Load-bearing wall removal in Scarborough
Driveways and side yards are wide enough for a crane and a material drop, so less is carried by hand than in the old city. The floor above is shored on both sides, the wall comes out behind dust walls, the beam is set and landed on new footings, and the finishes are patched so the wall was never there. Taking out a load-bearing wall is an engineering job with a demolition inside it: the engineer sizes the beam, the posts and the footings, and the crew shores the floor, cuts the wall and lands the steel.
Scarborough, on the ground.
Scarborough is mostly 1950s to 1970s bungalows and side-splits on 40 to 50 foot lots, the easiest houses in the city to add a floor to. In those houses in Scarborough, the wall between the kitchen and the dining room is the one that usually comes out, and it usually carries the floor above. The Scarborough brief is usually a second storey on a bungalow, a rear addition with an open kitchen, or a lowered basement for a legal suite.
Read more about building in Scarborough or the full load-bearing wall removal page.
On the drawing.
A site walk that identifies which walls carry load and what sits above them
Engineered drawings with the beam, posts and footings sized
Building permit filed and followed by us
Temporary shoring on both sides of the wall, floor protection and dust walls
Wall out, beam set, posts landed on new footings, floors levelled
Drywall, flooring and finishes patched or replaced so the wall was never there
Paper first.
A load-bearing wall needs a building permit with an engineer's drawing, and the inspector sees the beam and posts before they are closed in. Permits come from Toronto Building; Scarborough has had no separate office since amalgamation in 1998, and lots near the Bluffs add a conservation review.
- A building permit with engineered drawings is required in every GTA municipality for any wall that carries load.
- The inspector sees the beam and the posts before they are closed in.
- Ducts, plumbing and wiring moved out of the wall are permitted and inspected with their own trades.
The paperwork wall: WSIB, insurance, licences, the HCRA status and the warranty, on one page and dated.
| Driver | What we look at |
|---|---|
| Span and load | A long opening under two floors needs a bigger beam and posts on new footings. |
| Flush or dropped beam | A beam hidden in the ceiling costs more than one below it, and the joists above decide whether it is possible. |
| Footings | Posts need something to land on, and that can mean new footings through the basement slab. |
| What is in the wall | Ducts, plumbing and wiring that have to move before the wall can go. |
| Finishes | Matching an old hardwood floor across the opening, or refinishing the whole room. |
No price per wall on this site. The engineer's drawing sets the number.
For a load-bearing wall, yes, from the City of Toronto (Toronto Building), with an engineer's drawing. For a partition wall carrying nothing, usually no. We tell you which at the site walk.
Often. A flush beam sits between the joists so the ceiling stays flat. It costs more than a dropped beam, and what is above decides whether it is possible.
Most can, with new footings at the corners or a steel frame to carry the load, which the engineer decides after looking at the foundation. We open a test pit at the site walk stage so the answer comes before the drawings, not after.
The City of Toronto. Scarborough has been inside the City since 1998, so the application goes to Toronto Building.