Kitchen renovation in Toronto

Kitchens in Toronto homes

A Toronto kitchen renovation is shaped by two things more than anywhere else in the GTA: the age of the house and the lack of space around it.

Semis and row houses in the old city

In the Annex, High Park, Roncesvalles, Riverdale, Leslieville, and the Beaches, the typical house is five or six metres wide and built before the Second World War. The kitchen sits at the back, often in a rear extension added decades ago, cut off from the rest of the main floor.

The projects people want here are:

• Opening the main floor, so the kitchen connects to the dining and living rooms and light reaches the middle of the house.
• Rebuilding a rear extension that was poorly insulated or built on a shallow foundation.
• A galley or single-wall kitchen with an island, which suits a narrow plan better than a U-shape.

Plan for the house’s age. Knob-and-tube wiring, galvanized or lead water lines, cast-iron drains, and plaster walls are all common, and floors are rarely level. Access matters too: materials come through the front door or down a shared walkway, and a bin on the street needs a City permit.

Leaside, East York, North York, and Scarborough

Two-storey houses and bungalows from the 1930s to the 1970s on wider lots. Kitchens are small and enclosed, but there is room to work. Removing the wall to the dining room is the standard move, and in a bungalow the kitchen can often borrow space from an adjacent bedroom or hallway.

Condos

In a tower the layout is largely fixed by the plumbing stack, so the gains come from better cabinetry, storage that reaches the ceiling, integrated appliances, and lighting. The building’s approval process and work hours set the schedule. See condo renovation for how that works.

City of Toronto permits for kitchens

Toronto Building’s page When Do I Need a Building Permit? sets out both lists.

No permit needed:

• installing cabinetry and millwork,
• repairing or replacing plumbing fixtures,
• replacing a window or door in an existing opening of the same size.

Permit required:

• structural or material alterations, such as adding or removing walls,
• new windows or doors where none existed, and enlarging or relocating openings,
• installing or modifying plumbing or heating systems, and
• any addition, including a rebuilt or enlarged rear extension.

A kitchen that keeps its layout usually proceeds without a building permit. Opening the main floor, relocating plumbing, or rebuilding an extension needs one, with drawings and, for structural work, an engineer’s design. We prepare the drawings and manage the application. Zoning rules apply even when no permit is needed.

Heritage and neighbours

Toronto has many heritage conservation districts and listed properties. A kitchen inside the existing walls is not usually affected, but a rear addition or new openings can need heritage review. In a semi or row house, tell your neighbour before work starts: noise travels through the party wall, and good relations make a tight site easier.

How the project runs

1. Phone conversation, then a free site visit at your Toronto home.
2. Budget and design. We agree on a realistic budget and design to it from your mood board and inspiration photos.
3. 3D rendering, on request. In a narrow house it is the surest way to judge whether an island fits.
4. Approval. Your old kitchen is still in place and usable.
5. Demolition and preparation start 7 to 9 days after design approval.
6. Cabinets in one day; countertops and everything else the next day.

In total, you are without a working kitchen for 2 days.

The full picture of what a kitchen renovation includes is on our main kitchen renovation page, and our kitchen renovation cost guide explains the price tiers below.