Home renovation in Mississauga

Renovating in Mississauga

Mississauga grew outward from a handful of older villages into one of the largest cities in Canada, and its houses show it. A few minutes’ drive takes you from a pre-war cottage near the lake to a 1970s planned community to a 2000s subdivision. Each has its own typical renovation.

Mississauga’s housing, area by area

Port Credit, Lakeview, and Mineola. The oldest housing in the city, closest to the lake. Lots are often generous and houses modest, which makes these neighbourhoods popular for additions and whole-home renovations. Expect older wiring and plumbing in houses that have not yet been updated.

Lorne Park and Clarkson. Mature, treed streets with mid-century houses on large lots, many of them already renovated once. Kitchens that open to the yard and larger primary suites are common projects.

Applewood and Cooksville. Largely post-war housing from the 1950s and 1960s: bungalows, side-splits, and back-splits with compact kitchens and a single main bathroom. These layouts respond well to removing the wall between kitchen and dining room.

Erin Mills and Meadowvale. Planned communities built mainly through the 1970s and 1980s. Two-storey homes and townhouses with closed kitchens and original bathrooms are the usual candidates for kitchen and bathroom renovations.

Streetsville. A historic village core surrounded by later subdivisions, so house ages vary street by street.

Churchill Meadows and Lisgar. Mostly built from the late 1990s onward. Projects are typically basement finishing, second units, and replacing builder-grade kitchens and bathrooms.

These are general patterns. We confirm the details of your house at the free site visit.

Permits: the City of Mississauga

Building permits are issued by the City of Mississauga. The City’s page on when a building permit is required lists, among other things:

• adding, removing, or relocating a plumbing fixture such as a sink, tub, toilet, or shower,
• installing, replacing, or repairing plumbing drainage,
• finishing a basement to create rooms or living space,
• adding a basement apartment (second unit),
• new or enlarged doors and windows, and
• furnace and HVAC changes.

It also lists work that does not need a permit, including replacing or installing cabinetry and replacing a plumbing fixture in the same location. Zoning rules apply either way.

Second units

Mississauga is one of the GTA cities where a basement apartment has an extra step. Second units must be registered with the City and meet the zoning and registration by-laws, the Ontario Building Code, and the Fire Code. If an existing unit has no permit on file, a building permit application is needed to legalise it. See legal basement apartments for how we handle that.

Heritage and conservation land

Mississauga’s heritage conservation districts include Meadowvale Village and Old Port Credit Village, where exterior alterations need heritage approval. The Credit River valley and its tributaries are regulated by Credit Valley Conservation, which can affect additions on lots that back onto the valley. Interior renovations are not usually affected by either.

What we do in Mississauga

• Kitchen renovation in Mississauga
• Bathroom renovation in Mississauga
• Basement renovation and legal basement apartments
• Full home renovation and home additions
• Condo renovation and commercial renovation
• 3D renderings before any of it starts

For how a project runs from first call to final day, see our process. For the rules across the province, see our guide to renovation permits in Ontario.