Douglasdale/Glen, Calgary: the Southeast's largest new houses

The few new houses built in Douglasdale/Glen since 2023 are big. City of Calgary open data to 29 September 2026 shows 10 new single-detached houses with a median of 3,242 sq ft on the permit, the largest of any Southeast community and fifth largest of the 74 communities with a median, and six of them were 3,000 sq ft or more. All 10 were permitted in 2023 and 2024. Since then the work has been on existing homes: 60 basement developments and 45 decks over the whole window.

How big are new houses in Douglasdale/Glen?

Mostly over 3,000 sq ft. Of the 10 permits, 6 were 3,000 sq ft or more, 1 was between 2,500 and 2,999, and 3 between 2,000 and 2,499.

The floor area the applicant entered on the building permit, for new single-detached houses issued in the same window. It usually excludes the basement. Source: City of Calgary open data (building permits, development permits, secondary suite registry, census 2021 population, census 2021 households, civic census 2019, land use districts), retrieved 5 October 2026.

The floor area on the permit usually excludes the basement, so these houses are larger again with a developed lower floor. Ten permits isn't many, and the median rests on them alone, but the gap to the rest of the sector is wide. Copperfield's median was 2,196 sq ft and Mahogany's 2,183.

A house this size raises different planning questions from a starter home: how far the kitchen is from the garage door, whether the primary suite is a walk from everything, how a double-height room feels. The custom home cost guide covers what a build like this costs, and the king bed clearances page helps size the primary bedroom.

What else are Douglasdale/Glen owners building?

Basements, decks and renovations. Basements came at 15, 16, 18 and 11 a year (2026 to date), and decks at 13, 11, 9 and 12.

Permits issued, excluding cancelled ones. "Share of Calgary" is this community's part of the citywide count for the same project type and years. Declared value is what the applicant wrote on the permit application. It is not a quote and runs below real costs. Medians are shown only where a category has at least 5 permits. Source: City of Calgary open data (building permits, development permits, secondary suite registry, census 2021 population, census 2021 households, civic census 2019, land use districts), retrieved 5 October 2026.

The basement median declared value was $36,113 and the median permit was issued in 8 days. Additions numbered 13, at a median declared value of $29,181, which is low for an addition and suggests small ones. Renovations totalled 69, with 29 in 2024. All of these are declared values, written by the applicant, and run below real costs.

Detached garages barely appear, with 2 permits in nearly four years.

Are Douglasdale/Glen owners adding suites?

Some. The City issued 14 suite permits classed as alterations of existing space and 8 classed as new construction, its "New" work class, 7 of those in 2025. That class covers a suite built as new construction in a new or an existing house, so it doesn't mean a new house came with it.

Development permits applied for from 1 January 2023; many home projects in Calgary need only a building permit, so these are a subset of all work. The registry lists suites the City has confirmed meet the rules, not every suite that exists. Source: City of Calgary open data (building permits, development permits, secondary suite registry, census 2021 population, census 2021 households, civic census 2019, land use districts), retrieved 5 October 2026.

Of 136 development permit applications since 2023, 20 were for suites, and 107 of 108 decided applications were approved. The registry lists 46 Douglasdale/Glen suites. As of October 2026, a secondary suite is a permitted use in R-C1, according to the site's legal basement suite guide, so one that meets every zoning rule needs only a building permit.

Who lives in Douglasdale/Glen?

Settled owners in single houses. The 2021 census counted 12,920 people in 4,885 households, averaging 2.6 people.

Population and household figures are from the 2021 Census of Canada as published by the City of Calgary; dwelling types are from the City's 2019 civic census, the last one it ran. Newer communities have grown since. Source: City of Calgary open data (building permits, development permits, secondary suite registry, census 2021 population, census 2021 households, civic census 2019, land use districts), retrieved 5 October 2026.

The 2019 civic census found 3,938 single-detached houses out of 4,945 dwellings (80%). Seventeen percent of residents were 65 or over, and 15% were 14 or younger. High ownership sits alongside the permit pattern: few new houses, and a steady run of basements and decks on existing ones.

What does Douglasdale/Glen's zoning allow?

R-C1 covers 37.8% of the community, and the Land Use Bylaw 1P2007 names it Residential - Contextual One Dwelling. Special purpose districts cover almost as much, 37.3% in all.

The share of the community's districted area in each land use district, from the City's district and community boundary maps intersected exactly. Districts change by lot and by amendment: check a specific lot on the City's land use map before you plan. Source: City of Calgary open data (building permits, development permits, secondary suite registry, census 2021 population, census 2021 households, civic census 2019, land use districts), retrieved 5 October 2026.

S-UN, Special Purpose - Urban Nature, is next at 16%, then S-R, Special Purpose - Recreation, at 10.4%, S-SPR at 8.6% and direct control (DC) at 7.7%. DC lots drew 21 development permit applications, and a DC district sets its own rules, so check yours on the City's land use map before you plan.

Seeing a Douglasdale/Glen plan at full size

In a big house, distance is the thing a drawing hides: you walk the main floor from the front door to the kitchen and count the steps. Very large plans don't fit on the studio's floor at once and are walked a floor or a wing at a time. The plan is lit at full size on a walkable LED floor, furniture can be moved into place, and elevations go up on a wall-size screen.

Changes appear on the floor as you make them, and you keep the session recording. Send the plan as a PDF or DWG three days ahead. Quotes are free and go by the plan's size: see pricing, book a session, or browse the communities hub.