The Future of Iceberg Houses in Toronto

Who wouldn’t want a little extra space in their homes? In a city where real estate is becoming increasingly expensive, the rich in Toronto have found a loophole in building laws and guidelines. Very recently, in the neighbourhoods of Hoggs Hollow and The Bridal Path, a few lavish multi-storied basements have popped up, or rather down, under the some of the new builds in the area. Dubbed “Iceberg Homes”, these basements are a concern for not only residents of Hoggs Hollow – but across the city as well – as people worry about this new trend in home-building.

The “Iceberg Homes,” named so because, like an iceberg, they are much larger below the surface, than above. Iceberg Homes first made an appearance in London, England ten years ago. They became a common trend among many wealthy in the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea. These homes contain large underground spaces with luxurious amenities and more rooms.

Being a historic city, London has a very strict set of rules regarding how tall a building can be. This often comes as a disappointment to the rich who want more than a three-story building with luxurious spaces and amenities to live in. Despite being financially able to do so, they are legally prevented from adding more space upward to their homes. Architects soon found a loophole in the laws that existed to cover everything above the ground, but nothing beneath it. So, instead, they started designing super-basements.

In what could be a sign that Toronto is a true heavyweight in the global real estate game, the trend of Iceberg Homes has landed in the city. Just like other new and unconventional housing ideas like laneway homes and affordable modular housing, local opposition is threatening the future of these underground palaces.

London, England's iceberg house craze has drawn strong opposition from neighbouring build sites, citing excessive noise and vibration, and in severe cases even shifting ground levels and the collapse of adjacent home foundations. These same concerns have made their way to Toronto's City Hall.

One home in the Hoggs Hollow neighbourhood had its modifications approved by the City's Committee of Adjustment, allowing nine trees to be taken down, most notably a mature sugar maple thought to be about 250 years old.

Neighbours' concerns over the Committee of Adjustment's ability to approve these developments with no input from planning staff have led to councillors calling for an urgent need to address permits for Iceberg Houses.

In October 2021, Toronto City Council adopted a motion introduced by Counsellor Jaye Robinson to assess the impacts of iceberg houses in the city, “single-family detached dwellings,” the motion reads, “with large, multi-storey underground basements that protrude significantly beyond the surface footprint of the building.”

Residents are not only angry about the felled trees, they’re worried such a deep build will be vulnerable to major flooding, especially in a flood-prone region like Hoggs Hollow. It’s a valid concern.

Unfortunately, when residents are held to Toronto’s building guidelines and are told they can’t build upward, building multiple storeys deep underground seems like a logical solution.

Although the motion has halted the approval of building permits for Iceberg Homes, it is too late to stop the home that is being built in Hoggs Hollow, and several others in the Bridal Path Neighbourhood.

Initial feedback from environmentalists suggest that Iceberg Houses are horrible for the environment. “Building deeper underground may destabilize the ground during construction,” says Phil Pothen, of the Canadian environmental organization, Environmental Defence. The risk with iceberg houses, says Pothen, is that “what looks like soil on the surface is actually impermeable concrete. When you get a few feet down all of the water that should be percolated can’t be absorbed. It pools on the surface causing flooding in the neighbourhood, running out into the street, into neighbours’ property.”

Perhaps environmental assessments will show that other sections of the city won’t have the same concerns as they do in Hoggs Hollow where their proximity to water and positioning in a valley cause extra concerns, but some people don’t want to see the idea crushed just because it’s new.

Whether Iceberg Homes have a future in Toronto remains to be seen, but – even if the idea does get the environmental approval it needs – it’s cost, at least for now, will ensure that Iceberg Homes will still be limited to the wealthy.