Renovation Services in Toronto and the GTA

A whole house renovation takes three or more rooms, or the full main floor plus basement, back to the studs. It is the biggest single decision most Toronto homeowners make about their house, and it is where budgets most often go wrong. We start with a written scope and a hard-cap fixed price before demolition, so you know the number before you commit. Then one coordinator runs design, permits and construction. Walls open, LVL or steel beams go in where a wall comes out, wiring moves to 200-amp service, PEX plumbing and new HVAC replace what was there, and Roxul Safe'n'Sound goes into the walls before drywall. Our ARIDO-affiliated designer settles layout and finishes early, Red Seal carpenters build it, and our permit coordinator handles Toronto Building. Every Tier 3 contract carries a 5-8% discovery contingency for what 1920s-70s walls hide, such as knob-and-tube wiring, asbestos and rot. Our Rosedale heritage gut came in at $287K for 2,400 sqft, delivered in 14 weeks with zero change orders.

• Written scope + hard-cap fixed price before demolition
• Structural reconfiguration: load-bearing wall removal, LVL or steel beams, engineer stamps
• Electrical upgrade to 200A, PEX plumbing, new HVAC and insulation
• ARIDO-affiliated design, Red Seal carpentry, in-house Toronto Building permits

Additions are where Toronto zoning, structure and budget collide. Before anyone draws a plan, we check what your lot allows: lot coverage, Floor Space Index (FSI), height, setbacks and any Urban Forestry tree protection zone. Then we confirm the existing foundation can carry new load, and if it cannot, we price underpinning or helical piles into the written scope rather than discovering it mid-build. Design, engineering, the Toronto Building permit and any Committee of Adjustment or minor variance application are handled in-house by our permit coordinator. We build second-storey additions on bungalows, rear family-room and kitchen additions, side additions, garden and laneway suites, and garage conversions. Additions typically run $200K-$600K, garden suites $220K-$450K and garage conversions $85K-$200K. Every qualifying addition is covered by our registered written warranty, and you pay on a 6-draw schedule tied to inspections. Our Thornhill client added 600 sqft and a new kitchen in 18 weeks.

• Zoning feasibility: lot coverage, FSI, height, setbacks, tree protection
• Structural review: footing load checks, underpinning or helical piles when needed
• In-house COA + minor variance coordination
• Garden suite, laneway suite and garage conversion options

Toronto's 1920s-40s semis and detached homes carry character that cannot be replaced and problems that cannot be ignored. Heritage restoration is where we started in 2003, in Rosedale and Forest Hill, and it is still the core of the work. We preserve brick facades, lath and plaster, crown mouldings, stained glass, original millwork and red oak floors, while replacing what fails behind them: knob-and-tube wiring, 60-amp service, cast iron stacks, lead solder joints and vermiculite insulation that may contain asbestos. If your home is designated under the Ontario Heritage Act or sits inside a Heritage Conservation District, exterior changes need a heritage permit, and we coordinate those approvals in-house with support from our heritage consultant network. Original oak is refinished with Rubio Monocoat or a matched stain so new and old boards read as one floor. Every contract carries a 5-8% discovery contingency because century homes always hide something. Typical heritage scopes run $250K-$800K.

• Facade, millwork, plaster and original hardwood preservation
• Hidden-condition remediation: knob-and-tube, asbestos, 60A, lead, cast iron stack
• Heritage Conservation District and heritage permit coordination
• Heritage consultant network

A kitchen renovation in Toronto ranges from a cosmetic refresh on the same layout to a full gut with moved plumbing, a new island and a pro appliance package. Our in-house designer settles layout, cabinetry and surfaces early, so the written price holds; one Rosedale client made the island decision in a single meeting. We build custom inset and semi-custom cabinetry on Blum soft-close hardware, fabricate Calacatta marble, Taj Mahal quartzite, Caesarstone quartz or Dekton porcelain counters, and plan Wolf, Sub-Zero, Miele and Thermador appliances with the dedicated 20-amp circuits, gas sizing and make-up air they need. Lighting is 3000K, CRI 90+ LED so stone and wood look true. When a wall comes out, an engineer sizes the beam and our Red Seal carpenters install it. Condo kitchens include board approvals, elevator bookings and low-dust practice. Kitchens typically run $35K-$140K, condo kitchens $45K-$140K, and most Tier 2 kitchens take 4-10 weeks.

• Custom and semi-custom cabinetry with Blum hardware
• Islands, sink and range relocation with proper venting and dedicated circuits
• Calacatta, quartzite, quartz and porcelain slab counters
• Wolf, Sub-Zero, Miele and Thermador appliance integration

Bathrooms fail at the waterproofing, so that is where we start. Every shower gets a full membrane system, Schluter-KERDI or Wedi building panels, over a properly sloped mortar bed or a linear drain, with Schluter-DITRA uncoupling under floor tile so it does not crack when the house moves. Then come the parts you see: floating vanities, wall-hung toilets on Geberit in-wall carriers, thermostatic mixing valves, DITRA-HEAT in-floor warmth and 10mm frameless tempered glass. We install fixtures from Kohler, Toto, Grohe and Rohl, and tile from Ann Sacks and Daltile. Curbless walk-in showers are one of our most requested upgrades, because they look clean and work for every age. Condo bathrooms include board approvals, after-hours scheduling and noise rules. Primary baths typically run $18K-$65K, powder rooms $12K-$35K and condo baths $15K-$55K. A Tier 1 refresh takes 3-6 weeks and a Tier 2 bath to the studs 4-10 weeks.

• Schluter-KERDI / Wedi waterproofing systems
• Curbless walk-in showers with linear drains
• In-floor heat (DITRA-HEAT) and thermostatic mixing valves
• Kohler, Toto, Grohe, Rohl fixtures; Ann Sacks and Daltile tile

Toronto basements are often too low, too damp or both. We fix the envelope first: a Delta-MS dimpled membrane or interior weeping tile, a sump pump with battery backup and a backwater valve, which the City of Toronto Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy Program can help pay for. Then we lower the floor where needed. Underpinning digs below the existing footings in engineered sequences to reach 8-9 ft ceilings; bench footing is a lower-cost option that leaves a ledge around the perimeter. With a dry, tall space, we build either a finished basement (family room, gym, guest suite, home theatre with Roxul Safe'n'Sound and resilient channel) or an OBC-compliant legal second unit with egress windows, fire separation, smoke and CO alarms and a separate entrance. Permits, inspections and the ESA Certificate of Acceptance are coordinated in-house. Our Erin Mills legal suite came in at $62K, passed inspection on the first visit and started earning rent in month 5. Basements typically run $45K-$180K.

• Waterproofing first: membranes, weeping tile, sump + backwater valve
• Underpinning or bench footing for 8-9 ft ceilings
• Legal second-unit suites: egress windows, fire separation, separate entrance
• Soundproofing (Roxul Safe'n'Sound, resilient channel) and in-floor heat

Luxury is in the details buyers notice and the infrastructure they never see. We pair an ARIDO-affiliated design lead with Red Seal finish carpenters to deliver the visible part: book-matched Calacatta marble, Taj Mahal quartzite and Dekton slabs, rift-cut white oak floors finished in Bona Traffic HD or Rubio Monocoat, custom millwork, concealed pivot doors, Rohl fixtures and Ann Sacks tile. Then we build the invisible part properly: panel capacity for Wolf ranges, Sub-Zero columns, Miele steam ovens and Thermador induction, gas lines sized for pro burners, make-up air for large hoods, and lighting control. Our Bayview Hill client's kitchen and main floor came in at $520K, and the panel upgrade it needed was caught in design and written into the contract, so it never became a change order. Luxury projects run in Yorkville condos, Rosedale and Forest Hill homes, Richmond Hill and Oakville. Luxury scopes typically run $400K-$1.2M+ over 12-24 weeks.

• Calacatta marble, Taj Mahal quartzite and Dekton slab selection
• Wolf, Sub-Zero, Miele, Thermador appliance planning
• Rift-cut white oak with Bona Traffic HD or Rubio Monocoat
• Rohl, Ann Sacks and custom millwork

Commercial work runs on deadlines, documents and building rules. We carry $5M CGL and WSIB, issue Certificates of Insurance naming landlords and property managers typically within 1 business day, provide WSIB clearance certificates on request, and invoice property managers on Net-30. Scopes cover offices, restaurants and cafes, retail stores and medical or professional clinics, built to OBC Part 3 with proper 1-hour and 2-hour fire separations, fire dampers, metal stud framing, T-bar acoustic ceilings and AODA barrier-free washrooms, counters and entrances. We schedule noisy work after hours so neighbouring tenants keep operating, coordinate rooftop unit (RTU) and HVAC changes with the landlord, and handle change of use permits when a space is changing what it is used for. Crews are WHMIS 2015-trained. We have rebuilt a 20-person Liberty Village office, delivered a Yorkville retail flagship inside a 10-week window and opened a King West restaurant on schedule. Clinic fit-outs run $150K-$500K.

• COI typically within 1 business day; WSIB clearance on request
• OBC Part 3, fire separation and AODA barrier-free compliance
• After-hours commercial dispatch and phased work
• Landlord approval drawings and turnover deadline scheduling

We rebuilt a dated Liberty Village loft into a 20-person workplace with meeting pods, working nights on the noisy demolition, sending the COI to building management the next morning and invoicing the property manager on Net-30. That is how office projects should run: around the business, not over it. We plan phasing so teams can keep working, schedule noisy and dusty work after hours with an after-hours work permit from building management, and coordinate IT and furniture moves. Scope typically includes demountable glass partitions, meeting pods and boardrooms with the right acoustic STC rating, T-bar acoustic ceilings, commercial LVT or carpet tile, Cat6A data cabling, LED lighting and VAV HVAC rebalancing so new rooms are not too hot or too cold. Everything is built to OBC Part 3 with AODA barrier-free washrooms and paths of travel, by WHMIS 2015-trained crews. Office fit-outs typically run $60K-$280K, with T-bar ceilings at $4-$8/sqft and commercial flooring at $4-$12/sqft.

• Phased and after-hours delivery
• Meeting pods, glass partitions, boardrooms
• T-bar acoustic ceilings and commercial flooring
• Data cabling, lighting and HVAC rebalancing

A restaurant opens only when it passes health, fire and building inspections, so that is how we plan the build. Commercial kitchens get NFPA 96 exhaust hoods with Ansul fire suppression, make-up air sized to the hood, a grease interceptor installed before the floor goes down, NSF-certified equipment connections and quarry tile or poured epoxy floors that clean easily. Fire separations under OBC Part 3 protect neighbouring units, and AODA washrooms meet accessibility counts for your seating. In the dining room and bar we build the space that carries your brand: banquettes, millwork, lighting and finishes. When a space changes from retail or office to restaurant, we file the change of use permit and plan the extra plumbing and fire requirements it brings. Our King West client opened on schedule after we walked the fire inspector through the hood and suppression system; the $238K budget held. Restaurant build-outs typically run $120K-$500K, and commercial kitchens alone $80K-$250K.

• Commercial kitchen rough-ins and equipment coordination
• NFPA 96 hood, fire suppression and make-up air
• Grease interceptor installation
• Health, fire and building inspection coordination

Retail fit-outs are judged on one date. We delivered a Yorkville retail flagship with landlord approvals inside a 10-week window and hit the deadline, and the client's deficiency list was short. The work starts with the landlord's design criteria: we prepare drawings that meet them, get approval, file permits and order long-lead items like display millwork, storefront glazing and signage early so they are not what holds up the opening. On site we handle sprinkler head relocation, architectural track lighting, porcelain tile or other high-traffic flooring, fitting rooms, cash wraps and storage. In malls and busy streets we work nights to keep neighbouring stores trading. Every store is built to OBC barrier-free design and AODA requirements for entrances, counters and washrooms, and we close the turnover deficiency list before you stock the shelves. A tenant improvement allowance may cover part of the cost. Retail fit-outs typically run $80K-$350K, with flooring at $4-$12/sqft, over 6-12 weeks.

• Landlord design criteria, approvals and turnover scheduling
• Custom display millwork and storefront glass
• Architectural lighting and high-traffic flooring
• Night and after-hours work in malls