Finishing a basement in Silverado, Calgary: 105 permits since 2023

Silverado is a lived-in community, and its permits show it. Since January 2023, the City of Calgary's open data (to 29 September 2026) records 261 new houses, 131 detached garages and 105 basement developments here. The basements are the steadiest line in the table: 25, 28 and 29 a year from 2023 to 2025, with 23 already in 2026.

Who lives in Silverado?

Families in owned houses. The 2021 census counted 7,975 people in 2,550 households, averaging 3.1 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.

A quarter of residents were 14 or under and 6% were 65 or older. Households of five or more made up 15%, and one-person households 13%. The 2019 civic census found 2,588 dwellings: 1,839 detached houses, 463 townhouses, 143 duplexes and 138 apartments. That stock of existing houses suggests where the steady basement count comes from.

Why is basement development so steady in Silverado?

The basement count barely moves from year to year, even as new-house permits swing:

Note: building permits issued, excluding cancelled ones, from the City's permit table below.

The median declared value for a basement development was $30,592, which is what the applicant wrote on the permit. It isn't a quote and runs below real costs. These permits took a median of 9 days to issue. Ceiling height is the first thing to check; our basement ceiling height guide covers the code minimums, and the egress window guide covers bedroom windows.

What has Silverado built since 2023?

Here's the full count by project type:

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.

New houses peaked at 115 permits in 2024. Silverado's 261 new houses are 6.3% of the South sector's, and the median declared value of $356,405 was the applicant's figure, below real build costs. House permits took a median of 21 days. Townhouses were slower, at 54.5 days for 44 permits.

Garages ran 18, 46, 33 and 34 a year, 131 in all, at a median of 11 days. Renovation permits totalled 23, at a median declared value of $7,250. For a garage, see our garage size guide.

How big are new houses in Silverado?

Almost all of them land in one band. The median was 2,227 sq ft on the permit, and 174 of 261 houses were between 2,000 and 2,499 sq ft.

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.

Only 14 reached 2,500 sq ft and none reached 3,000. The 2023 median was lower, at 1,887 sq ft, but from 2024 it sat at 2,229, 2,232 and 2,229 sq ft. Floor area on the permit usually excludes the basement. If you're building one of the remaining new houses, the custom home cost guide helps set the budget.

What about suites in Silverado?

Suites came later here than basements, and they're slower to permit. Silverado issued 69 alteration permits that converted existing space into a suite, going from 3 in 2023 to 30 in 2025, plus 20 suite permits the City classes as new construction.

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.

Those alteration permits took a median of 33 days to issue. The City's registry lists 249 suites in Silverado, 112 of them added in 2025. Of 106 development permit applications since 2023, 39 were for suites, and 78 of 79 decided were approved.

As of October 2026, a secondary suite is a permitted use in R-1, R-1N and R-G under Bylaw 26P2026, so one that follows every zoning rule goes straight to a building permit. A lot can have a secondary suite or a backyard suite, not both. Our legal basement suite guide and backyard suite guide carry the details.

What does Silverado's land use allow?

Over half of Silverado's mapped area sits in special purpose districts rather than residential ones: 53.1%, the 12th largest share among the 97 communities.

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.

The biggest single district is S-FUD at 24.1%, which the City labels Future Urban Development, and S-TUC, the transportation and utility corridor, takes another 15.3%. On the housing side, direct control covers 9.9%, R-1N 8.5%, R-G 8.0% and R-1, just outside the table's top five, 7.3%. Development permit applications put R-G first, with 31 of 106, ahead of R-1N with 19 and R-1 with 17.

As our suite guides set out from the Land Use Bylaw, R-1 and R-1N list a backyard suite as discretionary, so a planner reviews it, while R-G lists it as permitted. Direct control lots follow their own rules. Check your lot on the City's land use map.

Seeing a Silverado basement at full size

A basement plan is where small numbers decide comfort: a bedroom that has to fit a bed and an egress window, a rec room squeezed by a beam or a furnace, a suite kitchen that shares a wall with the laundry. On our walkable LED floor, the plan is shown at 1:1 with room names and dimension lines, so you can stand in each room before the studs go up. Movable walls, sofas and a coffee table show how a rec room or suite living room will hold furniture, and changes go on the floor as you make them.

A standard session is two hours and you keep the recording. Sessions are quoted by the plan's size and the quote is free: see pricing or book. For a smaller visit, there's also a 60-minute demo. Other South communities are on the communities hub.