Second storey additions in East York
Lots are narrow and side passages are tight, so most material comes in from the street and the crane is scheduled for a single lift. The roof comes off in one planned stretch, the house is weather-protected while the floor is framed and closed in, and the family is usually out for that period, which the schedule is written around. A second storey is the addition that keeps the lot. The roof comes off, a new floor goes on, and the old house and the new one have to read as a single building, which starts with a test pit and an engineer's answer on what the footings can carry.
East York, on the ground.
East York is 1940s and 1950s bungalows and semis on narrow lots, with larger 1930s lots in Leaside on the west edge. Those houses are the usual second storey candidates in East York, and the lot width decides how simple the crane day is. The East York brief is usually a second storey on a bungalow with no room to go back, a whole-home renovation into one open floor, or a custom home in Leaside.
Read more about building in East York or the full second storey additions page.
On the drawing.
A test pit at the site walk stage so the engineer sees the footings before a floor is drawn
Engineered drawings with the load path decided: reinforced footings, new corner footings or a steel frame
Building permit filed and followed by us, with the zoning height check done first
Roof removal, temporary weather protection, floor and wall framing, new roof and envelope
Staircase, mechanical and electrical extended to the new floor, finishes from the catalogue
A deficiency walk with the list closed before the last payment, and a written warranty
Paper first.
A second storey needs a building permit with engineered drawings, and the zoning height limit for the street decides whether the design goes straight to permit or through the Committee of Adjustment first. Toronto Building issues the permit, and the narrow lots put many designs at the edge of the zoning envelope, which decides whether a Committee of Adjustment hearing comes first.
- A building permit with engineered drawings is required in every GTA municipality.
- The zoning by-law sets a height limit for the street; a design above it goes to the Committee of Adjustment first.
- On a semi, the drawings show how the new load stays off the shared wall.
- 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 |
|---|---|
| What the foundation can carry | Reinforced footings cost less than a steel moment frame, and only the test pit tells us which one you need. |
| Floor area of the new storey | A full floor over the whole footprint, or a partial one set back from the front. |
| Roof and envelope | Roof form, cladding that matches or replaces the ground floor, window count. |
| The ground floor | Whether the stair opening and the mechanical runs mean the ground floor is reworked at the same time. |
| Where you live during the build | A second storey usually means moving out for a period, and the schedule is built around that. |
No price per square foot on this site. The test pit and the drawings set the number, and the number holds because of them.
Most can, with reinforced footings or a steel frame decided by the engineer from a test pit. We open one at the site walk stage so the answer is in the price before drawings.
It depends on whether the design fits the height limit for the street. Inside the envelope it goes through as a building permit from the City of Toronto (Toronto Building); above it, the Committee of Adjustment comes first. [Kam confirms typical timing.]
The City of Toronto, through Toronto Building. East York has had no separate office since 1998.
For a second storey the roof comes off, so most families move out for a period. With a whole-home renovation on one floor it is sometimes possible to stay. We tell you which at the site walk, not after you sign.