Home additions in Etobicoke
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 addition goes up as a shell before the wall into the house is opened, so most families stay through the work, and the machine access to the back yard is planned at the site walk. An addition is more house on the same lot, and the job lives or dies at the tie-in: where the new foundation meets the old, where the roofs meet, and where the floors have to line up.
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. On that stock in Etobicoke, the rear addition with a new kitchen across the back is the most common brief, with two-storey additions where the lot has the depth. 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.
Read more about building in Etobicoke or the full home additions page.
On the drawing.
Zoning check of setbacks and lot coverage before design so the addition fits the lot
Engineered drawings and a rendering of the addition inside and out
Building permit filed and followed by us, with any conservation review handled first
Excavation, new foundation, framing, roof and envelope tied into the existing structure
Openings cut into the old house under shoring, with beams sized by the engineer
Mechanical and electrical extended, finishes from the catalogue, a deficiency walk and a written warranty
Paper first.
An addition needs a building permit with engineered drawings, and the setbacks and lot coverage in the zoning by-law decide whether the design goes straight to permit or to the Committee of Adjustment first. 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.
- Setbacks and lot coverage come from the zoning by-law; a design outside them goes to the Committee of Adjustment first.
- Lots inside a conservation authority's regulated area need its review before the permit.
- Heritage listing adds a review of anything visible from the street.
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 | A single-storey rear addition and a two-storey one share a foundation but not much else. |
| The tie-in | How much of the existing rear wall opens up, and whether the roofs meet cleanly or the old roof is reworked. |
| Foundation type | Full basement under the addition, crawl space or slab, and what the soil and the water table allow. |
| Lot constraints | Setbacks, lot coverage, a ravine or conservation edge, and how a machine reaches the back yard. |
| Finish level | Kitchen and bathroom scope inside the addition, chosen from the catalogue. |
No price per square foot on this site. The zoning check and the drawings set the number, and the number holds because of them.
The zoning by-law sets rear and side setbacks and a lot coverage limit. We run the check before design so the addition you draw is one the City of Toronto (Toronto Building) will approve.
Usually. The shell goes up first, the wall between the house and the addition opens last, and dust walls seal the route in between.
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.
Usually. The 1950s bungalows in Alderwood, Humber Valley and Islington were built on foundations that often carry a second floor with reinforcement at the corners, and the lots have the width to crane the trusses in. The engineer confirms it from a test pit before drawings.