Markham Renovation Contractor · Reformity Inc.Basement & Home Renovations in Markham
Markham basements range from bare concrete in newer Box Grove and Wismer homes to dated rec rooms in older Unionville and Milliken Mills houses. Either way, the City lists finished basements, new partitions, separate basement rooms, a bathroom rough-in and a new basement entrance as building-permit work. A second suite adds one more step after the final inspection: Markham Fire & Emergency Services inspects the whole house and issues a registration letter. Kitchens and bathrooms are simpler: new cabinets and replacement fixtures need no permit, but moving walls or adding plumbing does.
Renovations · real projects
Recent renovations jobs across the GTA.
Real Reformity jobs from our project files. Customer addresses are never published.
Basement finish floor plan — Rooms, egress window, alarms and wall section. Click to enlarge.
Drawn before we build
Drawn before we build in Markham.
A floor plan of the finished space: rooms, the bedroom egress window, bathroom, smoke and CO alarms, and the wall build-up. Finishing a basement usually needs a building permit, and this is the drawing the application is built on.
Renovations permits in Markham
Finishing a basement, adding or moving walls, roughing in a bathroom, installing a basement entrance or creating a second suite needs a building permit in Markham; Reformity prepares the permit drawings, handles the application and inspections, and walks you through registering a second suite with Markham Fire & Emergency Services.
- Dimensions to your lot lines
- Materials, sizes and spacing
- Footing and base sections
- Code notes for the inspector
Where Ontario's Building Code requires a BCIN-qualified designer or a professional engineer for permit drawings, that sign-off is part of the drawing set.
How our drawings workCity of Markham rules
Renovations rules in Markham.
Checked against official municipal and provincial sources. Lots differ, so we confirm the rules for your address at the quote visit.
Basement permits
Finishing a basement needs a building permit in Markham. The City lists new partitions, separate basement rooms, a bathroom rough-in, new plumbing piping and a new basement entrance as permit work, and there's no exemption for interior-only jobs. Interior damp-proofing, cupboards and decorating don't need one.
City of Markham: building permitsSecond suites
A second suite needs a building permit, inspections and occupancy approval. The two-unit house must then be registered with the City through Markham Fire & Emergency Services, which arranges a registration inspection of both units. Urban residential lots can now have up to three units.
City of Markham: second suite registrationSecond & third units
Ontario's Planning Act allows up to three units on a serviced urban residential lot with a detached, semi or townhouse: three in the house, or two in the house plus one in an ancillary building like a garage. Each new unit needs a building permit.
Ontario: additional residential units
What we build in Markham
Interiors finished to impress.
- Kitchen Renovations
- Bathroom Renovations
- Basement Finishing
- Epoxy & Tile Floors
Neighbourhoods
Renovations across Markham.
- Unionville
- Markham Village
- Cornell
- Cathedraltown
- Berczy Village
- Thornhill (Markham)
- Milliken
- Wismer Commons
- Box Grove
- Greensborough
Markham Renovations FAQ
Quick answers.
Not for new cabinets or replacement fixtures: the City lists kitchen and bathroom cupboards and replacing plumbing fixtures as permit-free. Adding, removing or altering a wall, installing new plumbing piping or roughing in a new bathroom does need a building permit.
Finishing a basement needs a building permit in Markham. The City lists new partitions, separate basement rooms, a bathroom rough-in, new plumbing piping and a new basement entrance as permit work, and there's no exemption for interior-only jobs. Interior damp-proofing, cupboards and decorating don't need one.
Send the form on this page or call 437-241-6287. We reply within one business day, visit your Markham property to measure and check the City of Markham rules for your lot, and give you a fixed written price.
Free on-site quote
Planning renovations in Markham?
We'll measure, check the City of Markham rules for your lot, draw it up and give you a fixed written price. One business-day reply.