Custom kitchen cabinetry
A kitchen renovation involves almost every trade in the house: plumbing, electrical, ventilation, flooring, cabinetry and stone. We design and build kitchens across Toronto and the GTA, and take care of the permits when walls, plumbing or gas lines move.
Most kitchen renovations start with a complaint: not enough counter space, no room for two people to cook, cabinets that do not close properly, or a closed-off room in a house where everyone wants to be together. The fix is usually the layout first, then cabinetry and finishes.
Because we also do full home renovations, we plan a kitchen with what is behind the walls in mind: whether the wall you want gone is load-bearing, whether the electrical panel can take an induction range, and where the range hood can actually vent.
Every kitchen is different, but most projects include some of these.
Moving the sink, range or fridge, adding an island or turning the room around so it works for how you cook.
Removing or opening up walls, with the engineering, beams and permit a load-bearing wall needs.
Cabinets built to the room: full-height pantries, deep drawers and built-ins, not whatever fits a standard box.
Quartz, porcelain slab or natural stone, templated after the cabinets are in so the fit is exact.
Pot lights, pendants, under-cabinet lighting, dedicated appliance circuits and outlets where you need them.
Kitchens in condo units, planned around fixed plumbing stacks and building rules.
Layout comes first. Moving the sink or range means moving drains, water lines, gas or a 240-volt circuit, and that usually needs a permit. Taking out a wall to open the kitchen to the dining room needs an engineer’s check and, if the wall is load-bearing, a beam, posts and a building permit.
Ventilation is next. A range hood should vent outside, not recirculate, and a powerful hood in a tight house may need make-up air. Then come the details people regret skipping:
Cabinets carry most of the budget and take the most daily wear. Look at the box material (plywood holds screws and resists moisture better than particleboard), full-extension soft-close drawers, and a finish that suits how hard the kitchen is used: painted doors look refined but show chips; laminate and melamine are tougher.
Quartz is the most common counter choice: consistent, non-porous and easy to live with, though it does not like hot pots straight off the stove. Granite and marble need sealing and gentler care. Porcelain slab is thin, very heat and scratch resistant, and suits a modern look.
Panel-ready fridges and dishwashers need matching fronts, an induction range needs its own circuit, and some appliances have long lead times. Having the exact models early is what makes everything fit on installation day.
In the narrow semis and row houses of older neighbourhoods, galley and single-wall kitchens are often the best use of the width. An island only works when there is room to walk around it: about 42 inches (1.07 m) of clear walkway is a common guideline, more if two people cook at once.
Wider houses can take an L or U shape with an island, which gives the most counter and storage. Opening the kitchen to the dining or living room usually means removing a wall, and in many Toronto houses that wall carries the floor above, so it needs a beam, an engineer and a permit.
Custom cabinetry in a full renovation at 84 Don Head Village Blvd, a complete second kitchen in a 1,500 sq ft finished basement, a redesigned kitchen in the Andrew residence and a new condo layout on Bridletowne Circle.
The size of the room, what bothers you about it and what you want instead. We will tell you what it is likely to involve (walls, plumbing, venting, permits) before we book a site visit to measure.
In a narrow semi or a condo, a small kitchen works when every centimetre is planned: cabinets to the ceiling, a counter-depth fridge, drawers instead of lower doors, a sink sized to the room and a slim range hood that still vents outside. Lighter upper cabinets or a run of open shelving keeps a small room from feeling boxed in.
For a rental unit or a basement suite, choose what stands up to years of tenants: a hard-wearing counter such as quartz or a good laminate, porcelain or vinyl plank flooring, standard-size appliances that are easy to replace, and plain, durable cabinet doors. A simple layout keeps the cost down and repairs easy.
Buyers notice condition before custom features. If you are selling soon, new fronts, counters, hardware and lighting often do more for the listing than a full custom kitchen, and the kitchen is out of service for far less time.
If you are buying a house you plan to renovate, get the kitchen priced before you firm up, especially if a wall has to come out or the kitchen has to move, because those two decisions drive the cost.
We measure the room, check the walls, plumbing and electrical, and talk through how you use the kitchen.
Layout options, cabinet design and finish selections, with a budget attached to each choice.
When plumbing, gas, structure or electrical changes, we apply for the building permit and arrange the ESA permit.
The old kitchen comes out, then plumbing, gas, electrical and ventilation are roughed in and inspected.
Cabinets go in first, counters are templated and installed, then backsplash, lighting and appliances.
We check every door, drawer and appliance with you and close out any deficiencies.
What moves the price most:
Our kitchen renovation cost guide has current Toronto ranges.
On site, most kitchen renovations take several weeks, longer when walls or plumbing move. Custom cabinets and stone counters have their own lead times, so selections are made and orders placed with the demolition date in mind, to keep the kitchen out of service for as short a time as possible.
Not for replacing cabinets, counters and appliances in the same spots. You do need a building permit when plumbing or gas lines move, a wall comes out or ventilation changes, and electrical work needs an ESA permit. We confirm this at the site visit.
It depends on size, cabinetry, counters, how much plumbing and electrical moves and whether walls come out. After a site visit we give you a written quote.
Several weeks on site for most kitchens, longer when walls or plumbing move. Custom cabinets and stone have lead times, which we plan for before the old kitchen comes out.
Usually yes. If the wall is load-bearing, an engineer designs a beam and posts and a building permit is required. In a condo, walls may hold shared pipes or be restricted by the building. See Can I remove walls in a condo?
Often yes, but check first. An induction range needs its own 240-volt circuit and enough capacity in your electrical panel. A larger hood should vent outside and, in a tight house, may need make-up air. We check both before you buy appliances.
No. We work through the layout and cabinet design with you. If you already have a designer or drawings, we build from them and flag anything that will not work on site.
Yes. Tarion does not cover renovations, so your kitchen is covered by our own 2-year workmanship warranty, plus the manufacturers’ warranties on cabinets, counters and appliances.
Usually the cabinetry, followed by counters and appliances. Moving plumbing, gas or walls adds labour and permits, which is why the layout decision has the biggest effect on the total.
A strong range hood pulls a lot of air out of the house. If the same amount of air cannot get back in, the hood underperforms and, in a house with gas or wood-burning appliances, it can pull their exhaust back indoors. That is why larger hoods may need a make-up air system. We check the hood’s rating against your house and appliances before you buy it.
Usually yes. Set up a temporary kitchen with the fridge, a microwave and a kettle in another room, and expect short water and power shut-offs. We seal the work area and plan the order of work so the kitchen is out of service for as short a time as possible.
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At the site visit we measure the room, check which walls carry load, look at the electrical panel and where a range hood can vent, then talk through layouts with a budget for each.
