Are we about to see faster, more affordable homebuilding across Canada?
Well, the federal government seems to think so—and they’re backing it up with a bold new plan: a national Housing Design Catalogue.
It’s like flipping through a ready-to-build blueprint book for homes across the country. And if it works as intended, it could seriously streamline how we get homes approved and built.
I’m James Myers, a realtor based in Barrie and Simcoe County. In this post, I’m going to break down what this catalogue is, how it works, and why it matters—whether you're a builder, a homeowner, or just someone trying to understand how we can fix Canada’s housing crunch.
🧱 WHAT IS THE HOUSING DESIGN CATALOGUE?
Back in the post-WWII era, Canada used something similar—standard home designs that helped get houses built fast for returning veterans and growing families. Now in 2025, the federal government is bringing that concept back—with a modern twist.
The Housing Design Catalogue is a collection of pre-approved, high-quality home designs. Builders, developers, and municipalities will be able to use these plans to fast-track approvals and construction. Think of it as a ready-made toolbox for housing.
The catalogue will include:
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
Fourplexes
Six-plexes
Row housing
Mid-rise buildings might come later, but for now, they’re focusing on “missing middle” housing—that sweet spot between single-family homes and condos.
So what exactly is in this Catalogue, and how real are these designs?
It’s not just conceptual – the Catalogue offers 50 fully-realized, low-rise housing models, developed by regional architecture and engineering teams. They’re organized into seven regional chapters—Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, Prairies, British Columbia, Alberta, and the Territories—so each design matches local building codes, climate zones, and construction methods
In Ontario there will be two Accessory Dwelling Units designs. A one bedroom model and a three bedroom model.
Two styles of fourplexs, two styles of stacked townhouses and one design for a sixplex.
🔧 How flexible are these designs?
Each model is fully adaptable. Builders can adjust elements like cladding, roofing, and finishes. The renderings are illustrative—they’re customizable to local tastes, materials, and construction styles
Plus, there's a strong emphasis on accessibility and energy efficiency. Many designs include accessible-ready units and meet or exceed building code requirements
🏗️ WHY IS THIS HAPPENING NOW?
Let’s be real. Canada’s in a housing crunch. We need to build millions of new homes—and we need to build them faster, cheaper, and smarter. But right now, developers face delays from zoning issues, permit red tape, and design review processes that slow everything down.
This catalogue aims to solve some of that.
By using standardized designs that are already reviewed and optimized, builders can:
Save time on approvals
Cut down design costs
And potentially even speed up construction through prefabrication
That means more homes, built faster, with fewer roadblocks.
🧩 FLEXIBILITY & INNOVATION
One of the most exciting parts? These aren’t cookie-cutter homes. The catalogue is designed to offer flexibility—so builders can tweak finishes, adapt to local materials, and even use modular or prefabricated techniques.
The government also wants these designs to go beyond minimum building codes—aiming for:
Better energy efficiency
Accessibility-friendly layouts
Designs that support aging in place or hybrid work
It’s like they’re future-proofing homes before the first shovel even hits the ground.
✔️ Universal design
✔️ Energy-efficient
✔️ Prefab ready
✔️ Digital format
📅 WHEN IS THIS HAPPENING?
So, what’s the timeline?
📌 Summer 2024 – The government put out a call for design proposals. Architects and builders submitted plans for inclusion in the catalogue.
📌 In Spring 2025 the first version of the catologue was launched. .
After that, the plan is to keep it evolving—with new designs, competitions, and private-sector contributions. It’s not just a one-time PDF download—it’s meant to grow alongside Canada’s housing needs.
As of July 2025, I couldn’t find any date on the CMHC website of when the final designs are going to be released, but there is a form to fill out on the website to be notified when final architectural design packages are available. I filled out the form and signed up and I recommend you go there and fill out the form if you are interested yourself.
🏛️ WHAT ABOUT LOCAL ZONING & PERMITS?
Here’s where it gets a bit tricky—and where collaboration really matters.
The catalogue won’t magically override local zoning or building rules. There are still rules you have to follow.
Now, just because the federal government is rolling out this Catalogue doesn’t mean it overrides local rules. Every city, town, and province still controls its own zoning, permitting, and building codes. For instance in Barrie, there has to be sufficient parking and there are lot setback regulations for Accessory Dwelling Units. Same kind of things I’m sure there are in most municipalities.
But here’s the good news—the government knows that, and they’re working closely with provinces and municipalities to make these designs easier to use.
They’re developing tools to help fast-track approvals, including:
Sample bylaws cities can adopt to allow things like ADUs and fourplexes in more neighbourhoods.
Templates for fast-track approvals, where catalogue designs could be pre-reviewed by building departments.
And digital permitting systems to help planning offices move things along more quickly and consistently.
So the goal here is a smoother, faster process—from design selection to shovels in the ground. But ultimately, it’ll still come down to local governments choosing to adopt these tools and streamline their own approval processes.
🏘️ WHO BENEFITS FROM THIS?
Whether you’re in a major city or a rural town, the catalogue could have a major impact:
Builders get pre-approved designs, lowering costs and risk.
Municipalities get housing faster without sacrificing review quality.
Buyers and renters get more homes on the market—which should help affordability.
And rural and northern communities may benefit from the single-family and prefab designs that make building in remote areas more feasible.
Canada needs more homes—and fast. The Housing Design Catalogue is a fresh, forward-thinking approach that could make a real difference. By cutting through some of the usual red tape and offering ready-to-go designs, this initiative has the potential to unlock a lot of new housing, in all the right places.
It's a promising step, and honestly, it's exciting to see solutions like this taking shape.
If you’re thinking of building, investing, or just want to stay informed about changes in the housing market, or if you have any questions about how this might affect you or your community—reach out. I’m always happy to help.