Kitchen renovation

A kitchen is the most disruptive room in a house to renovate and the one where the sequence matters most. The trades have to arrive in order, the cabinets have to be measured after the walls are true rather than before, and the appliance you chose in March decides the cabinet opening in June. Most kitchen projects that go wrong go wrong on scheduling, not on craft.

Step one: decide whether walls are moving. A cosmetic kitchen, new cabinets and counters in the same footprint with the services staying put, usually needs no permit. The moment a wall comes out, plumbing moves, or an opening changes, a permit is in play. Removing a wall between a kitchen and a living room in an Ottawa two-storey is almost always structural and needs a beam, a load path to the footing, and an engineer's design.

Step two: the drawings and who may sign them. Permit documents in Ontario generally must be prepared by a designer registered with the Ministry and holding a BCIN, unless you are designing work on a building you own, or the designer is an architect or a professional engineer (Ontario designer qualification notice). A cabinet supplier's layout is not a permit drawing. Ask who is producing the permit set and what qualification they hold.

Step three: confirm cabinet and counter lead times before demolition. Have the contractor show the order date, delivery assumptions and when counters can be measured after cabinet installation.

Step four: rough-ins and inspection. Walls open, then electrical and plumbing go in. A 1960s Ottawa kitchen was built for a fridge, a stove and a kettle; a modern one wants dedicated circuits for the range, the dishwasher and the microwave plus two counter receptacle circuits. Electrical and plumbing are both compulsory trades, and electrical work needs an ESA notification. Ask for the certificates.

Step five: finishes and the punch list. Drywall, paint, flooring, cabinets, counters, backsplash, appliances, then the list of small defects. Hold the final payment until the punch list is closed, and keep the statutory holdback separate from that: under the Construction Act you hold back ten per cent of the price of services and materials as they are supplied (Construction Act holdback in 2026).

How long it takes. A cosmetic kitchen in the same footprint is three to five weeks on site once the cabinets have arrived. Moving plumbing adds a week and an inspection. Taking out a load-bearing wall adds two to four weeks and an engineer's involvement. Counting from the first design meeting to the last handle, a full kitchen in Ottawa is realistically three to five months, and most of that is lead time rather than labour.

For a kitchen quote, identify cabinet type, layout changes, appliance allowances, electrical and plumbing work, countertop fabrication and any structural work. Ask contractors to show these separately.

HST and rebates. Kitchen work carries HST at 13 per cent in Ontario and there is no renovation rebate. The GST/HST new housing rebate applies only to a substantial renovation, which the CRA defines as removing or replacing 90 per cent or more of the interior of an existing house. A kitchen on its own never reaches that test.

Existing wiring, plumbing, floor level and framing can change a kitchen quote. Ask how discoveries will be documented, priced and approved before extra work begins.

Who should do the work, and what the warranty is. General contracting is unlicensed in Ontario, so the credential checks sit on the specific trades: authorization for compulsory electrical and plumbing trade work, an engineer in the PEO directory for any structural design, and WSIB coverage, which is compulsory in construction and whose occupant-retained exemption does not extend to subcontractors (WSIB). The Tarion new home warranty does not apply, since it covers newly built homes and excludes alterations made by the homeowner (Tarion exclusions).

What to ask before you hire. Is a permit needed for this scope, and who prepares and signs the drawings. What are the cabinet and counter lead times, and when is the order placed. Who does the electrical and plumbing, and can I see their certificates. Is there an engineer's design for the wall removal. What is the allowance for counters and appliances, and what happens if I exceed it. What is the payment schedule, and is the ten per cent holdback shown on it. What is the written warranty on labour and on cabinetry, and for how long.