Whole-home renovations, additions, kitchens, bathrooms, and finished basements across Ottawa — planned properly, permitted end-to-end, and delivered against a written fixed-price quote. General contracting is the only work we do, and we do it to the current Ontario Building Code.
On any given renovation we are coordinating demolition, framing, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, insulation, drywall, flooring, cabinetry, tile, and finish carpentry — and we are doing it inside a house someone still lives in, on a schedule, to a budget, and to code. Our job is to make that complexity invisible to you: one point of contact, one written scope, one price, one permit file.
We focus on residential general contracting across Ottawa and the surrounding communities because specialization is what keeps quality high. Years of hands-on work across the region means we already know the things that catch other crews off guard — the knob-and-tube still hiding behind plaster in older Centretown and Sandy Hill homes, the aluminum branch wiring common in houses built in the late 1960s and 1970s, the spring water table that shows up in low-lying parts of the city, and the frost depth we have to design foundations and footings around every single time.
You will not find a founding-year story or a project-count headline here, because those numbers are not what protect you. What protects you is process: a documented scope, a fixed price in writing, a permit pulled in your name and closed out properly, compulsory trades performed by certified tradespeople, and a written warranty you can point to later. Everything below describes how we work, what things actually cost in the current Ottawa market, and the local rules that shape every renovation in this city.
Not a credential you have to take on faith. Trust built on process, not badges.
We are not a flooring company that also frames additions, or an electrician who took on a kitchen. Residential general contracting across Ottawa is the entire business. That focus is why our quotes anticipate the hidden conditions in this city's housing stock instead of discovering them halfway through and asking you for more money.
For most structural work, additions, basement conversions, and new plumbing or wiring, the City of Ottawa requires a building permit before work begins. We prepare the application, submit the drawings, pay the fees at cost, book the inspections at each required stage, and carry the file through to final sign-off. For a typical residential renovation, the City's review window runs about five to ten business days once a complete application is in.
Ottawa winters are not a detail you design around at the end. Footings and foundations for new work have to reach below the local frost line — in the Ottawa Valley that generally means roughly 1.4 to 1.5 metres of depth — or the structure will heave. We build for the freeze-thaw cycle, for our snow loads, and for the moisture that comes with it, because in this climate the cost of getting it wrong shows up two winters later as cracked slabs and sticking doors.
Every project runs against a written scope, and the key stages — framing, rough-in, insulation and vapour barrier, and final — are inspected before we build over them. That means the parts of the job you will never see again are checked while they are still open, not taken on trust after the drywall goes up.
Remove a load-bearing wall, underpin a basement, or add a second storey and you are into structural territory that needs stamped drawings. When your project requires it, engineered structural drawings are part of the scope and part of the price — not a surprise line item you discover when the inspector asks for them.
You get a written fixed-price quote after an on-site assessment, and a written warranty delivered with your permit close-out documents. All project documentation is available to you on request. The price you sign is the price you pay, barring changes you approve in writing or genuinely unforeseen conditions we disclose the moment we find them.
Each range below is indicative and benchmarked against published 2025–2026 Ottawa-market renovation pricing — your actual price is always the written quote that follows an on-site assessment.
A full kitchen renovation coordinates cabinetry, countertops, tile, flooring, lighting, and usually new electrical and plumbing rough-ins — the most trade-dense room in the house. Layout changes, appliance relocations, and stone versus laminate surfaces are the biggest cost movers. The range runs from a straightforward refit to a full custom kitchen with structural or layout changes.
Bathrooms pack plumbing, waterproofing, tile, ventilation, and electrical into a small footprint, which is why the price per square foot is high. A straightforward refresh sits at the low end; a custom ensuite with a curbless shower, relocated fixtures, and heated floors sits well above it — higher for full custom work.
Finishing a basement turns unused square footage into living space — a family room, home office, gym, or the start of a secondary suite. Ottawa-market finishing typically runs about $45 to $100 per square foot depending on finishes and whether a bathroom is added, for a standard finished basement in the 700–1,000 square foot range.
A legal secondary suite is far more than a kitchen downstairs. The current Ontario Building Code sets a minimum 1.95-metre (6 ft 5 in) ceiling height across habitable rooms, requires fire separation between units, interconnected smoke and CO alarms, independent heating, and a compliant egress window. Where ceiling height falls short, underpinning or bench footing is the fix — with the range climbing higher where underpinning is required.
Additions create genuinely new floor area — a bump-out, a sunroom, an in-law suite, or a full second storey. Because they involve new foundations or structural reinforcement, engineered drawings, and a full permit, they sit at the higher end of the per-square-foot scale, climbing with complexity, finishes, and structural tie-in.
A whole-home renovation reworks multiple rooms, systems, and sometimes the layout itself in a single coordinated project — the most efficient way to modernize an older Ottawa home from top to bottom. Ranges run from a mid-range refresh up to premium work where structural changes are involved.
Moving a wall, opening a galley kitchen into a living space, or relocating plumbing changes how a home actually works day to day. These projects sit between a cosmetic refresh and a full addition, and they frequently trigger a permit because they touch structure or services.
Attached decks, detached and attached garages, and covered porches extend how you use the property through Ottawa's short but intense outdoor season. Frost-depth footings and, in many cases, a permit apply. A single-garage addition typically runs roughly $100 to $125 per square foot and up.
Every figure is benchmarked against published 2025–2026 Ottawa-market renovation pricing. Your price is the written fixed-price quote you receive after an on-site assessment.
Multi-room, multi-system coordinated renovations — the most efficient way to modernize an older Ottawa home. Ranges rise with structural changes and premium finishes.
Cabinetry, counters, tile, flooring, electrical & plumbing rough-ins
Plumbing, waterproofing, tile, ventilation, electrical
700–1,000 sq ft · framing, insulation, drywall, flooring, lighting
Code-compliant suite: fire separation, egress, HVAC
New floor area, foundation, structural tie-in
Structure, minimal electrical, tie-in to the home
Indicative ranges describe the market, not your house. Your actual price depends on the size and scope of the work, the age and condition of the home, site access, the finishes and materials you choose, whether existing electrical, plumbing, or structure needs upgrading to meet current code, and any conditions we cannot see until walls are open. In older Ottawa homes especially, budgeting a contingency of 10 to 20 percent is prudent. Your price is the written fixed-price quote you receive after an on-site assessment — that number, not the range, is what you can rely on.
Indicative ranges above are for construction work and do not include: building permit and application fees (charged at cost); engineering and architectural fees where structural drawings are required (at cost); Development Charges, which the City of Ottawa levies when a project creates a new dwelling unit; HST; and unforeseen conditions disclosed in writing the moment we encounter them. Indicative pricing is provided for planning only and is not an offer to contract. No price is binding until it appears in a written quote signed by both parties following an on-site assessment.
Each one tied to a real Ottawa condition: the code, the climate, or the age of the housing stock.
Many Ottawa homes built before the 1980s have basement ceilings around 6 ft 2 in to 6 ft 6 in. The current Ontario Building Code requires a minimum 1.95-metre (6 ft 5 in) clear height across habitable rooms in a suite. Homeowners routinely frame, insulate, and drywall a basement only to fail final inspection by an inch. We measure real clearances first — and, where you fall short, price underpinning or bench footing before a single wall goes up.
Open a wall in an older Centretown, Hintonburg, or Sandy Hill home and you may find knob-and-tube; open one in a house built in the late 1960s or 1970s and you may find aluminum branch wiring. Both frequently need attention when you renovate, and electrical is a compulsory trade that must be performed by a certified electrician and permitted through the ESA. We scope this up front so it is in the fixed price, not a mid-project surprise.
In the Ottawa Valley the frost line generally sits around 1.4 to 1.5 metres deep. Footings for new work — additions, decks, garages, porches — must reach below it, or the freeze-thaw cycle will lift and crack them. We see decks pulling away from houses and slabs cracking every spring because someone poured shallow footings to save money. Every foundation we build is designed for our local frost depth.
Low-lying parts of Ottawa carry a seasonal high water table, and finishing a basement over an unaddressed moisture problem simply builds a mould farm behind the drywall. Before we finish below grade we deal with the water — drainage, waterproofing, and proper insulation and vapour control — so the finished space stays dry. It is not the exciting part of the budget, but in this climate it is the part that protects everything else.
Ottawa's mature suburbs — Nepean, parts of Gloucester, older Alta Vista — are full of homes with closed-off kitchens and chopped-up main floors that no longer suit how families live. Opening these spaces usually means removing a load-bearing wall, which means engineered drawings, a beam, proper support, and a permit. We handle the structural side so the open-concept result is safe, not just pretty.
In heritage-designated areas and conservation districts — parts of the Glebe, New Edinburgh, Rockcliffe Park, and others — exterior changes can require heritage review on top of a standard building permit. Owners planning a front addition or a facade change are often surprised. We flag heritage and zoning implications during the assessment, before they become a delay.
Educational, not adversarial. Ontario does not require a provincial licence for renovation contractors on existing homes, so the burden is on you to check process, not badges.
What every one of our projects includes, by construction.
You should be able to ask these of anyone bidding your job, including us, and get clear answers.
A renovation should feel orderly, not chaotic. Here is exactly how a project moves — with the commitments we control at each step.
Call (613) 324-9141 or submit the contact form and describe your project. We respond quickly to book a time that suits you and come prepared with the right questions for your specific scope.
We visit the property, measure real conditions, look for the hidden issues common to Ottawa's housing stock, and talk through what you want. This assessment is at no cost and carries no obligation.
You receive a written, itemized fixed-price quote with a clear scope of work — typically within a few business days of the assessment. The number you sign is the number you pay, barring changes you approve in writing.
Once you approve the quote, we prepare and submit the building permit application and any engineered drawings your project requires. The City of Ottawa's review window runs about five to ten business days on a complete application.
We build to the approved drawings and the current Ontario Building Code, with certified tradespeople on compulsory work and inspections booked at each required stage — framing, rough-in, insulation, and final — before we build over anything.
We carry the permit through final inspection and sign-off, hand over your close-out documentation, and deliver your written warranty. All paperwork — permits, inspection reports, drawings, warranty terms — is yours on request.
From the urban core to the outer suburbs and rural villages, all within Ontario. If your neighbourhood is not listed, call (613) 324-9141 — if you are in the Ottawa area, we most likely cover you.
Because Ottawa universally uses the 613 (and overlay 343) area code, you can always reach our team directly at (613) 324-9141, wherever in the region your property sits.
Six things every Ottawa homeowner should understand before renovating, with the real numbers and the real regulator names, current as of 2026.
The City of Ottawa requires a building permit for most structural work, additions, basement conversions, and new plumbing, and calculates the fee from the value or floor area of construction. For alterations and renovations to existing buildings, the fee is based on the estimated construction value; for new floor area, on gross floor area. The minimum permit fee is $117, due when you submit. A typical residential renovation review runs about five to ten business days. We handle this application, and the fee is passed through at cost.
Development Charges are separate from the building permit fee and are levied by the City when a project creates a new dwelling unit — a new home, a duplex conversion, or in some cases a secondary suite. They are governed by the provincial Development Charges Act. As of amendments that came into force on November 3, 2025, for most non-rental residential development these charges are now payable at occupancy rather than at permit issuance. Secondary suites may be partially or fully exempt under provincial Bill 23 provisions.
The current Ontario Building Code requires a minimum ceiling height of 1.95 metres (6 ft 5 in) throughout the habitable rooms and exit path of a secondary suite, with a reduced clearance of 1.85 metres (6 ft 1 in) permitted under beams, ducts, and other obstructions. Height is measured to the finished floor and the underside of the finished ceiling. This single number is where more basement-apartment projects fail than any other, which is why we measure before we plan.
The Ontario Building Code requires footings to sit below the local maximum frost penetration depth. Across the Ottawa Valley that generally means roughly 1.4 to 1.5 metres — deeper than the 1.2 metres typical of southern Ontario. Any new foundation, addition, deck, garage, or porch we build is founded below that depth so the freeze-thaw cycle cannot heave it. Frost-protected shallow foundation techniques are an engineered alternative in appropriate cases.
Ontario does not issue a provincial licence for the general-contractor role on renovations to existing homes — but it does regulate the trades. Electrical, plumbing, gas, and HVAC are compulsory or permitted trades that must be performed by certified tradespeople. Electrical work is permitted and inspected by the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA), gas work by the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA). On every project we ensure compulsory trades are handled by the right certified professional with the right permit.
Ordinary renovations and upgrades to an existing home do not require the contractor to be licensed by the Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA) or enrolled with Tarion. But when a project creates a genuinely new dwelling — certain conversions, laneway and coach houses, some substantial additions — it can cross into "new home" territory under the New Home Construction Licensing Act, where HCRA licensing and Tarion warranty coverage apply. We help you understand which side of that line your project sits on before you commit.
General attribution only — from renovations across the city.
They walked our 1970s bungalow before quoting and found the aluminum wiring themselves. It was in the fixed price from day one, not a phone call three weeks in asking for more money.
Our basement was two centimetres short for a legal suite and they caught it with a tape measure before we spent a dollar. They priced the fix honestly and we made the call with real numbers in front of us.
The permit and the inspections were completely handled. We never once had to call the City ourselves, and everything was signed off properly at the end.
Opening up the main floor meant a load-bearing wall and a beam. The engineered drawings were part of the quote, and the inspector had no issues at all.
We have a century home in the Glebe and were nervous about the heritage rules. They flagged the review requirement early and it never became a delay.
The written warranty showed up with our close-out documents exactly as promised. Every piece of paperwork was in one folder when they handed the project back to us.
They dealt with the water in the basement before finishing it. A year later it is bone dry — which apparently is not a given down here.
Fixed price meant fixed price. The one change we made was priced in writing before they touched it. No games.
The questions Ottawa homeowners ask most, answered directly.
Whether it is a single bathroom, a finished basement, a full second storey, or a whole-home renovation, the path is the same: an on-site assessment at no cost and no obligation, a written fixed-price quote within a few business days, the building permit handled end-to-end, work built to the current Ontario Building Code, and a written warranty delivered at close-out.
Call us direct(613) 324-9141The City of Ottawa & surrounding communities, Ontario
Quick response & a written quote within a few business days
On-site, no cost, no obligation — you decide from there
Permits handled, built to code, written warranty at close-out