoning district can be found by referencing the Town of Jasper Land Use Map. For example, you live at #815 Turret Street and from the Town of Jasper Land Use Map you would click on your property and in the Info tab find the District Zone which in this example is R1 – One Unit Dwelling District. You will also note that the Town of Jasper Land Use Map references the lot Area (m²) of 464.2 which is used for some of the development requirement calculations. However, prior to finalizing your site plan, the lot area and dimensions must be verified with a Real Property Report.

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Can I add more bedrooms and bathrooms?

If your proposed development involves the addition of bedrooms, or bathrooms, you will need to check the limitations in your District Zone. The following table summarizes the maximum bedrooms and bathrooms per district:

District	Maximum Bedrooms per dwelling	Maximum Bathrooms per dwelling
R1, R4, and CCWa. Also, R2, R2H, R3a, and CCWb sites with only one primary dwelling unit	6	3 full bathrooms and 1 half bathroom
R2, R2H, R3a, and CCWb with two primary dwelling units on site	5	2 full bathrooms and 1 half bathroom for each dwelling unit unless at the discretion of the superintendent the creation of a third full bathroom (ensuite) is not conducive to the creation of a non-approved dwelling unit
CCWc	3	2 full bathrooms and 1 half bathroom per dwelling unit unless at the discretion of the superintendent the creation of a third full bathroom (ensuite) is not conducive to the creation of a non-approved dwelling unit

In the #815 Turret Street example, for the R1 District, your dwelling may have up to 6 bedrooms and up to 3 full and 1 half bathrooms.

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What are the requirements if I wish to add a 13.7 m² bedroom addition off my first storey of my residential bungalow?

When planning to build an addition that would expand your homes footprint (Site Coverage), you would start with obtaining a Real Property Report (RPR) of your Site. Using the RPR you can then start to draft a Site Plan and draw in the front, side, and rear setbacks to find the building pocket (potential area that your building, and the addition, may sit within). The following table lists the required setbacks of the primary building:

District	Minimum Front Setback	Minimum Rear Setback	Minimum Side Setback	Minimum Side Setback Corner Site (side facing a street)
R1, R2	6.0 m	10.7 m	1.8 m	4.5 m
R2H	7.5 m	40% of the Site depth or 10.7 m if the Site depth is less than 33.5 m	1.8 m	4.5 m
R3a	6.0 m	7.5 m	1.8 m	4.5 m
R4	6.0 m average	4.5 m average	1.5 m	1.5 m
CCW	The Cabin Creek West property setbacks are very lot specific. Please contact jasperdevelopment@pc.gc.ca to obtain your setbacks.

With the potential building pocket (the area within your Site’s setbacks) you can then look at your maximum Site Coverage of all your buildings (including any structures which are 1.0 m or more in height) and maximum Gross Floor Area (total floor area of all floors of your home) to ensure your addition is within your District’s limits. The following table contains each zoning district’s maximum Site Coverage and Gross Floor Area requirements:

District	Site Coverage no Garage (maximum)	Site Coverage with Garage (maximum)	Gross Floor Area Primary Building (maximum)
R1	Lesser of 30% of the site area or 140 m2	40% of the site area	375 m2
R2 table 2 note *	Lesser of 35% of the site area or 160 m2	45% of the site area	450 m2
R2H	Lesser of 30% of the site area or 140 m2	196 m2	350 m2
R3a table 2 note *	Lesser of 35% of the site area or 160 m2	45% of the site area	475 m2
R4	Lesser of 32% of the site area or 106 m2	Lesser of 45% of the site area, or 150 m2	265 m2
CCWa	The Cabin Creek West property Site Coverage / Gross Floor areas are very lot specific. To obtain these, please contact jasperdevelopment@pc.gc.ca
CCWb table 2 note *
CCWc
Table 2 Notes Table 2 Note * * In the two-unit dwelling districts (R2 and CCWb), as well as the Multi-unit Small Lot Dwelling District (R3b), a one-unit dwelling, is permitted but will be required to be built to the one-dwelling unit district requirements (slightly smaller site coverage and gross floor area). Return to table 2 note * referrer

Using #815 Turret Street bungalow example (located in the R1 District) with a mock-up Site Plan below demonstrating the existing buildings and the proposed Addition 13.7 m² (outline in solid red) at the rear of the existing building, along with the above tables we can calculate, and demonstrate on our sample Site Plan, the following:

• Site Area = 464.2 m² – From the Town of Jasper Land Use Map (to be verified by an RPR)
• Building Pocket (outlined in red dashed lines) established with the: Front Setback of 6.0 m; Side Setback of 1.8 m; Rear Setback of 10.7 m (the proposed addition location appears compliant as the existing building and proposed building Addition, are located within the building pocket)
• Site Coverage with Garage maximum = 464.2 m² x 40% = 185.68 m²
• Total Site Coverage with Proposed Addition = 100 m² (existing one-unit Dwelling) + 46.5 m² (Garage) + 7.45 m² (Shed) + 13.7 m² (Proposed Addition) = 167. 65 m² (compliant as the total proposed Site Coverage is less than the Site Coverage maximum of 185.68 m²)
• Gross Floor Area maximum (R1 District for Primary Building) = 375 m²
• Total Proposed Gross Floor Area = 200 m² (existing main floor and basement) + 13. 7 m² (main floor bedroom addition) = 213.7 m² (compliant as the total Gross Floor Area proposed is less than the maximum of 375 m²)

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What are the requirements if I wish to add a 60 m² second storey addition to my residential bungalow?

Using the #815 Turret Street (located in the R1 District) bungalow example above we can first ensure that our Proposed Gross Floor Area is within the maximum 375 m² (from the above Table for the R1 District). Our proposed gross floor area would be 100 msup>2 (existing basement) + 113.7 m² (existing main floor) + 60 m² (Proposed Second Floor Addition) = 273.7 m² which is compliant as it is less than the stated maximum.

With the proposed second story addition we must also design within the maximum Roof and Eave Heights.

District	Building Roof / Eave Height (maximum)
R1 & R2	9.0 m / 4.5 m
R2H	7.9 m / 4.25 m
R3a	9.6 m / 4.7 m
R4	7.2 m / 3.2 m
CCWa	The Cabin Creek West property Site Coverage / Gross Floor areas are very lot specific. To obtain these, please contact jasperdevelopment@pc.gc.ca
CCWb
CCWc

In this example in the R1 District the maximum Building Roof height is 9.0 m and Eave Height is 4.5 m.

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In the Architectural Motif I noticed that upper floors are to be built into the roof structure and the use of dormers is to be used to achieve headroom, light and venting. Are there any limitations on roof dormers?

The preferred architectural style of a roof dormer is to be a gabled (minimum 6:12 roof slope), but in some instances the span of the dormer may be more conducive to a shed style dormer which may have a reduced slope. Dormers on either the front or back elevations shall not be more than 50% of the primary building width. Dormers on either side elevation in the R4 District shall not be more than 50% of the primary building width, and 75% of the primary building width for all other districts.

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Can I have any projections into the setbacks?

The Primary Building, including your proposed building addition, should not project into a setback, but the following projections from the building are permissible:

1. Front setback (for all districts):
   
   • eaves, balconies, canopies, decks, and fire escapes may project a maximum of 1.0 m over or onto a required front setback; and
   • open porches may project a maximum of 1.8 m over or onto a required front setback.
2. Side setbacks:
   • For all districts except R4 - eaves, balconies, canopies, decks, fire escapes, and open porches may project a maximum of 0.9 m over or onto a required side setback, except that only eaves may project into a required side setback on a site where the side setback is used for vehicular access to the rear of the site.
   • For the R4 District - eaves, balconies, canopies, decks, fire escapes, and open porches may project a maximum of 0.6 m over or onto a required side setback.
3. Rear setback: eaves, balconies, canopies, decks, fire escapes, and open porches may project a maximum of 1.8 m over into a required rear setback.
4. Bay windows, chimneys, and other architectural projections may project a maximum of 0.6 m into any setback.
5. Any projections above the first story of the building may not exceed 0.6 m.
6. Unenclosed steps providing entry exclusively to a basement or first floor of a principal building may project over or into a required front, rear, or side setback except into a required side setback on a site where the side setback is used for vehicular access to the rear of the site.

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I’ve heard that there are limitations on the colour and materials I can use for the siding and roofing of my home. Where can I find these?

With an addition you should try and match the existing exterior materials and colours if the existing materials and colours are compliant. As part of the Architectural Motif Guidelines for the Town of Jasper, building materials should appear to be local in origin and colours that relate directly to the surrounding natural environment. Building exterior colour and materials can be found on the Jasper Colour Palette webpage.

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How do I plan my required on-site parking and landscaping?

On-site parking and landscaping requirements are dependent on which district your home is within as well as if your home has back lane access.

Additional on-site parking requirements for your proposed development will be proportionate to the gross floor area of your addition. In the #815 Turret (located in the R1 District) second story addition of 60m² example the parking requirement would be 60 m² (additional gross floor area) / 75 m² (R1 District with back lane) = 1 (0.8 rounded up) parking stall in addition to the existing required on-site parking for the Site. To find your existing on-site parking requirement please contact jasperdevelopment@pc.gc.ca as it will be dependent on the original on-site parking calculation plus any additional parking requirements for the Site (may include secondary suites or home based businesses including Private Home Accommodation).

On your Site Plan parking stalls are required to be dimensioned at the minimum width of 2.7m and length of 6.0m and shall be unobstructed. If your site has back lane access the parking must be accessed from the lane and be in the back yard. Except in the R4 zoning district, sites without back lane access cannot have their required on-site parking within the front setback. Parking stalls must also be setback a minimum of 0.6 m from public roadways / back lanes.

If your addition is removing existing landscaping (which would be the case in the first example adding the Addition 13.7 m² at the rear of the existing building) you will have to provide a Site Plan along with your proposed landscaping calculations. More information on soft landscaping, including sample landscape plans and calculations, as well as the link to the Parks Canada approved planting list, are all available on the Landscaping: Including sidewalks, decks and parking webpage.

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What do I need to submit for a Development Permit for a building addition?

1. Development Permit Application - There is no fee for a development permit application. To apply for a development permit, please sign and submit the Development permit application (in the Jasper Townsite) (PDF, 199 KB). This will provide the development office with basic contact information and the anticipated cost of the project to ensure the proper authority approves the permit.
2. Building Addition Checklist - The Building Addition Checklist (PDF, 233 KB) is for you to ensure you are submitting everything that is required for a complete development permit submission package for an Interior Renovation. Include a short narrative to describe your proposed project which may include photos if you think it will help explain what currently exists onsite or what is being proposed.
3. Architectural plans (in metric and drawn to a scale of not less than 1:100) demonstrating:
   
   • Dimensioned floor plans of existing (in accordance with previous permits) and the proposed renovations.
   • Elevation Plans for any additions that involve the building’s exterior.
4. Site Plan (in metric and drawn to a scale of not less than 1:200) The plan must show:
   
   • North arrow and Scale
   • Lot dimensions and Total Site Area (m²)
   • Dimensions and area (m²) of existing and proposed structures (primary building, garage, shed, fence, retaining walls, etc.)
   • Site Coverage of each structure and total Site Coverage Calculation
   • All setbacks (rear, front and side) from the property line to the Primary Building and the proposed structures
   • Proposed required on-site parking spaces demonstrated and dimensioned (minimum 2.7 m width by 6.0 m length each with no obstructions)
   • location of utility lines (buried and / or overhead)
5. Landscape plan (if required) in metric and drawn to a scale of not less than 1:200 demonstrating:
   
   • Vegetation that will stay and how it will be protected during construction
   • Planting plan with existing plants (to either remain or be removed) and proposed plant species, number and size all in accordance with the Jasper Townsite planting list and general landscaping direction as stated in the Landscaping in the Town of Jasper webpage
   • Hard Landscaping (sidewalks, driveways, gravelled areas, bark mulch, retaining walls) and the calculation of the total hard landscaping area (m²) for the Site
   • Soft Landscaping surfaces (grass, flower beds, shrubs, trees, and gardens) including:
     
     • total soft landscaping area for the Site (m²)
     • total soft landscaping area for the front yard (m²)
   • With the exception of wildlife attractant trees, mature tree removal should be avoided when possible. Any trees (including their species) that are proposed to be removed must be clearly demonstrated on the landscape plan and noted as to why they cannot be retained.
   • Existing and proposed fencing

The above required submissions, or any questions regarding the above, may be submitted to the Jasper Development Office at: jasperdevelopment@pc.gc.ca.

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When do I need to obtain the building permit?

Once a Development Permit has been issued, you can begin the process of applying for a building permit as detailed on the Parks Canada Building Permit webpage.