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Building System Cost Comparison Calculator Ontario (2026): The Same House as Wood Frame, SIP, ICF, Log, Timber Frame and Modular, All Priced Finished
Framing & Building SystemsFree Calculator
Wood, SIP, ICF, Log, Timber or Modular? Price the Same House Six Ways, Finished.
One house size, one finish level, six building systems, every one brought to a finished house. October 2026 Ontario ranges. No email address required.
Most comparisons of building systems cheat without meaning to: a SIP panel price against a finished wood-frame house, a log kit against a turnkey ICF house. This one does not. Every line is a finished house, Level 4, excluding the land and the lot work, from published Ontario builder ranges. We build ICF houses, so read the ICF line knowing that. The SIP line is our own derivation; the log, timber frame and modular lines come from companies that build those houses.
Step-by-step
Building System Comparison (Ontario, October 2026)
1
The house
The house you would build in any of the six systems.
A Simcoe County custom builder’s ranges. Finish moves the price more than the wall system does.
2
Where is the house?
Sets the installed-price adjustment. Labour rates in the GTA run higher than in the rest of the province.
Used only to tell you whether the house is in our direct service area. Not stored.
Enter a postal code to see service coverage.
BuildersOntario.com
The Same House, Six Ways (Level 4, finished, excluding land)
Illustrative
| System | Low | Middle | High |
|---|
Wood frame middle including 13% HST–
Example only, before HST unless marked, excluding land, septic, well, hydro, driveway and development charges. The ranges come from different builders who define “finished” a little differently; treat the lines as neighbourhoods, not a race. Log, timber frame and modular ranges do not change with the finish level picked above. Not a quote.
Request a Real Quotation
Your house size, finish level and the system you lean towards become a written scope a builder can price at Level 4, so you compare finished houses, not kits. It goes straight to our inbox, and a copy comes back to you; reply to that copy with the plans or a sketch, the lot location, and any package quotes you already have.
The ranges behind the calculator
| System (Level 4, finished, excluding land) | Per sq ft | Who says so |
|---|---|---|
| Wood frame custom, straightforward / upgraded / signature | $400-$500 / $500-$600 / $600-$750 | A Simcoe County custom builder (hard costs) |
| SIP | wood + about 2 to 4 percent | Our derivation from a GTA contractor’s 10 to 20 percent framing premium |
| ICF, full walls | wood + $25,000 to $55,000 per 2,000 sq ft | Our own figure (we build ICF) |
| Log, turnkey | $400 to $600+ | An Ontario log and timber company |
| Timber frame, turnkey | $400 to $700+ | An Ontario timber frame company |
| Modular, delivered and installed, before foundation and crane | about $296 to $455 | An Ontario prefab cottage seller (derived from its model prices) |
Ontario, October 2026, before HST. A national quantity surveyor’s 2025 guide puts Toronto builder-grade wood frame at $200 to $275 a sq ft hard cost and Toronto custom at $520 to $1,130, which shows how much “custom” and “finished” can mean.
Why Ontario prices are all over the map: the builders and guides we checked for this page put a finished custom house anywhere from about $300 a sq ft (a national marketplace) to $750 (a Simcoe County custom builder) and $1,130 (a national quantity surveyor, Toronto custom). Log ran $300 (an Ontario handcrafter, 2021) to $600 and more; timber frame $400 to $700 and more; modular about $296 to $455 before the foundation. Finish level, size and location move it more than the wall system. Budget the wood-frame middle for your finish, then get two or three quotes on the same plans and the same finish.
One house, six ways
| 2,000 sq ft, straightforward finish, middle | Before HST |
|---|---|
| Wood frame: 2,000 x $450 | $900,000 |
| SIP: $900,000 x 1.03 | $927,000 |
| ICF: $900,000 + $40,000 | $940,000 |
| Log: 2,000 x $500 | $1,000,000 |
| Timber frame: 2,000 x $550 | $1,100,000 |
| Modular: 2,000 x $330 + $65,000 + $7,500 | $732,500 |
Middles only; the low and high columns overlap heavily. Modular looks cheapest here partly because its finishes are the factory’s standard and the seller’s models are cottages, most of them smaller than this house.
Where people go wrong
- Comparing a kit with a finished house. The five levels.
- Choosing a system before choosing a finish level. The finish moves the number more.
- Ignoring the next 30 years. Restaining logs, SIP roof joints, ICF and wood each have their own upkeep story. ICF vs wood frame, ICF vs SIPs.
- Forgetting the lot. Crane access, the septic and the driveway do not care which system you chose.
Questions people ask
What is the cheapest way to build a house in Ontario?
At the same size and finish, wood frame is usually the reference point and the others sit close to it or above it; modular can come in lower when you accept the factory’s plans and finishes. The finish level and the size matter more than the system.
Is ICF more expensive than wood frame?
By our own figure, full ICF walls add about $25,000 to $55,000 on a 2,000 sq ft custom house. We build ICF, so take that as our number and compare it with any builder’s. ICF vs stick-built.
Are SIP houses cheaper because they go up faster?
The shell goes up fast, but the rest of the house takes as long as any other. A GTA contractor puts SIP construction at 10 to 20 percent more than framing, which is a few percent of the whole house. SIPs in Ontario.
Why does the log line not change with the finish level?
The log and timber frame ranges come from companies that publish one turnkey range, not by finish level. A plain log house sits near the low end and a big handcrafted one near the high end. Log homes in Ontario.
Quotes for two systems on the table?
The $99 quote review brings them to the same level and prices what each one left out.
