WeRenovate.com
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Introduction
About our Architectural Services
Introduction
Since 2005, homeowners throughout the Toronto region have become familiar with WeRenovate.com as a professional, One-Stop Platform offering a wide variety of renovation‑related services.
Lawrence Ave
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Yonge St.
About our Architectural Services
As a core service offered through WeRenovate.com, our extensive Architectural Design & Permit Services are purchased separately, with no obligation for you to purchase the actual construction through our organization.
About Our Estimating Policy
When a building permit is required, the contracting estimate will not be processed until an approved stamped Building Permit is submitted by the client (provided either by a member- BCIN-Certified Designer or by the client's own certified specialist.
Note: clients who obtain their permits through a BCIN‑certified member-specialist and proceed with the project through a member-contractor will qualify for an Architectural Rebate of up to $1,500, which will be credited against the construction agreement price.
How Our "Permit First" Policy Benefits The Homeowner...
By purchasing your approved Drawings and Permit separately before requesting an estimate from a contractor, the homeowner maintains greater control over the renovation process.
With the final drawings and approved permit in hand:
The homeowner can request an estimate from any contractor:
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All contractors must submit their estimates based on the same set of approved drawings
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Estimates are more comparable, detailed, and accurate.
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The contractor's estimate no longer relies on "guessing" at what may be involved in the permit process and more on an official list of permit compliance-approved requirements.
This approach helps homeowners avoid unexpected delays, surprise add‑ons, and pricing disputes that commonly arise when the contractor's estimate price is "locked in" prior to permit approval.
Question:
If I obtain my permit through The Renovation Co-op, will I have to purchase the actual construction from a member-contractor after the permit is approved?
Answer: Absolutely Not!
All architectural services are purchased separately from the construction, and you are never obligated to purchase the construction through our contractor-membership.
That said, please note the following:
Although the client is free to select any contractor of their choosing, if a client hires both a member‑Architectural Specialist and a member‑Contractor through our organization, the coordination between the two becomes substantially more efficient—resulting in clearer communication, faster workflow, and fewer revisions.
In addition, the client is eligible to receive an Architectural Rebate of up to $1,500, which gets credited against the contractor's final price (see Architectural Rebate)
How Our Permit-First System Benefits The Contractor…
When the contractor has access to the completed, permit‑approved drawings before providing an estimate, the contractor is in a much better position:
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The client's project is effectively "ready to roll", without the contractor having to be concerned about permit‑related delays...the permit is already in place.
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The contractor can present his/her best price without having to add in the "guesstimated" cost of potential permit approval timelines.
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The contractor's sub-trades are also able to start immediately (which gives them the ability to give the contractor their best price as well).
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There is no guesswork related to zoning, compliance, or pending municipal decisions...all of that has already been completed.
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Construction pricing can be prepared with greater confidence and accuracy
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Project scheduling and timelines become more predictable
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The type and level of the member-BCIN selected to obtain the building permit has been matched closely to perform the same type and level of service required by the project itself.
Types of Architectural Services We Provide...
* Municipal Zoning Reviews
Review of municipal zoning and design constraints to confirm what is permitted for the property. Permit processing included.
Structural Modifications
These are separately stamped drawings that display details related to the removal and/or installation of load-bearing walls, , columns, and foundation-related projects. Depending on the type and level of the project, a member-BCIN who has been trained and designated for this type of service, or a licensed, structural engineer (p-eng).
Surveys
Many homeowners do not have access to a current property survey, even though surveys are often required for permit approval, real‑estate closings, and mortgage financing or refinancing.
If a survey is required for the permit to be issued, construction estimating will not proceed unless a recent survey is provided.
If needed, we will offer our professional Survey Services to support your architectural and permit submissions.
Committee of Adjustment (CoA)
Preparation & Representation
A Committee of Adjustment (CofA) is a municipal body that considers requests for minor zoning relief when a project does not fully comply with zoning requirements.
Your member‑BCIN will prepare and manage the CofA application and represent you throughout the hearing process to obtain final approvals and a stamped permit before construction can proceed.
Have you been issued a Stop-Work Order or Permit Compliance Order?
If you don't act immediately, you could wind up in financial “hot water”.
Regardless of how far the issue has gone, our Permit Compliance Specialists will act quickly to resolve the issue on your behalf.
Note:
Due to mandatory timing requirements imposed within most Permit Compliance Orders, priority will always be given to Permit Compliance Estimate Requests.
Permit Approvals for Basement Apartments
In 2019, in an effort to help bolster much needed living accommodations, in particular throughout the Toronto region, the Ontario Ministry of Housing officially ruled that municipalities across the province must allow secondary units within a private residence.
And while this the same time, municipalities have seen a significant rise in permit compliance violations tied to basement apartment work performed without permits, resulting in much stricter enforcement and heightened scrutiny, especially where fire and life‑safety issues are concerned.
As a result, basement apartment conversions have become one of the highest‑risk types of renovations from a permit‑compliance standpoint.
That is why our organization will not process construction estimates for basement apartments or any other permit‑required projects unless a completed and approved building permit is already in place.
If a client has not already obtained their own approved permit, our Architectural Services division is available to provide the required drawings and manage the permit application process separately, on behalf of the client.
Through this service, we recommend and assign a licensed, vetted member‑BCIN designer, carefully matched to the size, scope, and complexity of the project, to prepare permit‑ready drawings and oversee the full approval process with the municipality.
Once the permit is officially and fully approved, the construction estimating process may proceed, ensuring that compliance issues are addressed upfront—rather than discovered after the contract has been signed.
Toward the end of 2019, Ontario began implementing significant changes to the Building Code, which included changes that allowed for the expansion of legal basement apartments in response to growing housing needs, particularly in large urban centers such as Toronto.
At the same time however, these changes brought stricter compliance standards and a stronger enforcement focus on permits and safety requirements.
For this reason, Basement Apartment Drawings and permit applications should only be prepared and managed by a licensed architectural specialist who regularly delivers this level of architectural service and is familiar with current approval requirements.
Note:
If you are planning to convert your basement into a legal rental apartment, and you purchase the drawings & permit through our organization, please note the following offer *
Architectural Rebate
If you obtain your drawings and permit processing through a member-architectural specialist and then hire a member-contractor to perform the actual renovations, you will be entitled to receive an Architectural Rebate of up to $1,500.
How Ontario's Permit System Evolved...
Ontario’s Building Code qualification and registration system (commonly referred to as the BCIN system) was introduced in 2005 to bring greater consistency to the permit approval process by requiring that design work be completed by trained and qualified designers.
These BCIN‑certified design specialists, operating at different qualification levels, became authorized to prepare the drawings and documentation required for a project’s Building Permit.
However, it was not until roughly 2016–2017 that the BCIN Designer Certification System had sufficiently matured and gained widespread adoption across the construction industry, as municipal review processes intensified and a sufficient number of BCIN‑certified specialists became available to meet the growing architectural demands of the industry.
As the use of BCIN‑registered designers increased, contractors were now able to hire qualified professionals to manage the entire permit process.
However, attempting to identify a well‑matched BCIN designer for the specific type and scale of renovation became increasingly risky for the contractor, as selecting the wrong level of BCIN led to permit delays, redesign cycles, cost overruns, elevated permit approval risk, and, in some cases, the need to disengage one BCIN and restart the process with another.
With BCIN designers differing in skills and experience—and often being difficult to locate—contractors, including our own member‑contractors, were frequently required to quickly search for and select the right designer for a renovation project, despite the risks involved
This situation began to raise serious concerns within our organization, as it threatened to undermine the high standards of client service, transparency, and professional integrity that WeRenovate.com had built and maintained since its inception.
To remove this risk for both contractors and clients, WeRenovate.com established its own, dedicated Architectural Design & Permit Services division to complete all permit requirements upfront, before any construction estimating takes place.
Why we developed our own Architectural Services
Prior to 2017, most general contractors commonly included estimated permit costs in their contract pricing before the full scope of zoning, Building Code, and permit requirements were clearly identified.
This practice began to expose our own member‑contractors to sudden municipal by‑law changes, zoning issues, and increased incidents of permit approval delays, rendering the accurate forecasting of architectural costs increasingly difficult and risky.
As a result, contractors were often entering construction agreements before permit requirements were still uncertain, leading to delays, inconsistencies, and unnecessary risk for both contractors and homeowners.
This situation began to raise serious concerns within our organization, as it threatened to undermine the historically high standards of client service and professional integrity that WeRenovate.com had built and maintained since its inception.
As many renovation projects across the Toronto region—particularly in older, core neighbourhoods—have expanded to include additional living space, new housing units, and the reconstruction of aging structural elements, overall project size and complexity have increased.
At the same time, changes to the Ontario Building Code, municipal by‑laws, zoning controls, and stricter enforcement and compliance inspections have placed greater pressure on contractors to complete more detailed upfront planning before construction pricing or contracts are finalized.
At the same time, changes to the Ontario Building Code, municipal by‑laws, zoning controls, and stricter enforcement and compliance inspections have placed greater pressure on contractors to complete more detailed upfront planning before construction pricing or contracts are finalized.
Our Architectural & Permit‑First Solution
In late 2018, as Ontario’s BCIN licensing environment had sufficiently evolved, it became clear to us that all architectural and permit services should be sold independently, transparently, and to a higher, more consistent standard.
In response, WeRenovate.com decided to establish its own, dedicated Architectural Design & Permit Services division, operated separately from construction estimating and contracting.
This service, which is sold separately, includes licensed member‑BCIN designers, structural engineers (P.Eng.), mechanical engineers, interior design professionals, and 3‑D rendering specialists, all working collaboratively to prepare permit‑ready drawings and manage the full permit approval process.
Throughout the mid‑to‑late 1980s, the population of Ontario’s major urban centres began to grow rapidly, driven by increased immigration and the migration of Canadians relocating from other regions of Canada.
This population growth triggered a major housing boom, leading not only to widespread new home construction, but also to a surge in residential renovations—particularly throughout the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).