Safer Bathrooms and Smoother Walls for Ajax Homes

A Town Shaped by Its Wartime Beginnings

Few places in the GTA have a founding story as specific as the one in Ajax. During the Second World War, farmland in what is now the south end became the site of the Defence Industries Limited munitions plant, and the community that grew up around it took its name from HMS Ajax, the Royal Navy cruiser that fought at the Battle of the River Plate in 1939. Many local street names, Harwood Avenue among them, honour people connected with the ship. After the war, Ajax was laid out as a planned town around the original wartime housing, and in 1974 the Town took in the much older Pickering Village, whose heritage buildings line Old Kingston Road and Church Street.

That history shows up when we renovate. A good number of the older homes in south Ajax are compact one- and one-and-a-half-storey houses that have been extended, re-sided and patched by several owners, so walls can be a mix of plaster, early drywall and panelling. Much of north Ajax, by contrast, is made up of newer subdivisions where the finishes are simpler but the basements are often still bare concrete.

Three Projects That Suit Ajax Houses

Bathrooms That Stay Easy to Use

One of the most common requests from people who have owned their homes for a long time is to make the main bathroom easier and safer to use. Replacing a tub with a low-threshold shower, adding solid blocking inside the walls so grab bars can go exactly where they are needed, choosing a slip-resistant floor tile and freeing up space around the toilet all help people stay in the house they know. Our team takes on the demolition, framing, shower waterproofing, tile, drywall and finishing, while licensed plumbers connect the fixtures and drains. A full bathroom renovation usually takes two to four weeks, and we can plan the order of work so a second bathroom stays usable throughout.

Walls and Ceilings With a Long History

Cracked ceilings, old anchor holes, a seam where an addition meets the original house, or a room that is plaster on one side of the doorway and drywall on the other: these are everyday findings in older south Ajax homes. Dated wood panelling can usually come down and be replaced with fresh drywall. For the rest, we cut back to sound material, re-secure or replace what is failing, then tape, fill and sand until the repair disappears under paint. Where a wall or ceiling is too far gone, we explain the difference in cost and disruption between patching and re-boarding so you can choose with the full picture.

Basements for Busy Households

In the newer parts of town, the basement is usually the obvious place to gain space: a playroom, a place for teenagers to gather, a home office or a guest room. We frame, insulate, drywall, floor and paint the space, work around the mechanical room, and tell you early if part of the design, such as a new bedroom window or a separate unit, would need a building permit from the Town of Ajax.

Whichever project you have in mind, you get a free, itemized estimate that spells out what is included before anything starts. If something unexpected turns up behind a wall, we show you, talk it through and agree on the change with you before doing the extra work.