Custom homes in Etobicoke
A custom home starts with the lot, not the floor plan. The zoning envelope, the services at the street and any conservation or heritage overlay decide how much house the lot can carry, and Savino Construction reads all of it before a line is drawn. The Etobicoke brief is usually a second storey on a bungalow, a rear addition with a new kitchen, or a custom home where the old house has run its course.
Etobicoke, on the ground.
Etobicoke is Kingsway brick two-storeys and postwar bungalows in Alderwood, Humber Valley and Islington, most on lots wide enough to work from the driveway. That stock is why most custom homes in Etobicoke start with a tear-down: the land has outlasted the house on it. Driveways are wide and side yards are workable, and the Humber and Mimico Creek put many lots inside a conservation authority's regulated area. The demolition, the excavation, the crane days and the material drops are planned around the neighbours before the first truck arrives, and the schedule is written into the contract.
Read more about building in Etobicoke or the full custom homes page.
On the drawing.
Zoning review of the lot before design starts, so the house you draw is one the city will approve
Engineered drawings and a photorealistic rendering of the finished house
Building permit application filed and followed by us, with any conservation or heritage review handled first
Demolition of the existing house where there is one, with the permit and disconnects it needs
Foundation, framing, envelope, roof, mechanical, electrical and finishes by our crew and our trades
A deficiency walk with the list closed before the last payment, and a written warranty at handover
Paper first.
A custom home needs a building permit with engineered drawings, a separate demolition permit where a house comes down first, and a Committee of Adjustment hearing if the design is outside the zoning envelope. Toronto Building issues the permit; lots along the Humber and Mimico Creek add a conservation authority review first.
- A building permit with engineered drawings is required in every GTA municipality.
- Where an existing house comes down first, a demolition permit and utility disconnects are separate applications.
- A design outside the zoning envelope goes to the Committee of Adjustment before the permit.
- Ravine, waterfront, moraine and escarpment lots add a conservation authority or commission review first.
- New homes sold in Ontario need a licensed builder and Tarion enrolment. [Kam confirms the HCRA licence and Tarion status.]
The paperwork wall: WSIB, insurance, licences, the HCRA status and the warranty, on one page and dated.
| Driver | What we look at |
|---|---|
| Floor area and storeys | The square footage above and below grade sets the structure, the envelope and the hours. |
| The lot | A serviced infill lot and a rural lot on a well and septic are different jobs before the house is drawn. |
| Approvals | Committee of Adjustment, conservation authority, heritage or escarpment review each add time before the permit. |
| Envelope and finishes | Brick versus stone, window count and size, roof form, and the interior finish level chosen from the catalogue. |
| Mechanical | Heating and cooling type, in-floor heat, a backup system on a rural lot. |
There is no price per square foot on this site. A number given before a site walk and a drawing is a guess, and a guess turns into a change order later.
The zoning by-law sets height, setbacks, lot coverage and floor area for the street. We run that check before design so the house you draw is one the City of Toronto (Toronto Building) will approve.
Yes. The demolition permit, the disconnects and the tear-down are part of the same contract as the new house, so there is one schedule from start to keys.
The City of Toronto, through Toronto Building. Etobicoke has had no separate office since 1998.
If the lot is inside the conservation authority's regulated area, its review comes before the permit and sets the limits on what can be built and where. We check the mapping at the zoning stage.