Build + Finance, one conversation
Most people planning a garden suite, a secondary suite, or a multi-unit build have to find a mortgage broker and a builder separately, then hope the two talk to each other. The financing gets structured without knowing the real build cost. The build gets scheduled without knowing how the draws release. Every gap between the two costs time or money.
In Southern Georgian Bay, you don't have to run it that way. I'm a licensed mortgage agent (Level 2, FSRA #13120 through The Mortgage Coach) and a partner in DevCom Homes, a development and construction company building in the Collingwood area. The financing structure and the build plan come from the same table. Very few files anywhere in Ontario get to work that way.
Why the order matters
A build project is a financing project wearing a hard hat. The product you choose (CMHC Secondary Suite Loan, insured refinance on the as-complete value, HELOC bridge, construction draw mortgage) determines how much capital is available, when it releases, and what the carrying cost looks like during construction. Choose the product after the build is planned and you inherit whatever mismatch is left over. Choose it first and the build plan, the draw schedule, and the appraisal strategy all line up.
The same logic runs at every scale: a basement suite financed with the $80,000 CMHC loan at 2%, a detached garden suite funded through the insured refinance at 90% of the future appraised value, or a multi-unit build on a construction draw facility. The right structure depends on the property, the equity position, and what you're building, which is exactly why the conversation should happen before the design is locked.
How the integrated process runs
- 1
Check what your lot allows
Before any financing conversation, you need to know what is actually buildable. YardSuite runs the zoning check and models the projected rental returns for your specific property, free.
Run your feasibility on YardSuite → - 2
Structure the financing before the build
This is where most projects go sideways: the build gets planned, then the financing gets bolted on. Done in the right order, the financing structure determines the build approach. The CMHC Secondary Suite Loan, the insured refinance program (90% LTV on the as-complete value), HELOC bridging, and construction draws each fit different projects, and choosing before construction starts is what keeps the draw schedule and the build timeline aligned.
Read the ADU financing guide → - 3
Build with a team that understands the financing
DevCom Homes builds secondary suites, garden suites, and multi-unit projects in the Southern Georgian Bay area. Because the financing side and the construction side are in the same room, draw schedules, appraisal timing, and completion milestones are planned together instead of negotiated apart.
See DevCom Homes projects → - 4
Refinance at the new value
When the unit is complete and tenanted, the property appraises higher and carries new income. That is the moment to restructure: pull equity for the next project, set up a readvanceable mortgage, or simply lock the long-term financing at the improved position.
How the readvanceable setup works →
Where this applies
The build side (DevCom Homes) works in Southern Georgian Bay: Collingwood, Wasaga Beach, the Blue Mountains, and surrounding communities. The financing side works Ontario-wide. If you are building outside the area with your own builder, the financing structure and sequencing advice still applies, and the ADU financing guide covers the programs in detail.
Start with the property, not the paperwork
The fastest first step is finding out what your lot allows and what the numbers look like. Run the free feasibility check on YardSuite, then bring the result to a 30-minute conversation. We'll map the financing structure against the build plan and tell you honestly whether the project pencils.