Livingston, Calgary: more new garages than anywhere else

If you're building in Livingston, you're most likely building a new house and, a little later, a detached garage behind it. The City of Calgary's open data counts 1,148 new single-detached houses and 493 detached garages permitted in Livingston from January 2023 to 29 September 2026, the highest count of either in any Calgary community. The median new house was 2,050 sq ft on its permit.

Why are there so many detached garages in Livingston?

Because the houses are here. Livingston has more new houses than anywhere else in the data, and detached garages are permitted separately from them, which suggests many owners build the house first and add the garage later. In 2025, the City issued 142 garage permits here, the most in any of the four years, while new house permits dropped to 257.

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 median declared value on a Livingston garage permit was $42,434, and the median permit was issued 12 days after the application. Declared values are what the applicant wrote on the form and run below what a garage really costs; the detached garage cost guide has builders' prices. Before you settle on a size, the garage size guide shows what two cars, a workbench and the doors around them need.

A garage is also where a backyard suite would go, but only 3 backyard suite permits were issued in Livingston in the period. R-G, the main district here, allows a backyard suite as a permitted use, though since 4 August 2026 a lot can't have one if it already has a secondary suite. The backyard suites guide covers the rules as of October 2026.

How big are new Livingston houses?

Most sit in the middle of the range. The median was 2,050 sq ft, with 948 of the 1,148 houses (83%) between 1,500 and 2,499 sq ft on the permit.

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 median swung by year: 2,218 sq ft in 2023, 1,868 sq ft in 2024, 2,097 sq ft in 2025 and 2,163 sq ft on permits so far in 2026. In a band that tight, the differences between plans come down to how the same floor area is divided: a den versus a fourth bedroom, a bigger pantry, a wider mudroom from the garage door. New house permits had a median declared value of $332,008 and took a median 16 days to issue.

Are Livingston owners adding suites?

Yes, in numbers few communities match. The City issued 391 Livingston suite permits for altering existing space, the third most in the data, plus 92 suite permits classed as new construction (the City's New work class), also third.

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.

The City's registry lists 1,281 Livingston suites, second only to one other community, with 328 added in 2025. Most went straight to a building permit: only 47 development permit applications were for suites. Our basement suite guide explains the current rules.

Who lives in Livingston?

Young families, in a community that's still small compared with its permit count. The 2021 census found 3,985 people in 1,335 households, an average of 3.0, with a quarter of residents aged 14 or younger.

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 counted only 838 dwellings, so most of the community postdates it. Households of five or more were 12% in 2021, which suggests three or four bedrooms will cover most Livingston families, with a suite as an option rather than a need.

What land is left to build in Livingston?

About 23% of the area is S-FUD, which the City labels Future Urban Development. R-G is the biggest single district at 38.8%, and Direct Control districts cover 8.5%. Add the school, park and community reserve (S-SPR, 8.8%), the transportation and utility corridor (S-TUC, 7.5%) and a few smaller special purpose districts, and special purpose land comes to 43.8%, close behind the 47.2% in residential districts, multi-residential included.

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.

Direct Control districts set their own rules, so if your lot falls in one, look it up on the City's land use map before you plan.

Walking a Livingston house and garage at full size

The useful test in Livingston is the walk from the parked car to the kitchen. At the studio, the plan is laid out 1:1 on a walkable LED floor, with room names and dimension lines, so you can pace the route from the garage across the yard to the back door and through the mudroom. Movable walls and furniture let you check the mudroom bench, the island and the dining table where they'll really stand.

You can change the plan on the spot and see it on the floor right away, and you'll leave with a recording. Send the PDF or DWG three days ahead. The quote is free and depends on the plan's size: see pricing or book, and find other communities on the communities hub.