Basements & permits What a legal basement suite has to have
Ceiling height, a way out, fire separation between the units, and drawings a plan examiner will stamp. What each of those usually means for the layout you had in mind.
Whole houses and basements converted into legal, separately rented units across the GTA — costed against the rent it will earn before you commit to anything.
Where it starts
A conversion is a financial decision before it is a renovation. If the return will not justify the build, you should hear that at the first visit — not after the drawings are paid for.
A duplex conversion is not a finished basement with a kitchen in it. It is two self-contained dwellings in one building: two entrances, two kitchens, fire separation between them, services that can be metered or apportioned, and a permit that makes the second unit legal to rent. Done properly it produces income the bank and a future buyer both recognise.
We do this with our own money. The owners of this company have converted seven houses and hold thirteen rented suites between them. That is why the first thing you get from us is not a rendering — it is a number: what the conversion costs on your house, what the unit will actually lease for, and what your annual return on investment will be.
Not every house is worth converting. If you are looking to rent out your basement, we will tell you if yours is. If you are looking for a separate investment property, we help you find one worth converting. In both scenarios, we run the numbers for you. Ceiling height, zoning and parking decide most of it. After that it is where the stairs land, where the furnace room sits, and how far the panel and the drains are from what a second unit needs.
The unit is then built to be rented, not to be photographed. Finishes that survive tenants and turnovers, a layout that leases quickly, sound separation you notice only because nobody complains. Electrical is filed with the ESA under our own Master Electrician’s licence.
Everything after construction — the mortgage, the appraisal, the tenants, the property and tenant management — is handled through us by licensed people we work with, so this is a turn-key, headache-free, income-generating experience for you.
Property identification, zoning, height, parking and the rent the area actually achieves — checked, costed and written down before any work begins.
Separate entrances, fire separation, egress, alarms and services built to your municipality’s code and signed off by the city.
Drawings prepared, permit filed, ESA coordinated, inspectors met at every stage. You do not deal with the city.
Finishes and layouts chosen for turnover and wear rather than for a photograph — and they still show well on a listing.
Introductions to licensed mortgage and real estate professionals who handle second-unit appraisals every week.
We handle property management, so you get the same experience and tenant screening we use on our own suites. You can hand over the keys and we take care of the rest.
Who it is for
The construction barely changes. What the second unit is for changes the layout, the finish and the order things happen in — so we ask before we draw.
The unit is planned before you close, so the rent is part of what the house costs you rather than a project for later. We look at the listing with you.
Converting rather than moving. No land transfer tax, no commission, no new mortgage at today’s rate — and the work sequenced so the upper floors stay livable.
Staying in the house and letting the lower floor pay for it. Or living in the smaller unit and renting the main one — which is often the better arithmetic.
We look at a house before you bid and tell you what the conversion costs and what it will earn. Sometimes the answer is that the numbers do not work on that one.
How it runs
Two to four months of that is on site. The rest is the assessment, the design, the permits and the leasing — and the assessment at the front of it takes about a week. You get the dates in writing before anything starts.
We walk the house — yours, or the one you are considering — and check what the zoning, height, parking and servicing allow. You leave with the build cost, the rent that the area actually secures and the return on investment analysis, in writing. Free, and occasionally the answer is that this house is not the one.
If this is a new purchase, we help you identify homes suitable for conversion and connect you with the right individuals to secure the property. Once the home is yours — or if we are simply converting your basement into a legal suite — both units are drawn, fire separation and egress marked, servicing and metering planned. We file the building permit and coordinate ESA.
Strip-out, any underpinning or structural work, and the second entrance cut and framed. Anything unexpected in an older house turns up here — and you hear about it the same day, with a price.
Fire-rated assemblies, sound separation, plumbing and electrical for two independent units. Panels, metering and alarms set up so each unit stands on its own. First inspections.
Everything from here happens twice. Cabinets, counters, tile, flooring and paint in both units, specified for tenancy rather than for show. Electrical finished and tested under our Master Electrician’s licence.
Final building and ESA inspections, deficiencies fixed, occupancy granted. If you want it, this is where we take over the leasing and the property management — most units we finish are leased within two to six weeks.
Conversions we have built
Some of the houses on this page belong to us and are rented out. If you want to walk through a finished conversion before you commit to one, that can usually be arranged.
All projects
South BarrieBarrie
Two-Bedroom CondoVaughan
South-East BarrieBarrie
Alliston HouseAlliston
Vaughan HouseThornhill
Conversions built in Vaughan, Woodbridge, Thornhill, Richmond Hill, Markham, Bradford and Innisfil.
Book a free income assessmentWritten on the job
Basements & permits Ceiling height, a way out, fire separation between the units, and drawings a plan examiner will stamp. What each of those usually means for the layout you had in mind.
Basements & permits Where a bedroom can go depends on where a person can get out. Cutting an opening in a foundation wall is ordinary work — but it is work that has to be planned before the walls are drawn.
Materials Two sheets cut from the same block mirror each other only if the seam lands where the pattern says it should. So the wall gets built first in AutoCAD, before a single sheet goes up.
Our other services
If the question is simply whether the lower floor can be finished for the family that lives upstairs, the legal basement renovations page answers that one. This page is for the houses where a unit is being rented out.
Reviews
The reviews below are from renovation clients rather than from landlords — but it is the same three owners, the same trades and the same way of running a site.
Leave a reviewWe recently contracted SBD to work us on a cottage renovation project. It was a pleasure to work with Danielle on the design and the job. She understood our needs and worked with us to finalize the perfect arrangement of the furniture, adding a new door to our room. On the construction side, we worked closely with Vlad and Denise and several of their contractors to complete the project and record time. We were under a very tight timeline, and Vlad and Alex came through for us. We had to remove walls, rebuild framing, do new drywall painting, install new doors and lights and cabinetry. All was done to our complete satisfaction. We Would highly recommend working with Danielle and Vlad and Alex on any projects. We plan to work with them again next year on an additional renovation at our cottage. A great team really enjoyed working with them
Great company to work with as a subcontractor .Vlad is professional, organized, and easy to communicate with throughout the project. He values quality workmanship and treats his trades with respect. Thank you, Vlad, for the opportunity to work together. I look forward to future projects and highly recommend Surfaces By Design Ontario.
The team did an absolutely amazing job! After dealing with a bad tenant, the SBD team really helped put me at ease with their quality work and professionalism. Would use again in a heartbeat, more than happy to recommend to anyone!
Surfaces by Design has been absolutely amazing. When we first viewed our rental home, they were still putting the finishing touches on the renovations. We were already impressed, but when we arrived on move-in day, we were genuinely shocked by how perfect everything looked.
Every person we've dealt with has been friendly, professional, and a pleasure to work with. Their craftsmanship is beautiful, and it really shows in the quality of their work. We couldn't be happier with our experience!
This is our 3rd renovation project with Surfaces By Design Ontario. The last 2 projects were so successful that we did not think twice to ask Vlad to work with us on renovating our unfinished basement. The transformation from start to finish was seamless and exceeded our expectations. The project flowed smoothly and efficiently thanks to the expertise, dedication and commitment of the team. Despite some changes and adjustments we made along the way, Vlad and his team were very patient and flexible to make the requested changes in support of our vision for this project to ensure we were happy with the end results. There was consistent clear communication and organization throughout the project. More importantly, everyone who entered our home were trustworthy and respectful which was extremely reassuring. Vlad is a perfectionist and takes pride in his work, he cares about the finished project as much as his clients. I would highly recommend Surfaces By Design and I’m looking forward to another future renovation project with Vlad and his team!
Vlad's work is excellent, right on budget, and right on time. Easy to work with, everything left nice and clean! Done a few projects, looking forward to the next !
Our dream kitchen came true!
This is my second renovation project with Surfaces By Design Ontario. The first project was so seamless that I was confident in Vlad and his team to work with us on the second project in our home for our kitchen renovation. My kitchen was transformed into my dream kitchen with the dedication and expertise from Vlad and his team. The kitchen was completely demolished and the transformation from start to finish was seamless which exceeded our expectations. We were living in our home during the renovation and throughout the project the team was continuously cleaning and keeping the working area safe. It was completed within the timeframe specified and very efficiently with minimal disruption to our family and home. There was consistent clear communication and organization throughout the project. I was always informed of when and who would be coming to my home to complete the work. Vlad and his team provided a high level of service, quality, expertise and dedication. More importantly, Vlad and his team were always responsive, trustworthy and respectful which was very reassuring. We went on a one week vacation during our renovation and we had peace of mind that our home renovation continued to run smoothly and Vlad personally ensured it did. The end result of my dream kitchen was due to the expertise of teamwork and primarily because of Vlad’s patience, pride and perfection! I would highly recommend Surfaces By Design and I’m looking forward to another future renovation project with Vlad and his team!
Professional, detail oriented, organized, and an absolute pleasure to work with from start to finish!
We recently worked with Surfaces by Design on a complete overhaul of two bathrooms and had a fantastic experience throughout the entire process.
Vlad was extremely professional the whole way through. He is detail oriented, organized, resourceful and always on time. He communicated clearly, stayed on top of everything, and made this renovation feel smooth and well managed. (which anyone with experience knows can be very rate!)
He brought in a great team that delivered high quality work, on time and on budget. The craftsmanship and attention to detail really show in the final result.
We truly enjoyed working with Vlad and would highly recommend Surfaces by Design to anyone looking for a reliable and professional renovation company. We are already looking forward to working with him again on our next project!
I highly recommend Surfaces by Design, they recently renovated a couple of bathrooms and did a great job
Vlad is reliable, patient and a pleasure to work with!
I recently had the pleasure of collaborating with Vlad on a client project. As an interior decorator, I want contractors to be attentive to my requests and work with me to meet the design objectives, and I feel that he and his team did just that. Whenever issues arose on-site, Vlad was quick to reach out, ensuring that we could address and resolve any concerns promptly and efficiently. It was a pleasure working together.
We hired Surfaces by Design team to do our reno and can't say enough about how positive the design consultation experience has been so far. Danielle patiently listened to all our disperate ideas and then distilled all that into a beautiful 2d/3d design of the kitchen, family room and 2 bathrooms. 2d/3d designs really helped us visualized what the new space could look like and allowed us to make further tweaks to finalize the design. Danielle also provided in-store consultation helping us pick the right materials for the design we settled on. Danielle is great at incorporating the latest trends into the needs of the client, providing a high level of confidence that the design choices we're making doesnt end up being out of date. Overall we wouldn't hesitate to recommend Danielle's design expertise to anybody looking to upgrade their home!
I had the pleasure of working with Surface By Design.
The project was while leaving in the house and they came a day before starting, to prep the house and cover other areas to minimize dust and damage. Vlad is very detailed oriented and pays attention to everything.
Alex is the best!! electrician. Does amazing job, attentive and pleasure to work with.
I highly recommend Surfaces by Design. Vlad did for us a full renovation project for our new house. The level of work and dedication was extra ordinary. Vlad is perfectionist and it is very important for him that the outcome is highest quality. We didn't need to supervise anything, as we could totally count on him and the most professional contractors he works with. We are so happy with our new master bathroom, living room design, bathrooms vanities and many more things that Vlad and his team did for us!!
We recently completed our two bathrooms and front entryway with Surface By Design Ontario Group, and its experience was transformative. The beginning and until the end process was seamless. A designer with great expertise and knowledge of the product, its availability on the market and good taste helped us shape our bathroom and front entryway styles based on our preferences and budget. She listened to us and had great suggestions of important points for the design to be more practical and useful. We, a family of three, had no problem sharing the space during the renovation, as the renovation team was punctual, and kept distraction to a minimum. The team was very flexible to adapt if any new issues arose. The quality of work is at the highest level- clean, all touches are finished, no mess. The most outstanding aspect was the excellent customer service and communication between us and the construction team. As for budget, our family agreed- money well spent. Therefore, the finished quality is exceptional.
We would recommend Service By Design Ontario to anyone who is planning to update their homes to make it a more enjoyable place to live.
Mike, Mark and Olga.
Surfaces by Design has been my greatest experience with a contractor for home improvement renovations ever. I hired Vlad from Surfaces by Design for couple of bathroom redoes. From initial consultation the pricing process the advise, and the execution was professional with a lot of care. In each stage the project manager was there to double check the work and help me navigate throughout the entire process with ease and peace of mind with a clear schedule and great laboured workers to execute my vision.
I am extremely happy with the renovation of my bathrooms. This added great value to the property. Would absolutely recommend Surfaces by Design for any Reno.
We worked with Surfaces By Design on a bathroom and laundry room renovation. I was dreading this renovation project but Surfaces By Design made the experience a seamless and a very positive one. We are extremely happy with the end result and it exceeded our expectations. The project was completed in a timely manner with the highest of quality and workmanship, ensuring all safety and regulation codes were adhered to. At different stages we were consulted to make decisions and given expert advice with different options to meet our needs and budget. Vlad and his team are very respectful, patient and trustworthy. We would confidently and highly recommend Surfaces By Design and we are looking forward to our next renovation project with them!
reliable, on-time, very detailed in their work. Thank you Surfaces team.
Over the past 2 years, Vlad and Danielle with their team completed three projects for our family:
1. The first project was a basement renovation including drywall, flooring and finishing. The project was completed on time and on budget. The crew was especially aware of the elderly person residing on the premises and took all precautions to limit the amount of dust by cleaning the workplace daily and reporting on progress and next steps.
2. This summer after a torrential rainfall we noticed a leak on the ceiling of the kitchen. Hoping to minimize the damages we called Surfaces By Design who responded the same day to assess the situation. The roof was inspected and loose tiles repaired, the wet section of the ceiling was removed and left open for a few days to confirm that the roof leak had been fixed. They managed the many trades and the work was completed at a very reasonable price. They also followed up a few months later to confirm that everything was still fine.
3. The most recent project involved the design of our family room. The family room and kitchen are one open space so consideration had to be given to both spaces in the selection of furniture, fireplace and accent wall. Our idea was to have the fireplace as the main focal point, a place to gather with family and friends. We knew the feeling we wanted to experience in this new space but had no idea what that looked like. Danielle and Vlad were so patient with us. They took time to get to know us and understand our vision for the space. They offered both practical and design considerations including trends. By the end of our first meeting we were confident that they would be able to translate our vision into the dream space we wanted. They designed it and Vlad worked with the various trades to ensure the installation of the project was seamless. They met timelines and made site visits to make sure all the measurements taken in the design phase actually fit the space. Their recommendations were excellent and they provided solutions when adjustments had to be made. All our calls were returned in a timely manner and they kept us informed about the progress including unexpected challenges. We found them and their team professional, hardworking, flexible, conscientious and did outstanding workmanship always leaving the space clean and tidy. Danielle was instrumental in our furniture, and decorative choices. She has a keen eye for colour and design.
All in all – this was a great experience and we highly recommend Surfaces By Design if you want a team with great work ethic, who are very personable, knowledgeable, creative and professional. They care about their work and customer satisfaction. The team is responsive, creative and has access to a number of well experienced trades and suppliers carrying the same values.
We look forward to working with them again for our next project.
Very pleased with the overall job. Great to work with, clean and reasonably priced. Couldn’t have asked for a better team. My ceiling looks wonderful. Can’t wait to do the next Reno with Surfaces by Design.
Beautiful tile design and installation for our new bathroom. You know you can rely on the best pricing and quality of work. This team is amazing - worth the contact!!
Such a delight walking into our new kitchen and bathroom thanx to this wonderful team!
It was our first time remodeling and we weren't really sure of what can be achieved, and so the team took us through all the options, layouts and designs possible for our budget.
They absolutely brought a breath of fresh air to our home and we couldn't recommend their work more.
Thank you Surfaces By Design Ontario!
Amazing design and reno services. Highly recommend!
An excellent group to work with. Their design team is fabulous. We really liked that they took the time to understand our needs and provided great ideas on how we could make our bathrooms really pop. We also thought that the quality of their workmanship was great. We'd definitely use them again and have already recommended them to friends.
Reviews come straight from our Google Business Profile.
Read all 23 on GoogleQuestions
What comes up on nearly every income assessment. If yours is not here, ask — you will get a straight answer, including when the answer is no.
Ask us anything 647-518-6459One of us picks up, seven days a week Or send us a message on WhatsAppStart here
One of the owners comes to the house — or to the one you are thinking of buying — and tells you what it costs to convert, what it will rent for and the annual return on investment you can expect. No deposit, no pressure, and no one chases you afterwards.