Multiplex Toronto Builders designs and builds sixplexes in the two parts of Toronto where six units are permitted: the Toronto and East York District and Scarborough Ward 23 North. We also serve owners across Etobicoke, North York and the wider GTA, where we build fourplexes and local additional-unit projects instead. Every sixplex runs under HCRA registration with Tarion enrolment per project, WSIB and a $5M CGL policy. Scope is set in CAD against OBC Part 3 where it applies, and we coordinate with the Toronto Committee of Adjustment, Toronto Building, Toronto Water, Toronto Hydro and your insurer from the first meeting.
Sixplex projects fail most often before they start. Owners are sold six units on lots where only a fourplex is as-of-right, severance is confused with multiplex approval, EHON setback math is never run, or a parking variance is promised without a CoA application behind it. Then Part 3 costs show up late: sprinklers, standpipes, a second exit. We confirm the district first, scope OBC Part 9 or Part 3 by unit count and height, spec insulated glazing, use 316 stainless fasteners within 500 metres of the lake and verify zoning through GeoWarehouse before anything is signed.
Sixplexes typically cost $800K-$2M CAD and take 12-16 months of construction with a crew of 4-6 plus specialty trades. We serve Toronto, East York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, North York, York, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Mississauga, Brampton and Pickering, with a written workmanship warranty on every build.
Sixplexes are part of our multiplex construction family. To check where six units are allowed, read where are sixplexes allowed in Toronto.
Types of Sixplex Projects
Toronto and East York District Lots
The Toronto and East York District covers the old City of Toronto and East York: Riverdale, Leslieville, the Annex, Leaside, Woodbine Heights and many more. Lots here are often narrow and deep, close to transit and sometimes heritage-listed. A sixplex on these lots usually means a four-storey form with stacked units, a second exit and sprinklers. We check heritage status, transit parking reductions and tree protection alongside the unit count, because any one of them can reshape the building.
Scarborough Ward 23 North Lots
Scarborough Ward 23 North, around Milliken and the northern edge of the city, is the other approved sixplex area. Lots here are often wider post-war parcels and corner lots, which helps with second exits, bike storage and unit entrances. Our Ward 23 North corner-lot sixplex was confirmed at feasibility, built on budget and fully rented in its first month. Outside Ward 23 North, the rest of Scarborough stays at fourplex as-of-right, so the ward boundary matters to the exact parcel.
OBC Part 3 Trigger Planning
A residential building moves from Part 9 to Part 3 of the Ontario Building Code when it exceeds 600 square metres of building area or three storeys. Most sixplexes cross that line. Part 3 brings sprinklers, often a standpipe, stricter egress, fire separations and non-combustible cladding in some cases, and it requires an OAA architect. We decide early whether to design a Part 3 sixplex or a smaller building that stays in Part 9, because the cost difference can be significant.
Egress and Second Exit Design
Six units usually means a second exit or a protected exit stair, plus egress windows and fire separations for every unit. Exterior exit stairs take up side-yard or rear-yard space, which feeds back into setbacks and soft landscaping. We design egress and the site plan together so the exits, bike storage and waste areas all fit without triggering extra variances.
Parking Variance
Some approved-zone lots still carry a parking requirement. If the transit-proximity reduction does not apply and a space cannot fit, the project needs a parking variance from the Committee of Adjustment. We document transit distances, bicycle storage and car-share options to support the application, and file it early so it runs alongside design rather than after it.
Sixplex Approval Red Flags Toronto Owners See Most
Sixplex Pitched Outside Approved Zones (Etobicoke Redesign to Fourplex)
Symptom: A builder shows you a six-unit plan for your Etobicoke lot, with rent projections to match. Immediate action: Ask for the district confirmation tied to your parcel before you pay for design. Scope: Etobicoke is outside the approved sixplex areas, so four units is the as-of-right maximum. A variance to six there is slow and unlikely. Qualified contractor response: We confirm the district through GeoWarehouse and By-law 569-2013. For one Etobicoke owner who arrived with sixplex drawings, we redesigned the project as a fourplex, filed the Committee of Adjustment application for a side-yard variance and reached occupancy in 11 months. The sooner this check happens, the less it costs.
Part 3 Sprinkler Cost Not in the Quote
Symptom: Your sixplex quote looked reasonable until the permit drawings came back with a sprinkler system, standpipe and a second exit, and the price jumped. Immediate action: Check whether the original quote assumed Part 9. Scope: Most sixplexes are Part 3 buildings. Sprinklers, fire alarm, standpipes and exit stairs are not optional extras. Qualified contractor response: We run the Part 9 versus Part 3 test at feasibility and price every Part 3 element in the first quote. If you prefer to stay in Part 9, we show you what a smaller building with fewer or smaller units would look like, so you can compare honestly.
Parking Variance Adds 4-6 Months
Symptom: Your sixplex permit is on hold because parking is required and the design has none. Immediate action: Confirm the parking standard and whether a transit reduction applies. Scope: A parking variance means a Committee of Adjustment application, neighbour notice and a hearing, typically 4-6 months. Qualified contractor response: We check parking at feasibility and, if a variance is unavoidable, file it at the start of design so the hearing date lines up with permit drawings. Bike storage, transit distances and car-share access go into the application to support it.
Water Service Cannot Feed Sprinklers
Symptom: The sixplex design is ready, but the fire protection engineer reports that the existing water service cannot deliver the flow a sprinkler system needs. Immediate action: Get a flow test and confirm the size and condition of the municipal main and your service line. Scope: A Part 3 sixplex usually needs a dedicated or larger water service to feed sprinklers, and sometimes a standpipe. On older streets, the main itself may limit what is possible, and a new service means a road cut, a right-of-way permit and coordination with Toronto Water. Qualified contractor response: We check water supply for sprinklers at feasibility, not after design. If the service needs upsizing, we price it in the first quote and file the application with the building permit so it is ready before the sprinkler rough-in. Where the main is a real constraint, we show you the Part 9 fourplex alternative on the same lot, so you can compare a buildable sixplex against a simpler four-unit building with real numbers. Owners in the Toronto and East York District often find older streets have smaller mains than expected, which is why this check sits at the front of every sixplex project we take on.
