What we measure before drawing anything
We survey the existing house properly: room dimensions, ceiling heights, window and door openings, stair geometry, and where the mechanical systems run.
Then we look for the constraints that decide layout. Which walls are carrying load, where the plumbing stacks are, whether the panel has capacity, and what the joist direction allows.
In split levels, which are common through Nepean and Gloucester, the stair runs limit what can change without structural work. That gets flagged in the concept rather than discovered during demolition.
Why we produce more than one option
One concept invites a yes or no. Three concepts invite a conversation about trade-offs, which is where better decisions come from.
Typically we show a conservative option that works within the existing structure, a middle option that removes one wall, and an ambitious option that changes the layout properly. Each one carries its own cost range.
Clients very often choose the middle option and add one element from the ambitious one. That is exactly what the process is for.
Load bearing walls decide the budget
Almost every open concept request involves taking out a wall, and whether that wall carries load changes everything about the price.
Removing a bearing wall means a properly sized beam, posts carried down to a footing, engineering, and a permit. We confirm what the wall is doing before quoting, so the number you get is real. Our remodeler service handles that construction.
What a concept package includes
- Existing conditions: measured drawings of the house as it is now.
- Two or three layouts: each with the trade-offs written down.
- Structural notes: which walls carry load and what removing them involves.
- Build cost range: per option, based on current Ottawa pricing.
- Permit path: what the City will need for the option you choose.
- Next step pricing: the fixed fee to develop the chosen concept.
Where renovation design concepts sits in the bigger job
This work is part of our building designer service, so it can run on its own or as one stage inside a larger project. When it is part of a bigger renovation we sequence it with the other trades rather than treating it as a standalone visit.
Clients booking this often pair it with custom home design or kitchen design. One contract covers whichever combination you need, with a single schedule and one point of contact.
Renovation Design Concepts across the Ottawa area
We take this work on throughout the greater Ottawa area. Recent jobs have run through Nepean, Merivale, South Keys, Kanata and the surrounding neighbourhoods. The consultation is free wherever you are in the city.