Building Your Dream Custom Home in Toronto: A Step-by-Step Guide

Building Your Dream Custom Home in Toronto: A Step-by-Step Guide

Building a custom home in Toronto is a dream for many. Toronto is a vibrant city with a diverse population and a thriving real estate market. Building a custom home allows you to design a home that perfectly fits your lifestyle and meets your unique needs.

The first step in building your new build, dream custom home in Toronto is to find a reputable and experienced builder. Look for a builder who has a portfolio of completed projects that match your style and vision. Meet with several builders and get quotes before making a decision.

Once you’ve chosen a builder, work with them to create a design that meets your needs and fits your budget. Consider the layout of the home, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and any special features you want to include, such as a home theater or a large outdoor living space.

When designing your custom home, consider the local zoning and building codes. Toronto has strict building codes and regulations, so it’s important to work with a builder who is familiar with these requirements.

Once the design is complete, the builder will obtain the necessary permits and begin construction. You’ll have the opportunity to visit the construction site and check on the progress of your home.

Building a custom home in Toronto can take several months to a year or more, depending on the complexity of the design and the size of the home. Be patient and stay in communication with your builder throughout the process.

Finally, once construction is complete, it’s time to move into your dream home. Enjoy the personalized space that you helped design and bring your vision to life.

In conclusion, building a custom home in Toronto is an exciting and rewarding process. With the right builder and a clear vision of your dream home, you can create a space that perfectly suits your lifestyle and meets your unique needs.

If you’re looking to build your dream custom home in Toronto, Maserat Developments is here to help. Our team of experienced builders and designers can work with you to create a home that meets your unique needs and reflects your personal style. From concept to completion, we’ll be with you every step of the way, ensuring that your vision is brought to life.

Contact us today to schedule a consultation and start the process of building your dream home in Toronto. Fill out our request consultation form and Let’s work together to create a space that you and your family will love for years to come.

Residential Custom Home Builder in Toronto

Residential Custom Home Builder in Toronto

A custom-built home is a big investment, and Maserat Developments can be one of the main candidates on your luxury custom home builders list. You want to make sure you are working with a reputable and reliable contractor. Look no further than us! We are a leading residential custom home contractor in Toronto.

Our attention to detail and dedication to customer service separates us from other contractors. We will work with you every step of the way to make sure your vision for your home becomes a reality.

There is no project too big or too small for us. We have completed numerous custom homes in Toronto and are ready to take on your project! Our team will help you from the planning stage to the completion of your new home. We understand that your home is an extension of who you are. That is why we take the time to get to know you and your family so that we can build a home that perfectly suits your needs.

If you are looking for a reputable, reliable, and detail-oriented residential custom home contractor in Toronto, look no further than us! We would be honoured to work with you to build your dream home.

If you need help with your custom-build project in Toronto, contact Maserat today!

Phases in Planning a Home Addition

Phases in Planning a Home Addition

As you would expect, designing a Home Addition in Toronto can be a time-consuming process. As it is a large task, it is critical not to rush the planning step to guarantee that everything is done correctly the first time.

Whether you want to add a sunroom, a formal dining room, a home office, or any other sort of home addition, proper planning is necessary. This will save you money and time in the long term. It can also help you become aware of any potential issues along the way and help you to prepare for them.

While there will be numerous decisions to be taken, the planning process may be divided into three major and crucial phases.

Phase 1: Define property lines

Before creating a floor plan, it is important to determine where the ownership boundaries are. It is important to make sure you know exactly where your property line starts and ends between your neighbours and the municipality. This will give you an idea of the amount of space you can use when creating your floor plan.

How do you know where the boundary of your land is? Usually, if the previous owner has an official survey from the property they would have passed the copy to your lawyer. However, if you don’t have access to it, it can be obtained by hiring a professional survey company to complete a survey from your property.

The process of preparing and stamping an official survey copy can take 3 to 5 weeks. It is important to hire an experienced survivor to complete this portion of jobs properly, as many of your following decision will lead from here.

Phase 2: Design a plan

Now that you know how much space there is, you can start arranging the floor plan of your home addition. Following are what you need to pay attention in the process of designing:

City By-Laws and Legality

Even though you have the ownership of your property in full, The city’s by-law has a section on how far you can use your back and front yard as a living space. This is a critical point, as you can not add as much as you like to your home.

Functionality and Return on Investment

While you do not need to create a design, as one of our designers at Maserat Developments can assist you, you should think about how you will use the space.

You’ll want to plan something that not only is inside the area but also works great with the design of your existing home. The layout of the new space is another important aspect that can be dictated by your goals and needs in future. Through our consultation meeting with our clients, we always emphasize both the client’s needs and future Returns. You have to understand the needs of the market, so you can plan your addition in a way that your future prospective buyer finds your property fuctional.

Phase 3: Building permit

Once the layout and structure of your project are defined by the designer and structure engineer, then it can be submitted to the city to apply for a building permit. At the city, a zoning officer will review the proposed plan to make sure it will comply with all city’s By-Laws, if it does then upon his approval you will be issued with the building permit.

Phase 4: Choose material

The final stage in designing a home addition is to develop a material selection list. It is a good idea to think about second and third options for materials because your initial pick may be too pricey or unavailable. Our Design and Senior project manager will assist you with this stage as well, to make sure you can benefit from our past experiences.

Decide your must-have design choices and the areas where you’d be prepared to sacrifice if necessary. The above steps can be complicated and time-consuming, that is why at Maserat Developments we will help our clients to apply and get a building permit before the home addition project starts. We are a Home Addition Contractors in the City of Toronto.

We will arrange and schedule a professional engineer to visit your property to produce all necessary components. Contact us today to arrange a hassle-free consultation.

Do I require a permit for the renovation?

Do I require a permit for the renovation?

Depending on the scale of your project and what structural impact the renovation will have on the building, you may need permits. Our specialized project managers will discuss your project in detail and would advise you if you do need permits.

To obtain a building permit, a homeowner must submit an application to the district office where the home is located requesting necessary permits. Depending on the type and the size of the renovation there will be fees required to pay before processing the building permit. Once the prerequisites have been met, The Toronto building staff will review your plans in order to make sure they comply with the Ontario Building Code, local zoning by-laws, as well as other applicable regulations.

How to monitor the Building Permit Application online?

The building application process can be monitored online from the city’s website. Building permits are valid for the duration of the ongoing construction. However, if the work hasn’t started yet or has stopped, the permit is valid for up to six months and a building inspector can provide an extension to your permit.

Apart from the building permit — which is formal permission from your municipality to begin construction, demolition, addition, or renovation — there are other special types of permits you might need: 

heating permits, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) permits, plumbing permits, demolition permits, sign permits, or sign variance permits.

When do you need to apply for Building Permits?

In Ontario, you need a permit for the following renovations:

  • Constructing accessory buildings with an area of more than 10 square metres, or an addition to an existing building
  • Constructing attached or detached garages
  • Structural alterations
  • Excavating, repairing or underpinning a foundation
  • Heating ventilation, air conditioning, plumbing, or electrical work
  • Constructing one or more new separate dwelling units within a building
  • Finishing previously unfinished spaces within a building
  • Adding new entrances or windows, changing the size of entrances or windows, or closing entrances or windows
  • Constructing chimneys or fireplaces
  • Installing swimming pool enclosures, constructing detached decks more than 60.96 centimetres above ground, or building any deck attached to a building
  • Demolishing or relocating all or part of a building

On the other hand, you won’t need a permit for these renovations:

  • Replacing stucco, siding, or shingles with the same material
  • Replacing doors or windows without altering the opening,
  • Constructing fences (except pool enclosure fences)
  • Patching, painting and decorating
  • Installing cabinets or shelves

If you need help to apply for a building permit, we work with professional engineers who can help to get the necessary documents together for the application.

Do I require a permit for the renovation?

Second Floor Addition and Rear Two Storey Addition

Many of our clients are requesting the steps to start a Second Floor Addition and Rear Two Storey Addition. Here is the guide on what you need to do before starting your construction project. For any construction project that will impact your property’s structure, it is required to apply for a building permit.

The building permit application has few main components including:

  • Feasibility Study: A Professional Engineer need to visit your property to assess the current building structure. Through the session, she or he will collect some measurements to compare it with the current city’s By-laws. Upon completing the research, a report will be generated to advise how far or how big you can extend your property.
  • Structure Drawing: Once you know your limits, then the engineer can proceed with the structure drawing of your current property as well as the alteration required to meet the new building’s expansions.
  • Building Permit: Once the structure building is completed, then it can be submitted to the city to apply for a building permit. At the city, a zoning officer will review the proposed plan to make sure it will comply with all city’s By-Laws if it does then upon his approval you will be issued with the building permit.

The above steps can be complicated and time-consuming, that is why at Maserat Developments we will help our clients to apply and get a building permit for their upcoming project.

We will arrange and schedule a professional engineer to visit your property to produce all necessary components to apply for a Building permit. Contact us today to arrange a hassle-free consultation.

We also provide Home Addition services if you are interested.

Building Permit fees calculation

Building Permit fees calculation

You might wonder how much would a building permit costs you as a homeowner. For every permit application, you must submit a full application to the City of Toronto. The most application requires drawing and professional engineer stamp to verify the accuracy and responsibility. We do provide building permit applications for our customers, however, if you wonder how much the would city charge you for the application, the following is the formula they use. (following information has been collected from the website of the City of Toronto, please review their site to confirm updated information).

Permit fees shall be calculated based on the formula given below unless otherwise specified in this schedule:
A minimum fee of $198.59 (2020) shall be charged for all work.
An hourly fee of $85.79 (2020) shall be charged for examination and inspection activities.

The above information has been taken from The City of Toronto’s website and can change at any time. Please consult with your architect or project manager for accurate fees. 

Fee Calculation Formula:

  • Permit fee = SI x A
  • SI = Service Index for classification of proposed work
  • A = Floor area in m2 of work involved in work involved

Do you build a permit for your project?

Maserat Developments can help you to prepare drawings and apply for a building permit. If you have an upcoming new build or renovation project, we can assist you to obtain the necessary permits.

Contact us today for your free consultation →