What we find when we open an entire house
Every era of Ottawa housing has its own list. Pre-war homes downtown often have knob and tube remnants, no wall insulation and cast iron drains. Post-war bungalows have undersized panels and original bathrooms.
Homes from the 1970s and 1980s generally have decent structure, with aluminum wiring in some pockets and bathroom fans venting into the attic.
A whole house renovation is the one time all of that can be fixed at once, while the walls are open and the trades are already on site. Doing it piecemeal later costs several times as much.
Sequence, and keeping the house livable
Demolition, structural framing, rough-ins, inspections, insulation and vapour barrier, board, paint, flooring, then trim and fixtures. That order is fixed, and skipping an inspection means undoing finished work.
Where the scope allows we stage the work so one bathroom and a temporary kitchen stay usable, dust barriers separate finished areas, and the walking route from the front door stays clean.
On full gut projects most clients move out for part of it, and we are honest about which weeks are genuinely unlivable rather than optimistic about it.
Where the budget actually goes
Kitchens, bathrooms and mechanical systems consume most of a whole house budget. Paint, flooring and trim are visible but comparatively cheap.
That matters when priorities have to be set. We break the estimate into stages so you can see what is structural and non negotiable, and what is a finish level decision you can adjust.
What a whole house renovation contract includes
- Scope room by room: what is demolished, built, moved and finished.
- Trade sequence: the order of work and roughly when each trade is on site.
- Allowances: real numbers for tile, fixtures and cabinets.
- Permits and engineering: listed as line items where required.
- Change orders: written approval before any extra work proceeds.
- Deficiency walk: list cleared before final invoicing.
Where whole house renovation sits in the bigger job
This work is part of our remodeler 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 home additions or interior renovation. One contract covers whichever combination you need, with a single schedule and one point of contact.
Whole House Renovation 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.