Basically, a secondary suite is a separate dwelling located inside a single detached house. It includes its own cooking facility; its own bathroom facilities; and its own sleeping quarters. The utilities for this living unit are usually separate from the main house. Secondary suites are also characterized by a separate (private) entrance. Secondary suites can be located in a basement area or in some other interior space of a home that is separate from the rest of the main living space.
There are two main reasons you might consider creating a secondary suite in your Edmonton home. The first is if you want to create private space for extended family. You could have an aging parent or another relative who wants to live with family—but wants some independence and privacy. Or you could have adult children who are in the process of launching a career but aren't ready to make the financial commitment to owning a home. One advantage to creating a secondary suite is that a design-build renovator can create a space designed to meet the exact needs and tastes of whoever will be living there.
A second reason to create a secondary suite in your home is to supplement your income and to help create more affordable housing options for renters in Edmonton. If you have more space than you need (or underutilized space in your current home) this allows you to use that space profitably. Instead of purchasing an additional property as a rental, you can have it right under your roof—which makes management and maintenance a lot easier.