5 Things to Know Before Renovating Your Toronto Home

Renovating a home in Toronto is one of the best investments you can make — if you go in prepared. After overseeing hundreds of renovation projects across the GTA, we have seen what separates smooth, successful renovations from the ones that go sideways. Here are the five things every homeowner should know before picking up the phone.

First: permits are not optional. Toronto requires building permits for most renovations that involve structural changes, electrical or plumbing work, or changes to the building envelope. A kitchen renovation that moves a wall needs a permit. A bathroom addition needs a permit. Even some cosmetic renovations trigger permit requirements if they affect fire separations or means of egress. Working without permits is not just illegal — it can void your insurance, complicate a future sale, and result in the city requiring you to tear out completed work.

Second: budget for surprises. Every experienced contractor will tell you that older Toronto homes have hidden conditions — knob-and-tube wiring, outdated plumbing, asbestos in unexpected places, structural issues behind walls that look fine from the outside. We recommend a contingency of 10 to 15 percent of your total budget for unforeseen conditions. On a $200,000 renovation, that means setting aside $20,000 to $30,000 for the unexpected. It feels like a lot until you open a wall and find something that needs to be addressed.

Third: the design phase is where you save money. It is tempting to rush through design and get to the "real" work of construction. But every hour spent on design saves ten hours during construction. Detailed drawings, material selections, and fixture choices made before construction begins prevent costly changes mid-build. When a homeowner decides to move a kitchen island after the rough-in plumbing is complete, that change might cost five to ten times more than it would have cost during the design phase.

Fourth: plan for where you will live. Some renovations can be completed while you remain in the home, but many cannot. A full kitchen renovation means no cooking for weeks. A bathroom renovation means sharing one bathroom with the whole family. A full-home renovation likely means moving out entirely. The cost and logistics of temporary housing should be factored into your budget and timeline from the start, not figured out when construction is about to begin.

Fifth: hire a team, not just a contractor. A renovation is only as good as the people executing it. The cheapest bid is almost never the best value. Look for a firm with in-house design capability, licensed tradespeople, proper insurance, and a portfolio of completed work you can verify. Ask for references and actually call them. A reputable contractor will welcome the scrutiny — it is the ones who avoid it that you should worry about.

At Metrohomes, we walk clients through every one of these considerations during our initial consultation. Renovation projects are complex, but with the right planning and the right team, the result is a home that works better, feels better, and is worth significantly more than when you started.