Senior
Suite
Carillon Cameron
Edmonton
Ten years ago , Carillon Cameron’s
daughter Jane suggested she come
live in her Edmonton backyard.
Garden suites—secondary dwellings
on someone’s property—were
slowly catching on in Alberta. With
a background in environmental
studies and urban planning, Jane
was intrigued by the notion of
sustainable living and better use
of city space.
At the time, Cameron wasn’t quite
ready to take the leap. But after a
series of downsizing moves took the
AMA member from living alone in
Lethbridge to a condo in the prov-
ince’s capital, she began to experience
a sense of isolation and a growing
worry about accessibility.
“I didn’t want an independence
where I felt I was ‘apart from.’ I
wanted to be ‘part of,’” she explains.
So she sat down with Jane, her son-
in-law Matt, and her two young
grandsons. Together they hatched
a plan for a garden suite attached
to the garage in the backyard of the
family’s Westmount home.
City-wide, Edmonton homeowners
have had the option to build base-
ment suites since 2007, and garden
and garage suites became possible in
2009. Regulations continue to evolve,
making it easier to get permits. There
are also attractive incentives for suites
meeting inclusive-design standards—
no-step entries, flush or minimal
thresholds, and minimum widths and
clearances for hallways and doors.
“As a city, we want to be sure that
we are not standing in the way of
innovation; that we are creating
opportunities for Edmontonians to
meet their housing needs,” explains
Anne Stevenson, senior planner for
the city’s zoning bylaw team.
Designed by Cameron herself,
30
Winter 2018
AMA insider
Cameron’s lofty living space
under the guidance of Battle Lake
Design Group, the open-concept
519-square-foot garden suite features
14-foot ceilings, a loft bedroom with
a skylight, laundry, a living room,
a full kitchen and heated polished-
concrete floors. She included a space
on the main floor for a single bed,
looking ahead to a time when she’s
no longer able to manage stairs.
The move has enabled the
marriage commissioner to work
from home—while watching her
grandsons play soccer through the
floor-to-ceiling windows. She also
enjoys relaxing and gardening on
her patio.
When a garden or garage suite
is occupied by family members,
they’re covered by the homeowner’s
insurance. But Sandra Bitter of AMA
Insurance recommends the occupant
get their own tenant’s insurance to
make sure that, if they need to make
a claim, it doesn’t affect their family’s
rates. Plus, if there are items like
antiques, jewellery and collectibles
involved, they might require special
insurance coverage.
Downsizing can be intimidating,
but Cameron’s example proves that
sometimes, even a drastic change
can be for the better. Although there
were challenges, particularly during
the building process, the end result
couldn’t be better for all parties
involved. “I wanted a smaller life.
This has enabled me to live in my
own little house while being close to
my family,” she says.