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Renovations in Ontario: Costs by Trade, Calculators, Guides and Quote Reviews
RenovationsStart here
Renovations in Ontario: What Each Job Should Cost, Trade by Trade, From a Builder Who Is Not Quoting It
Every trade has a number it should land on, a quote format that hides the difference between two shops, and three things that go wrong when the order of work is ignored. This is the section where those get written down, one trade at a time, with a calculator for each.
It starts with kitchens and bathrooms, because that is where the money and the arguments are. Roofing is next, then drywall, taping and painting, then the outside of the house. Each one gets the same treatment: installed Ontario prices, a calculator, the comparisons people actually search for, and a paid second opinion on the quotes before you sign.
The sections
Kitchens and bathrooms
Cabinets, countertops, vanities and the whole kitchen renovation: fifty pages, four calculators, and a builder who reads your quotes for $149. Live now.
On the bench
Roofing is being written now: shingles vs. metal, what a roofing quote has to include, ice and water shield, when a roof is actually done. After that, drywall, taping and painting, then siding, stone and the rest of the exterior. Each one lands here when it is finished and checked, not before.
If you want a say in what comes next, the contact page goes to a person.
The renovation calculators
Each one prices the job the way a shop would, with Ontario installed rates checked in October 2026 and HST on the bottom line. None of them asks for an email address to show the number.
Kitchen cabinet cost calculator
Wall runs by the foot, grade, drawers, island, install and trim. Run it.
Countertop cost calculator
Square feet, material and tier, cut-outs, edges, waterfall ends and removal. Run it.
Bathroom vanity cost calculator
Width, grade, top, sinks, floating or floor, and three plumbing scenarios. Run it.
Kitchen renovation cost calculator
The whole job: cabinets through appliances, electrical, plumbing, walls, permit, contingency. Run it.
The new-build calculators (cost to build, cost per square foot, ICF, concrete, permits, HST rebate) are under Costs and Tools in the menu, and all fourteen are listed on the calculators page.
How the section works, and how it pays for itself
The guides and calculators are free and stay free. Two things cost money. A quote review, where a builder reads your quotes or your drawing before you sign and tells you what is missing, is $149 to $449 depending on how much paper you send. And if you ask for a quotation through a calculator, the written scope goes to one vetted shop in your area, which pays for the introduction, not you. That is the whole business model, and it is written on the page so nobody has to guess.
Every price on these pages carries the month it was checked. If one is wrong, say so, and it gets fixed with credit.
Before any renovation, three rules
- Know the number before the showroom does. Run the calculator first. A quote is only high or low against something.
- Get three quotes on one written scope. Three different scopes give you three different kitchens, and the cheapest one is cheapest for a reason you will find in month two. The quote comparison guide shows how.
- Keep the deposit small and the contract long. 10 to 15% to the contractor, a milestone schedule, a written change-order rule, and Ontario’s 10% holdback. The contract checklist is fourteen clauses and three pages, and it applies to a roof as much as a kitchen.
Start with the room you are standing in
Kitchens and bathrooms are ready now. The rest of the house is on its way, one trade at a time, priced the same way.
