General Renovations

A whole-home or main-floor renovation usually starts with a house that works against the people living in it: a closed-off kitchen at the back, a dining room nobody sits in, three kinds of flooring between the front door and the patio, and trim painted over so many times its profile has disappeared. At this scale the job is the whole floor plan rather than one room, and it has to be planned that way.

Main floors, whole houses and rentals between tenants

For homeowners, the usual scope is a main floor opened up and refinished end to end: walls removed or shortened, new flooring laid in one continuous run, fresh drywall where old plaster was too far gone, new interior doors and trim, and paint throughout. For landlords, investors and property managers, it is often a complete unit refresh between tenants, where durable finishes and a firm handover date matter most.

Our own crew handles demolition, framing, insulation, drywall and ceiling finishing, flooring, tile, trim and painting. Electrical, plumbing, gas and HVAC changes are made by licensed trades, and any structural design comes from an engineer. We book their visits around our stages so each part is ready when the next person arrives.

Taking out a wall that carries weight

Opening up the main floor is a common request, and it is where planning pays off. Many interior walls in GTA houses hold up part of the floor or roof above. Taking one out requires a building permit and an engineer-designed beam, with posts that carry the load down to the foundation, and our framing follows the approved drawings. In Toronto, even adding or removing a wall that carries nothing can need a permit when it changes room sizes or uses. At the first visit we point out which walls are likely to be load-bearing, what they probably hide (ducts, drains or wiring) and whether a permit is likely; if one is, we help you put the application together and coordinate it.

How a whole-floor renovation runs

1. Walkthrough and written estimate — we measure every room and send an itemized scope that separates our work from the licensed trades, the engineering and any permit steps.
2. Protection and tear-out — floors, stairs and the rooms you are keeping are covered, dust walls go up, and the old finishes come out.
3. Structure and rough-ins — framing changes are made, then the electrician, plumber and HVAC contractor move what the new layout requires, and the required inspections take place before anything is closed in.
4. Walls and ceilings — insulation goes into opened exterior walls, then drywall is hung, taped, sanded and primed so the whole floor reads as one finished surface.
5. Floors, doors and trim — the flooring runs through, then baseboards, casings and doors are fitted to the new floor height.
6. Finish coats and walkthrough — the final coats of paint go on, then we clean and walk the floor with you to list anything still to be done.

What moves the budget and the calendar

Floor area is only one factor. The cost of a main-floor or whole-home renovation depends mostly on how much of the structure changes, how many licensed trades are involved, what turns up once walls and floors are opened, and the finishes you pick. Older houses with settled floors, crumbling plaster or old knob-and-tube wiring need more work before anything new goes on. In houses built before the 1990s, some plaster, textured ceilings, floor tiles and insulation can contain asbestos; suspect materials should be tested before demolition, and any removal is done by an abatement specialist. Access counts as well: a detached house with a driveway is easier to supply than a row house with no side entrance.

The schedule is shaped by the engineering and permit steps, by when materials arrive, by inspections and by how early decisions are made. Choosing flooring, doors and trim before demolition keeps the crew working instead of waiting. We go through the expected order of work with you before we start and tell you as soon as anything shifts it.

Deciding what to do now and what can wait

Twelve years or so on construction and renovation sites have left us with one firm recommendation for a project this size: do the messy work once. If a kitchen renovation is likely in a few years, plan its layout and rough-ins now so finished floors and walls are not torn up later. If the budget points to phases, we help you choose a sensible order: structure and services first, finishes last. Other questions to settle early are how open the plan should really be (a wide cased opening, rather than no wall at all, can keep room for furniture and storage) and whether original trim and doors are worth keeping.

For a project on this scale, a hand-drawn floor plan and photos of each room are a good place to start. Send them, or book a visit, and we will explain what is involved and set it out in a free written estimate.