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Load-Bearing Wall Removal Cost in Ontario (2026): By Storey, Span and Flush vs Dropped Beam, the Line Items, the Permit, the Engineer and Two Jobs Added Up
Framing & Building Systems
Taking Out a Load-Bearing Wall: The Beam Is the Cheap Part
Opening up the wall between the kitchen and the dining room is a common Ontario renovation wish, and an easy one to price wrong. The engineer, the permit, the temporary support, the posts, what carries those posts down to a footing, the duct that lives in the wall and the ceiling patch are what turn a $4,000 idea into an $18,000 job. This page shows the ranges, the line items, two jobs added up, and the question nobody should answer by knocking on the drywall.
The numbers
$3,500 to $7,500single-storey, flush beam up to 3.6 m, a GTA contractor
$12,000 to $20,000two-storey, concealed flush beam, 3.6 to 5.5 m
+$3,000 to $6,000flush beam instead of dropped, typical
$900 to $2,500engineer, Toronto, Peel and Halton
| Wall removal job | Range | Level | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-storey, interior flush beam, up to 3.6 m | $3,500 to $7,500 | Level 4, finished job | a GTA contractor |
| Two-storey, dropped beam, 3.6 to 5.5 m | $8,000 to $14,000 | Level 4, finished job | same contractor |
| Two-storey, concealed flush beam, 3.6 to 5.5 m | $12,000 to $20,000 | Level 4, finished job | same contractor |
| Over 5.5 m, with new footings | $18,000 to $30,000+ | Level 4, finished job | same contractor |
| Toronto, all kinds | $6,000 to $20,000+ | Level 4, finished job | a national marketplace |
| Ottawa, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, London | $5,000 to $15,000+ | Level 4, finished job | same marketplace |
Level 4 here means the finished job as each source describes it; the sources do not all include the same things. 3.6 m is about 12 ft and 5.5 m about 18 ft.
Why Ontario prices are all over the map: the contractors and price guides we checked for this page quoted very different prices for what sounds like the same job. One GTA contractor runs from $3,500 for a short single-storey flush beam to $30,000 and up for a long two-storey opening on new footings. A national home-services marketplace says $4,500 to $25,000 and up. Engineers alone ran from $600 at a GTA engineering firm to $3,500 at the marketplace. The gap is the storey above, the span, flush or dropped, new footings, and whether the ducts, wiring and ceiling are in the number or left for you. For an ordinary two-storey house, budget $15,000, our planning number, and get two or three quotes on the same written scope.
Is the Wall Load Bearing? That Is a Designer’s Answer, Not a Guess
A load-bearing wall carries weight from above. The usual clues are joists running across the wall rather than alongside it, a wall stacked directly above it, a beam or wall directly below it in the basement, or a wall near the middle of the house running the long way.
Clues are not answers. In a newer house an interior wall may also be part of the bracing that stops the house leaning in the wind like a tired bookshelf, which is a different job from holding up a floor. The wall bracing page explains that part of the 2024 Code.
One municipal page puts it plainly: if you are not sure if a wall is load bearing, contact a BCIN qualified designer, architect or engineer. That call is cheaper than a wrong guess. The structural engineer page explains who does what and what they charge.
If the wall is already open and something looks wrong: a header that sags, new cracks in the ceiling, a floor upstairs that moves or bounces where it used to be solid. Stop. Keep weight off the floor above and get an engineer or a qualified contractor in now. Do not keep cutting to see what happens.
What the Money Pays For, Line by Line
| Line | Range | Level | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineer, Toronto, Peel and Halton | $900 to $2,500 | line in a Level 4 job | a GTA contractor |
| Engineer, with site review | $600 to $2,000+ | line in a Level 4 job | a GTA engineering firm |
| Building permit | $250 to $800 | line in a Level 4 job | a GTA contractor |
| Temporary shoring | $800 to $2,500 | line in a Level 4 job | same contractor |
| Beam installed, LVL | $1,800 to $5,000 | line in a Level 4 job | same contractor |
| Beam installed, steel W-beam | $3,500 to $9,000 | line in a Level 4 job | same contractor |
| Beam installed, glulam | $3,000 to $8,000 | line in a Level 4 job | same contractor |
| PSL post, each | $400 to $1,200 | line in a Level 4 job | same contractor |
| New footing | $1,500 to $4,500 | line in a Level 4 job | same contractor |
| Ducts, pipes and wires rerouted | $1,500 to $5,000+ | line in a Level 4 job | another GTA contractor |
| Drywall | $1,000 to $3,000 | line in a Level 4 job | same contractor |
October 2026, before HST. Contractors bundle these lines, and no job needs every one at the top.
Shoring is the temporary support that holds the floor up while the old wall comes out and the new beam goes in. It is the line that keeps the ceiling where it is. Ask who designs it and who puts it up. It is never optional.
Posts and footings are where the weight goes once the wall is gone. Every post has to land on something that can carry it, all the way down to the foundation. Sometimes that is an existing basement beam and footing. Often it is not, and a new footing gets dug into the basement floor. Municipalities want framing plans showing the beam, the posts and what carries them down, and a footing inspection where new posts need new footings.
Two Jobs, Added Up
| Case | Line | Basis | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Bungalow, 3.3 m wall, dropped LVL | Engineer | low end | $900 |
| Permit | our assumption | $300 | |
| Shoring | low end | $800 | |
| LVL beam installed | low end | $1,800 | |
| Two PSL posts | 2 x $400 | $800 | |
| Drywall and patching | low end | $1,000 | |
| Total, Level 4 | $5,600 | ||
| B. Two-storey, 5 m wall, concealed flush steel | Engineer | middle of $900 to $2,500 | $1,700 |
| Permit | our assumption | $500 | |
| Shoring | middle of $800 to $2,500 | $1,650 | |
| Steel W-beam installed | inside $3,500 to $9,000 | $6,000 | |
| Two PSL posts | 2 x $800 | $1,600 | |
| One new footing | middle of $1,500 to $4,500 | $3,000 | |
| Heating duct and wiring moved | our allowance | $2,500 | |
| Drywall | middle of $1,000 to $3,000 | $2,000 | |
| Total, Level 4 | $18,950 |
October 2026, before HST, our estimate from the line items above. Case A assumes the existing structure below can take both posts and nothing runs in the wall; it lands inside the $3,500 to $7,500 single-storey range. Case B is about 16 ft, so we used steel, following one GTA contractor’s rule of thumb for spans over about 15 ft; it lands inside the $12,000 to $20,000 two-storey flush range.
Look at what separates them: $18,950 minus $5,600 is $13,350, and the beam accounts for only $4,200 of it. The rest is the second floor, the flush pocket, the footing and the duct. Choosing a dropped beam in Case B would take off roughly $3,000 to $6,000 by the same contractor’s figure, and leave a bulkhead across the ceiling. The LVL vs steel beam page explains that choice.
Services in the Wall, and the Two Clocks
Walls carry more than weight. A wall between a kitchen and a dining room can have a heating duct, a plumbing vent, a drain from the bathroom upstairs and a couple of circuits in it. A drain stack may end up in a new chase or a bulkhead. Ask the contractor to check before quoting, so the services line is a number and not a hope.
There are two clocks on this job: the paperwork (engineer, then permit review) and the work (shoring, demolition, beam, posts, any footing inspection, the patch). The paperwork can be the slower one, and the work does not start until it is done. The building permit page explains the permit side.
- Engineer or BCIN designer first, contractors second. Then every quote prices the same beam, the same posts and the same footings.
- Ask flush or dropped, in writing, and what it does to the ceiling and the floor above.
- Ask where every post lands and whether a new footing is in the price.
- Ask what is in the wall and who moves it. Plumbing and wiring are moved by qualified trades.
- Ask what finished means. Taped and ready to paint, painted, flooring patched where the wall stood, or none of the above.
- No permit, no start. The permit is posted before the wall comes down, not applied for after.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to remove a load-bearing wall in Ontario?
A GTA contractor publishes $3,500 to $7,500 for a single-storey flush beam up to 3.6 m and $12,000 to $20,000 for a two-storey concealed flush beam of 3.6 to 5.5 m, finished, before HST. A national marketplace says $6,000 to $20,000 and up in Toronto.
Do I need a permit to remove a load-bearing wall?
Yes. Municipal permit lists include it, and the building department wants framing plans showing the beam, the posts and what carries them down to the foundation. A GTA contractor puts the permit at $250 to $800.
Do I need an engineer?
The beam has to be sized by an engineer or a qualified BCIN designer. For an LVL beam, a municipal guide accepts engineered sizing software output or an engineer’s stamped report. Steel and big point loads go to an engineer.
How do I know if a wall is load bearing?
Look for joists crossing it, a wall above it and support below it, then have a BCIN designer, architect or engineer confirm. A clue is a reason to ask, not a reason to swing a hammer.
Price your wall line by line
The beam and wall removal calculator takes the storey above, the span, flush or dropped, the beam type, posts, footings, services and finishing, and gives you a range with every line showing. If you already have quotes, the $99 review reads up to three of them and tells you which left out the engineer, the footing or the ceiling. The rest of the section is on the beams and structural changes hub.
Sources and further reading
- Removing a load-bearing wall (City of Kitchener guide): the permit drawings, the beam sizing, the posts and footings, and the inspections.
- Do I need a building permit? (Niagara Falls): a municipal list that includes adding or removing load-bearing walls, beams and lintels.
- The 2024 Ontario Building Code: Ontario on the 2024 Code: in force January 1, 2025, and harmonized with the national codes.
