Frequently asked questions

The Housing Design Catalogue is free and available to everyone — from homeowners and builders to developers, designers and planning professionals. Users are responsible for hiring a locally qualified professional, like a licensed architect, engineer or designer, to adapt the designs and make sure they meet all applicable laws including local bylaws and building codes.

The Catalogue was created by the Government of Canada in partnership with regional architecture and engineering teams. It was also shaped by feedback from municipalities, planners, provincial and territorial governments.

The Catalogue is organized into 7 regions, and each design was created to meet local building codes, bylaws and climate conditions. While designs can be used outside of their region, changes may be needed to meet local regulations and conditions. This could also affect whether the design qualifies for streamlined approvals, where such programs exist.

The designs are based on zoning research from municipalities across Canada. They align with typical lot sizes and common planning rules like setbacks, lot coverage and building height. However, local bylaws vary, and features like driveways, parking and utility connections will need to be confirmed and adapted for a specific site. Users must work with a qualified professional to confirm if a design meets local zoning requirements.

The designs follow the 2020 National Building Code of Canada and reflect individual, provincial and territorial building codes and amendments where applicable. Each design indicates on which code it is based; this is also summarized in the User Guide. As the designs were prepared without a specific location, a qualified professional must review for building code compliance in the context of their actual project and site. In addition, as codes can vary and change, a qualified professional must review and adapt the drawings to meet the current local code prior to submitting a building permit application.

For more information on zoning and code, see the Catalogue’s User Guide.

Yes. Each design was reviewed by the architecture and engineering teams for code compliance and went through a third-party peer review. Feedback was gathered from provinces, territories and select municipalities. However, building code requirements and interpretations can vary, and the local Authority Having Jurisdiction makes the final decision. Users must work with a qualified professional to confirm compliance.

The drawings are nearly permit-ready, but must be reviewed and adjusted by a qualified professional to fit the site and meet local rules. Some details, such as interior finishes, are not included and will need to be finalized before submitting for a permit. All changes must be approved by the local permitting authority.

While the designs produced by CMHC are not automatically pre-approved by municipalities, local governments are strongly encouraged to streamline the approval process for some or all designs. Users should check with their municipality to find out if fast-track or streamlined approval programs are available locally.

Users, and the qualified professionals they hire, are responsible for how the design is used and adapted for their specific site and project. They must ensure compliance with local codes, bylaws and professional practice standards, as required by relevant regulatory bodies (such as architectural or engineering associations). For more details about responsibilities and liability, users should read the Terms and Conditions and talk to their legal advisor, if needed.

Yes. Users can make aesthetic changes, such as selecting different cladding materials, but these changes should be prepared by a qualified professional and approved by the local Authority Having Jurisdiction, which may have specific design guidelines. More substantial modifications — such as changing window locations, rooflines or mechanical systems — are also possible but require professional support. Interior details like cabinetry, lighting and finishes are not specified in the drawings and are chosen by the project team during design development. Users should check with the local Authority Having Jurisdiction for what might be permitted as a modification and how to submit those.

For more information on modifications, see the catalogue’s User Guide.

The designs in the catalogue are intended for traditional, site-built (stick-built) construction. While elements can be modified to suit prefabrication, the drawings are not specifically developed for modular, panelized or other prefabricated systems. Users interested in prefabrication should consult a qualified professional to assess whether a design could be adapted, in whole or in part, for off-site construction.

Prefabrication manufacturers and designers are welcome to adapt the catalogue designs to suit their specific prefabrication systems or technologies.

Yes — accessibility is integrated into the Catalogue:

• It includes “accessible-ready” designs that can be easily converted to accessible units, aligning with the ASC 2.8 Accessible-Ready Housing standard.
• It also offers “enhanced accessible” layouts aligned with the CSA/ASC B652:23 Accessible Dwellings Standard in addition to code minimum accessibility requirements.
• For British Columbia regional designs only: “Adaptable” dwelling units can be modified into a BCBC Adaptable Unit without significant structural or mechanical modifications, as defined in the British Columbia Building Code (BCBC) 2024.
• Universal Design principles — such as wider doors, no-step entries and bathroom adaptability — are built into the designs, with customization options for site layout, finishes and furnishings.

CMHC partnered with Accessibility Standards Canada to ensure these accessibility standards are practical, cost-effective and ready for implementation.

Units that include accessible-ready and enhanced accessible layouts are indicated on the website and in the Technical Design Packages, where they are included as alternate layouts. Accessibility was prioritized in ground-oriented units.

The Technical Design Packages include:

• Architectural and engineering drawings (PDF, CAD, BIM)
• Energy reporting documents and templates (PDF, Excel and HOT2000)
• Building Performance Reports (PDF)
• User Guide (PDF)
• Catalogue Terms and Conditions (PDF)

Some of the files provided in the Technical Design Packages may require specific software to open and modify them, such as:

• PDF (.pdf): These files can be viewed using standard PDF readers such as Adobe Acrobat. They are suitable for printing, reviewing and sharing, but are not editable in design software.
• CAD (.dwg): These files are compatible with computer-aided design (CAD) software such as AutoCAD or Vectorworks. Users can view, edit and adapt the drawings using these programs.
• BIM (.ifc): These are 3D building models used in Building Information Modeling (BIM). You can open them with programs like Revit, Archicad or free viewers like BIMvision.
• HOT2000 (.h2k): These are energy modeling files used to estimate how much energy a design will use. Users can open them with HOT2000 software, which is free to download from Natural Resources Canada.

Basements were not included in the Catalogue designs due to the variability of site-specific conditions such as soil type, slope, high water tables and the potential for flooding in many regions.

Users who wish to add a basement should consult with a qualified professional to evaluate site conditions and determine whether a basement is feasible and code-compliant before modifying the design.

For more information on adding basements, see the Catalogue’s User Guide.

Yes. The designs meet the minimum energy code requirements for their region and, in most cases, exceed them. Energy efficiency was a guiding principle in the development of the Housing Design Catalogue, with most designs targeting Tier 3 of the National Building Code of Canada 2020 or Step 4 of the Energy Step Code in British Columbia.

Users can work with a qualified professional to increase or reduce energy efficiency beyond what is included in the base design. For more information, refer to the User Guide and the Building Performance Report provided with each design.

The designs were developed agnostic of tenure. It’s up to the user to determine if a rental or ownership model is most appropriate for their use.

Questions, feedback or technical issues can be directed to contactcentre@cmhc.ca.

Companies and organizations are permitted to use the designs as part of a service offering to the extent their use is in compliance with the Terms and Conditions. They may also promote the designs on their website for similar purposes, only if the designs are incorporated into their own derived designs.

No, designs, prefabrication or construction services offered by third parties are not approved or certified by the Government of Canada. Anyone can use or adapt the designs in accordance with the Terms and Conditions, but the government does not check or approve how they are used, sold or priced by others.

Builders, designers or manufacturers may promote or modify the designs, but they are responsible for ensuring they meet local rules and codes. It is up to Catalogue users to verify that the design suits their needs, complies with local regulations and has been reviewed by a qualified professional.

Anyone using the designs must follow the Catalogue’s Terms and Conditions.