Financing and return
A shorter build ties up less capital and can start rent sooner. This is not financial advice.
What the calculator does
Enter an all-in cost, expected rent, vacancy, operating costs, and a loan. It returns monthly cash flow, annual net operating income, cash-on-cash, a simple payback, and a carrying-cost figure for finishing sooner (interest on the project cost for the months saved, plus rent you could collect in those months). Defaults are assumptions. Change them.
Programs that exist
CMHC Refinance for Building Secondary Suites is live: insured refinancing to build a self-contained suite. The as-improved value must be under $2 million, amortization can run up to 30 years, there is no equity take-out, and the suite cannot be a short-term rental. The owner or a family member must live on the property.
For five or more rental units, CMHC MLI Select uses a points system for affordability, energy, and accessibility. A high-performance envelope can help with energy points. After 30 September 2026, new-construction energy savings are measured against the 2020 NBC/NECB.
The federal $80,000 Secondary Suite Loan at 2% was cancelled in Budget 2025 and never launched. If another site still advertises it, that page is out of date.
Ontario's Home Renovation Savings Program (Enbridge and the IESO) has advertised heat-pump rebates. It is a retrofit program. Whether a new coach house qualifies is unclear. Québec efficiency programs (Hydro-Québec, Rénoclimat, Novoclimat) are an open research item for new builds.
Canada Greener Homes Grant is closed. Trust NRCan over contractor pages that still say the loan is open.