Know before you hire
Guides for Ontario homeowners
Practical guides on renovation costs, permits, licences and hiring a contractor in Ontario. New guides are being added.
What you actually own in an Ontario condo, when section 98 board approval and a registered agreement are required, the flooring acoustic rules, and why the Tribunal cannot hear an alteration dispute.
Garage door prices in Ontario by construction, why R-value measures less than you think, and the Building Code requirement that applies to the door into your house rather than the overhead one.
What landscaping costs in Ontario by node — sod, interlock, retaining walls, drainage — plus the municipal grading rules and permit triggers most homeowners never hear about.
Tree removal permit thresholds and fees for 23 Ontario municipalities, what removal costs by tree size, the boundary tree rule, and the nesting window that limits when you can do it.
Real per-square-foot ranges for every major Ontario renovation, why a kitchen costs six times a basement on the same floor area, and how to build your own number.
What a home addition costs in Ontario, why it runs more per square foot than building new, the approvals that stall projects, and why development charges should be zero.