Residential, commercial and industrial design and permits in Toronto and the GTA · BCIN registered · Insured · 5.0 from 273 HomeStars reviews
How we work
We design the project with you first, then send the City one complete set of drawings and answer its questions without bothering you. Missing or conflicting drawings slow an application down, so we check the whole set before it goes in.
Email a copy of your legal survey (or the address and a few photos) and what you want to build.
We pull zoning, check the by-law numbers that apply, look for trees, easements and fire-access issues, and reply.
Approve the concept, choose finishes and any options, tell us who's building.
Architectural, structural and HVAC drawings coordinated under one BCIN. Where the City requires a Professional Engineer, we bring one in to design and seal those sheets.
Sign the application forms. Pay the City's permit fee.
We prepare the forms, upload the permit set to Toronto Building (the City's permit office) and track the file.
Nothing. We'll call if a decision is yours to make.
We answer every zoning and Building Code comment and resubmit the drawings. If a minor variance is needed, we prepare the application and present it at the Committee of Adjustment.
Build with your contractor or with us.
City-approved drawings to the site, inspections scheduled, questions from the inspector answered, final report filed.
Zoning review
Sample
Garden suite behind a detached house, lot 7.6 m × 36.6 m (25 × 120 ft) from the survey
Next: a written quote for the drawings.
Before any drawing starts, Rocco marks the survey by hand: setbacks, the fire-access walk from the street and the hydrant distance, soft-landscaping area, where the suite or addition can actually sit. You get that sketch and a one-page summary. If something needs a variance, you know before design starts, not at the examiner's desk.
Every stage ends with something in your inbox you can act on.
Zoning summary, constraints, options and a quote.
Site plan, plans, elevations, sections, details, structural and HVAC.
Application number and the City's file link for tracking.
Approved drawings, inspection records, close-out.
A legal survey of the property is the single most useful document. If you don't have one, the address and a few photos are enough for a first look, and we'll tell you how to order a survey.
For our garden suite models, the plan set (architectural, structural and HVAC drawings) is a flat $5,000. Other projects are quoted after the zoning review. City permit fees are separate and paid to the City.
Toronto Building's review time depends on the project type, the completeness of the application and the season. A complete, coordinated permit set with fewer comments is the fastest route, which is why we check our own sets before submission. We track your file and tell you as soon as the City responds.
Drawings are prepared and signed under BCIN 25897 – 41741. Drawings prepared by a qualified designer must carry the designer's name, BCIN registration number, qualification number, signature and a statement accepting responsibility for the design. Where the Building Code requires a Professional Engineer (for example certain underpinning), we coordinate the engineer and the Commitment to General Reviews they sign. Where the Architects Act requires an architect (houses over three storeys, larger multiplexes, most larger commercial and industrial buildings), the architect designs and seals that work; we tell you at the zoning review.
Yes. You can build with your own contractor or with us. Our design-build garden suites start from $112,000, with wall panels built in a factory. Either way, we schedule the City's inspections, answer the inspector's questions and file the final report.
Toronto and the GTA: Toronto, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, East York, York, Mississauga, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Brampton and Oakville. The office is at 2842 Bloor St W, Unit 10 in Etobicoke.
Yes. Send the examiner's comments and the drawings you have. We'll tell you what it takes to get it issued and quote the resubmission.
Send the address, and email or WhatsApp the survey if you have one. You'll get a straight answer on zoning, the drawings you need and a quote.
