Toronto's Condo Renovation Experts

A Toronto condo renovation is a fundamentally different project from a detached-house renovation, and treating it like one is the single biggest mistake homeowners make when they sign up for an inexperienced contractor. The work happens inside a corporation-governed shared building, every load is engineered for a specific use, every plumbing stack belongs to neighbours upstairs and downstairs, and every condo board has its own indemnity agreement, working-hours rules, elevator-booking process, and material-handling fees. At RenoHouse we have completed condo renovations from a tight 600-square-foot one-bedroom in King West for $35,000 to a 2,000-square-foot Yorkville penthouse for $250,000, and the pre-construction governance work is often as time-consuming as the build itself.

Pricing in 2026 has firmed up considerably. A 600-square-foot one-bedroom basic refresh (paint, floors, vanity, light fixtures, hardware) lands around $35,000 to $45,000 in Toronto, Mississauga, or Vaughan. A 1,200-square-foot two-bedroom mid-range full renovation — meaning the kitchen, bathroom, flooring throughout, and paint — typically runs around $95,000, which is our most common project size. Luxury penthouses or 2,000-plus-square-foot custom builds with imported tile, statement millwork, full electrical reconfiguration, and premium appliance packages can land between $180,000 and $250,000 or more.

Condo board approval and the indemnity agreement

Before a single demolition saw fires up, the unit owner must file a renovation application with the condominium corporation. This typically includes a scope letter, a contractor licence and insurance package (RenoHouse provides $5 million liability and full WSIB), the project schedule, and a signed indemnity agreement that places liability for any damage to common elements squarely on the owner. Most Toronto condo boards require board approval before plumbing or structural modifications, and many require an independent engineering review when penetrations are made through floor slabs (for new drains in the bathroom, for example).

Elevator booking is a separate scheduling exercise. Move-in/move-out windows are typically Monday-to-Friday 9am to 5pm, weekend work is often prohibited, and elevator pads must be installed before any material is loaded. Elevator-booking and material-handling fees range from $3,000 to $8,000 on a typical project — we build this into the contract upfront so there is no surprise at the end.

What's actually involved in a condo renovation

A standard mid-range condo renovation at RenoHouse runs through the following sequence: pre-construction governance (board approval, elevator booking, hoarding installation on common-element corridors), selective demolition with full debris containment, electrical reconfiguration by a 309A Master Electrician under ECRA/ESA notification, plumbing rough-in by a Skilled Trades Ontario 306A licensed plumber, framing of any new partitions, drywall and finishing, tile work (porcelain large-format is the dominant 2026 spec for both bathrooms and high-end kitchen floors), kitchen and bath cabinetry installation, quartz or natural-stone countertop fabrication and install, appliance installation, hardwood or engineered hardwood throughout the living spaces, baseboard and casing, paint, and a full deep clean.

Ontario Building Code Part 3 applies to multi-residential buildings, which is materially different from the Part 9 rules that apply to detached homes. Fire separation between units, sound transmission requirements (typically STC 50 minimum for party walls), and material restrictions in common-element exits all come into play. Anything that touches the building's fire-alarm or sprinkler systems requires a separate permit pulled by a licensed mechanical contractor.

Permits, compliance, and the inspection schedule

Most condo renovations in Toronto require a Toronto Chapter 363 building permit when the scope includes plumbing relocation, electrical reconfiguration, or partition framing. Cosmetic-only refreshes (paint, replace-in-kind floors and fixtures) typically do not require a permit but still require condo board approval. Plumbing is regulated by Skilled Trades Ontario under the 306A trade and electrical work falls under ECRA/ESA jurisdiction with a 309A Master Electrician supervising. Inspections happen at rough-in (plumbing and electrical), drywall, and final.

Cost factors, GTA market reality, and RenoHouse delivery

The single biggest cost variables on a Toronto condo renovation are unit size, the depth of plumbing/electrical reconfiguration, finish tier, and the building's specific rules. A condo where the building permits trades to work weekends and evenings can compress a project from twelve weeks to seven, which translates directly to lower labour cost. A building with strict 9-to-5 weekday rules and a single freight elevator can push the same project to fourteen or sixteen weeks.

RenoHouse runs condo renovations in Toronto, Mississauga, Vaughan, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, Markham, Richmond Hill, Burlington, and Oakville. We carry the documentation package for property-management approval already templated, we have working relationships with most major Toronto building managers, and we schedule trades around the board's rules from the start. Every project carries a written fixed-price scope, weekly progress photos in a private client portal, and a two-year workmanship warranty. Call 289-212-2345 to schedule a no-obligation on-site assessment and a written scope.

Toronto/GTA neighborhood considerations

• King West / Liberty Village / CityPlace (2010-2020 highrise): Bulkheads at 7'2" fixed (HVAC trunk in ceiling), no through-slab plumbing relocation allowed by board, ICF or sheet-foam slab assembly limits hardwood install — engineered hardwood with IIC ≥ 50 acoustic underlay mandatory (QuietWalk, FloorMuffler, Proflex 90). Form 1 Application 4-8 week lead. Typical scope $180K-$340K, 14-22 weeks. Weekday 9-5 or 5-9 work-window only, weekend-restricted.
• Yorkville / Yonge-Eglinton (premium pre-2010 mid-rise): Older buildings — original copper plumbing risers vs ABS branches, cast-iron drain stacks, asbestos-containing pipe insulation (Reg 278/05 Type 2 abatement on disturbance). Premium $50K-$120K abatement premium baked in. Typical scope $280K-$520K.
• Etobicoke / North York Centre / Yonge-Sheppard (1990s mid-rise stock): Lath-and-plaster walls (rare for condos), original kitchen / bath fixtures at end-of-life, original electrical 100A residential-style panel. Standard scope $140K-$280K.
• Mississauga Square One / Vaughan VMC / Markham Unionville (2010+ tower): Identical envelope to King West but lower assessment, lower density (no shared-wall density bonus). Typical scope $130K-$260K. Same Form 1 + Board approval friction.
• Downtown Heritage / Cabbagetown converted condo (industrial brick conversion): Original cast-iron drain stack, original 1920s brick exterior, exposed-timber beam pre-existing in many lofts. Tin-ceiling restoration, brick-pointing, original-feature preservation specified by Status Certificate. Typical scope $220K-$420K with $30K-$60K heritage-feature restoration premium.