Tuscany, Calgary: 136 basements, the most in the Northwest

Tuscany owners are finishing the houses they already have. City of Calgary open data on permits issued from January 2023 to 29 September 2026 shows 136 basement developments in Tuscany, 2% of Calgary's total and the most of any community in the Northwest sector. Its 59 deck permits were the most of any Calgary community where no new houses were built in the window.

What does a Tuscany basement permit look like?

Steady and quick to issue. Tuscany had 35 basement permits in 2023, 39 in 2024 and 37 in 2025, and 25 through 29 September 2026. The median permit was issued in 8 days, with a median declared value of $31,261.

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.

That declared value is what the applicant wrote on the permit, and it runs below what basements really cost. The legal basement suite guide has 2026 ranges from Calgary builders, and it's worth reading even if you're not building a suite, since the egress and ceiling rules apply to any basement bedroom. The basement ceiling height page covers the clearance under ducts and beams.

No new single-detached houses were permitted in Tuscany in the window, and only 2 rowhouse permits. Renovations, at 73, were the second biggest category, ahead of decks.

Why does Tuscany build so many decks?

The permits don't explain it, but the counts are clear. Tuscany had 12 deck permits in 2023, 7 in 2024, 22 in 2025 and 18 through 29 September 2026. That's 2.2% of Calgary's 2,640 deck permits from a single established community.

The three communities ahead of it, Haskayne, Mahogany and Livingston, each had more than 800 new house permits in the window. Tuscany had none, so its decks are going onto existing homes. The median deck permit had a declared value of $6,489 and took 15 days to issue.

Additions are the other back-of-house project here. The 18 addition permits took a median 22.5 days to issue. The home addition cost guide puts real costs on one, since the declared value of $45,843 is what applicants wrote and runs below them.

Who lives in Tuscany?

Families who own detached houses. The 2021 census counted 19,700 people, the fifth largest population of 84 communities, in 6,565 households averaging 3.0 people. About 23% of residents were 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 found 5,612 single-detached dwellings out of 6,672, the eighth highest share of the 87 communities profiled here, and 5,748 owner-occupied dwellings, the fifth highest rate among them. With most houses owned and households averaging three people, the basements here suggest extra bedrooms, a rec room or space for a teenager, more than rental units.

Are basement suites common in Tuscany?

Not compared with the basements. Tuscany had 20 permits for altering existing space into a suite and 5 for suites built as new construction, the City's New work class, against 136 basement developments. Twenty-eight of its 118 development permit applications were for suites.

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 alteration permits were quick, a median 15.5 days to issue. The registry lists 76 Tuscany suites, with 19 added in 2025. As of October 2026, a secondary suite is a permitted use in R-C1N and R-C1, Tuscany's two main districts, and a backyard suite is discretionary in both; the backyard suites guide explains the one-suite-per-lot rule.

What land use covers Tuscany?

R-C1N on 25.7% of the districted area and R-C1 on 20.4%, which together hold nearly all of Tuscany's residential land. Special purpose districts cover almost as much, 45% in all: S-TUC, the transportation and utility corridor district, 17.1%, S-UN, urban nature, 12.4% and S-SPR 8.2%.

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.

Development permit applications named R-CG 47 times, R-C1N 27 times and R-C1 25 times, and 10 were on Direct Control land, which sets its own rules. Check your lot on the City's land use map.

Walking a Tuscany basement at full size

In a finished house, the basement plan starts from what's already there: the stair, the furnace and water heater, the posts and the existing windows. On the studio's walkable LED floor, the basement is lit at full size with dimension lines, so you can stand at the bottom of the stair and see whether the rec room opens up or feels like a hallway. A sofa, coffee table and freestanding walls can be moved in, and a deck or addition plan can be walked the same way.

Changes show on the floor as they're made, and you keep the recording. Send the plan as a PDF or DWG at least three days before. The quote is free and depends on the plan's size: see pricing, book a session, or browse the communities hub.