Our renovation process, from site measure to issued permit.
We prepare the permit drawings, coordinate any structural design, submit the application and answer the examiner’s comments until the permit is issued. Your drawings are prepared by a BCIN-qualified designer.
The department’s side has a clock.
- 01What kind of house is it?
- 03Is the application complete?
- 04Does another approval have to come first?
- Nov 2In
- T1
- W2
- T3
- F4
- S
- S
- M5
- T6
- W
- T7
- F8
- S
- S
- M9
- T10
- Counted days
- 10
- Skipped
- 5
- Calendar days
- 15
The Building Code’s legal time to issue or refuse, not a promise. Saturdays, Sundays and holidays don’t count. Local targets are on your department’s page.
Six steps, in this order.
Quote
You tell us what you want to change and send your address. We confirm it needs a permit and quote the work.
Site measure
We measure the house and the rooms that change, and draw the house as it is now.
Design and permit drawings
We design with you, then prepare the proposed plans, sections and details, and the forms the department asks for.
Structural coordination
Where the structure changes, the structural design is coordinated with an outside licensed professional and built into our drawings.
Submission and comments
We submit the application to your building department and answer the plans examiner’s comments.
Permit issued
The department issues the permit, and you get drawings any licensed contractor can price and build from.
What you bring to the table.
Access
To the house, for the site measure.
What you have
A survey, if you have one, and any existing drawings.
What you want
What you want to change, and how you use the space now.
Decisions
At the design stage, so the permit set reflects what you’ll actually build.
Your signature
On the forms that need the owner.
What goes into a renovation permit set.
Existing and proposed floor plans
So the examiner sees exactly what changes.
Sections and details
As the work requires.
Structural design
Where needed, prepared and sealed by an outside licensed professional, and shown on our drawings.
Schedule 1
The designer information form, recording who designed the project and their qualifications.
Each department adds its own items, such as an online portal, a size limit on emailed files, or lot grading approval before you apply.
Examiner comments are part of the job.
A plans examiner may ask for changes or more detail. We answer each comment, revise the drawings and resubmit. Answers within the original scope are part of our fee; see what’s included.
- 01Submit
The full set goes to your department.
- 02Comments
The examiner asks for changes or more detail.
- 03Revise
We answer each comment and update the drawings.
- 04Resubmit
Back to the examiner.
- 05Issued
The permit is issued.
How long it takes.
We don’t publish a time for our own work, because it depends on your scope and how quickly decisions are made.
The department’s side has a clock. Once an application is complete, the Ontario Building Code gives the department 10 days to issue or refuse a permit for a house with no unit above another, and 15 days for a house with a unit above another, which covers most houses with a basement suite. The clock starts the day after a complete application arrives, and Saturdays and holidays aren’t counted. Within 2 days, the department may tell you documents are missing or another approval is still needed. Approvals that must come first, such as a conservation authority permit or lot grading approval, are separate and add time.
After the permit.
Your contractor builds to the drawings, and the department inspects the work at set stages. Keep the permit and drawings on site. For structural work, the inspector is notified when the framing is substantially complete, before it’s covered: in practice, the new beam and posts are inspected before the drywall goes back.
Any licensed contractor can price and build from our drawings. Who prepares your drawings.
What we don’t do.
- Construction, or temporary support while a wall comes out
- Lot grading plans or septic design
- Plumbing design (we show new fixture locations on the layout)
- Minor variance applications
If your project needs one of these, we tell you early so you can plan around it.
Process questions.
Do you build the renovation?
No. We design and prepare the permit application. Any licensed contractor can price and build from our drawings.
What if the design doesn’t fit the zoning?
The only route may be a minor variance. We don’t offer minor variance applications, but we tell you early if your project looks like it would need one.
When do I pay the permit fee?
The permit fee is paid to the municipality, separate from our design fee, and each department sets its own.
Find your building departmentPick the question closest to yours.
Do I need a permit?
The work that usually needs one, and what’s often exempt.
Basic vs. Major Renovation
What moves a project onto the permit path.
Renovations FAQ
Fees, drawings, inspections and permits.
Pricing
Our design fees, and the municipal costs on top of them.
Tell us what you’re changing. We’ll quote it.
A short description, your address and a few photos are enough to start.
Who answers the examiner’s comments?
We do. We revise the drawings and resubmit. Answers to examiner comments within the original scope are part of our fee.