Toronto Homeowners Renovating Their Home
HOME RENOVATIONS IN TORONTO
We’re architecturally-trained designers who build what we design, so your spaces work beautifully and function the way you actually live.
Free 15-Minute Consultation Call
✓ Licensed trades
✓ Proper permits
✓ Transparent pricing
Most Contractors Can Build. Few Can Actually Design.
You’ve probably experienced this: You show a contractor a Pinterest image of your dream kitchen. They say “sure, we can do that” and give you a price. But nobody asks:
- Does this layout actually work for how you cook?
- Will this fit your existing plumbing and electrical?
- Why does this configuration cost $35K while another option costs $22K?
- What are you giving up with this choice?
That’s where we’re different.
We design your space first—considering how you live, your budget, and what’s actually possible in your home. Then we build it ourselves, so there’s no gap between the design vision and the construction reality.
Architects Who Build
Sandra Raven and Johanna Serrano both graduated as architects in Venezuela and bring 10+ years of construction experience across Venezuela, Chile, and Toronto.
We’ve designed and built:
- Custom homes in Chile
- Bathroom, laundry, and interior renovations in Toronto
- Custom built-ins and storage solutions
- Complete home interiors
Our approach: We don’t just execute a Pinterest board. We help you understand your options, explain the trade-offs, and design spaces that support your lifestyle—not just your aesthetic.
We are licensed and fully insured to take on residential renovation projects in Toronto, and we work exclusively with licensed trades and coordinate all City of Toronto permit requirements.
Why Toronto Homeowners Choose Habitual Homes
Design That Actually Works
Most contractors can build what you show them. We help you figure out what you should actually build—based on how you live, not just how it looks.
No Gap Between Design and Reality
We design knowing exactly what things cost and how long they take—because we’re the ones building it. No surprises. No finger-pointing.
Honest Guidance, Not Sales Pressure
We tell you what we’d do if it were our home. If you shouldn’t hire us, we’ll say so. If there’s a cheaper solution, we’ll tell you. We’re building a reputation, not chasing every dollar.
WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY
Real reviews from real Toronto homeowners.
How We Work With You
Step 1: Know What You’re Getting Into
Free consultation—we explain real costs, realistic timelines, and whether your project makes sense.
Step 2: No Surprises, Just Clarity
Detailed designs, line-by-line budgets, and permit coordination—all handled before breaking ground.
Step 3: One Team, Complete Accountability
Licensed professionals build what we designed, supervised daily, with you updated weekly until move-in.
10 Reasons Why Clients Choose Us
Everything you need to bring your custom home to life — start to finish.
- We Help You Understand Your Options (Not Just Quote Them): Most contractors quote whatever you show them. We sketch 2-3 different layouts, explain why each works (or doesn’t) for your space, and help you make an informed decision.
- We Tell You What We’d Actually Do: We’re not salespeople. We recommend what we’d choose if this were our own home—including when a cheaper solution makes more sense or when you shouldn’t renovate at all.
- No Surprises on Cost or Timeline: Because we design and build, we know exactly what things cost before we draw them. You get accurate budgets from day one—no “beautiful design that’s 3x over budget” surprises.
- We Design Around How You Actually Live: We ask about your morning routine, how you cook, where your kids do homework. The final design works for your real life, not just for photos.
- We Don’t Push You Toward the Most Expensive Option: If there’s a $12K solution that achieves your goal, we’ll tell you—even if it means a smaller project for us. We’re building a reputation, not chasing every dollar.
- We Have Architectural Training, Not Just Construction Experience: We understand spatial relationships, building codes, and structural realities. We catch problems (plumbing limitations, ceiling height issues) before they become expensive surprises.
- One Team From Start to Finish: You work with Sandra and Johanna from first consultation through final walkthrough. No handoffs. No “the designer said this but the contractor says that.”
- We Only Work With Licensed Trades and Pull Proper Permits: We turn down projects where clients want to skip permits or use unlicensed contractors. We explain why shortcuts hurt you later—even when it’s not what you want to hear.
- We’re Selective About the Projects We Take: We ask detailed questions about your budget, timeline, and expectations. If we’re not the right fit, we’ll tell you. If there’s a better solution for your situation, we’ll recommend it.
- We Educate Before You Ever Call Us: Our YouTube videos teach you about design decisions, renovation realities, and Toronto-specific challenges. By the time you contact us, you already understand how we think.
What’s Included in Every Project
Custom Layout Design
We sketch 2-3 layout options for your space and explain why each works (or doesn’t) for how you actually live. You make informed decisions, not guesses.
Licensed Trades & Proper Permits
We work exclusively with licensed, insured trades and coordinate all Toronto permit requirements. No shortcuts that hurt you later.
Weekly Progress Updates
Photos of completed work, schedule updates, and heads-up on upcoming decisions. You always know what’s happening—no ghosting.
Accurate Budgets Upfront
Because we design AND build, we know exactly what things cost before we draw them. No “beautiful design that’s 3x over budget” surprises.
One Team, Start to Finish
You work directly with Sandra and Johanna from first consultation through final walkthrough. No handoffs. No finger-pointing between designer and contractor.
Quality Guarantee & Follow-Up
Final walkthrough, punch list completion, and follow-up 30 days after project completion. We don’t consider it done until you’re satisfied.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you pull permits, or do we need to handle that ourselves?
We coordinate all required Toronto permits—it’s included in our service.
We research what permits are needed, prepare the applications, submit them to the City of Toronto, and follow up throughout the approval process. Permit fees are included in your project cost estimate.
We don’t take shortcuts. If your project requires permits, we pull them. We’ve turned down projects where clients wanted to skip this step because unpermitted work creates serious problems when you sell your home or if something goes wrong.
Are you licensed in Ontario?
Yes. Habitual Homes is a licensed and fully insured Toronto Building Renovator.
We graduated as architects in Venezuela and have over 10 years of construction experience across three countries.
All construction work is completed with licensed and insured trades, and we coordinate permits, inspections, and code compliance for every project.
Do you offer just design services without construction?
Yes. Our Design Consultation includes layout options, material guidance, and budget estimates—with no obligation to hire us for construction.
However, we find our clients get the best results when we design AND build because there’s no gap between vision and reality. We design knowing exactly what’s buildable within your budget.
If you just need design drawings to hand to another contractor, we’re probably not the best fit. We focus on projects where we can see the design through to completion.
How much does a kitchen/bathroom renovation cost in Toronto?
For a standard Toronto bathroom (5×8 to 8×10), you’re typically looking at $25K-$50K depending on finishes and whether we
How long does a typical bathroom or kitchen renovation take?
Bathrooms: 4-6 weeks from demolition to final inspection
Kitchens: 6-8 weeks from demolition to final inspection
These timelines assume no major surprises (structural issues, permit delays, material backorders). We add 1-2 weeks buffer for Toronto permit approvals.
Pre-construction (design, permits, material ordering) takes an additional 3-6 weeks depending on project complexity.
We provide a detailed week-by-week timeline before construction starts, so you know exactly what to expect.
Can we live in our home during the renovation?
For bathroom renovations: Yes, if you have a second bathroom. We’ll make your primary bathroom unusable for 4-6 weeks.
For kitchen renovations: It’s challenging but possible. You’ll have no sink, stove, or functional kitchen for 6-8 weeks. Most clients set up a temporary kitchen in another room (microwave, mini-fridge, hot plate) or eat out frequently.
We protect the rest of your home with plastic barriers and do daily cleanup to minimize dust and disruption. But renovation life is uncomfortable—we’re honest about that upfront.
What if we find problems once you open up the walls?
This happens on almost every renovation in Toronto’s older homes. Common surprises: outdated wiring, old plumbing that needs replacing, water damage, structural issues.
Here’s how we handle it:
- We stop work and document the issue with photos
- We explain what we found and why it needs to be addressed
- We provide cost and timeline impact for fixing it
- You decide how to proceed
We never hide problems or make decisions without your approval. Our goal is no surprises, but when they happen (and they do), we communicate immediately and transparently.
Do you work with our existing furniture and belongings, or do we need to move everything out?
For contained renovations (bathrooms, laundry rooms), we work around your belongings in the rest of your home. You’ll need to clear out the specific room we’re renovating.
For kitchens, you’ll want to move dishes, food, and anything fragile to another location. We can work with furniture in adjacent rooms—we just protect it with plastic sheeting.
We’re renovating your home, not a construction site. We take care to protect your existing spaces and do daily cleanup.
What makes you different from other contractors in Toronto?
Three main things:
1. We’re architecturally trained, not just construction-experienced. We understand spatial relationships, building codes, and why layouts work (or don’t). We design first, then build what we designed.
2. We’re selective about projects we take on. If you want the cheapest option, skip permits, or use unlicensed trades, we’ll tell you we’re not the right fit. We’re building a reputation, not chasing every dollar.
3. We educate before we sell. Our YouTube channel teaches you about design decisions and renovation realities. By the time you contact us, you already understand how we think.
If you want someone to execute your Pinterest board without questions, hire a general contractor. If you want someone to help you think through your options and design a space that actually works, we’re your team.
Do you offer payment plans or financing?
We don’t offer in-house financing, but many of our clients use:
- Home equity lines of credit (HELOC)
- Renovation loans through their bank
- Credit cards for smaller projects
We provide detailed cost breakdowns upfront so you can secure financing before we start. Our payment schedule is typically:
- 25% deposit when you sign the contract
- 25% when demolition is complete
- 25% at mid-point (framing/rough-in complete)
- 25% at final completion
This protects both you and us—you’re not paying for work that hasn’t been done yet.
What happens if we’re not happy with the final result?
This is why we involve you at every decision point—layout approval, material selection, progress updates, pre-finish walkthrough.
By the time we get to final completion, you’ve already seen and approved everything. But if there’s something that doesn’t meet our quality standards (crooked tile, poor paint finish, fixture issues), we fix it before we consider the project complete.
We do a detailed final walkthrough together, create a punch list of any items that need adjustment, and complete them before final payment is due.
Our goal is that you’re thrilled with the result—not just satisfied. If something isn’t right, we make it right.
We offer a 1-year warranty on our workmanship and pass through all manufacturer warranties on materials and fixtures.
What we do
Habitual Homes is a licensed design-build firm in Toronto. We design and build — the same team responsible for both. Every project starts with a conversation about what the work actually requires.
General Contractor in Toronto
Full renovations, kitchen and bathroom remodels, basement finishing, room additions, exterior renovations, and historic home renovation.
Interior Designer in Toronto
Kitchen design, bathroom design, home office design, custom cabinetry and millwork, and whole-home colour consultation. Every interior design service at Habitual Homes leads to construction — designed and built by the same team.
Custom Home Builder in Toronto
New home construction on infill lots and teardown sites across Toronto. Architectural design, permit coordination, and full construction management — with real budget and timeline expectations from the first call.
Architecture Firm in Toronto
Architectural design services for homeowners who need drawings, permit packages, and design direction before construction begins. Sandra and Johanna graduated as architects in Venezuela and bring 10 years of construction experience to every set of drawings.
Building Designer in Toronto
Permit drawings and design services for renovations and additions that require BCIN-stamped documents. For homeowners who need compliant drawings produced and coordinated with the city — without the overhead of a full architectural firm.
Not sure if we’re the right fit?
Let’s talk about your project and see if our approach aligns with what you’re looking for.
What happens on this call:
- You tell us about your space and goals
- We give you a quick assessment of what’s realistic
- We explain how we work and what happens next
- No obligation, no pressure
Home Remodeling in Toronto: Where Design and Building Are the Same Thing
A lot of homeowners in Toronto have been through a renovation that went sideways. The contractor didn’t follow the drawings. The drawings didn’t account for what was already there. The budget doubled halfway through because no one caught the problem in the design phase.
This is what happens when design and construction are treated as two separate jobs. At Habitual Homes, we approach home remodeling as one integrated craft. We design what we can build, and we build what we’ve designed. That means fewer surprises, clearer communication, and spaces that actually work the way you imagined.
Whether you’re rethinking a floor plan, updating a kitchen, or planning a full home overhaul, we start by understanding what you already have — and whether it’s worth keeping. Not every wall needs to come down. Not every room needs to be rebuilt from scratch. We believe in respecting what exists before making any decisions.
Kitchen Remodeling in Toronto
The kitchen is almost always where renovation conversations start — and for good reason. It’s the room that affects daily life most, and it’s the room where design decisions are most visible. It’s also where expensive mistakes are most common.
We approach kitchen remodeling by thinking about how you actually cook and gather, not how a kitchen is supposed to look. Cabinetry that lasts. Layouts that make sense for how you move. Materials that age well — not finishes that look great in a showroom but feel dated in three years.
Some things we think about in every kitchen project: the work triangle, how natural light changes through the day, whether the island makes the room feel open or just blocks traffic, and whether the storage plan matches how the household actually uses the space. We also use SketchUp models, Procreate sketches, and reference images to show clients what we’re proposing — before anything is ordered or built.
Bathroom Remodeling in Toronto
A bathroom renovation in Toronto doesn’t have to mean tearing everything out. In many homes — especially pre-war and mid-century houses in east Toronto neighbourhoods like Leslieville, East York, and the Beaches — the bones are good. The tile might be dated but the layout works. The vanity is worn but the plumbing is in the right place.
We’ll tell you honestly whether a gut renovation makes sense or whether a more targeted update gives you most of what you want for a fraction of the cost. That’s a conversation most contractors won’t have — because they get paid to build, not to advise.
For full bathroom remodels, we focus on classic tile layouts and materials that don’t go in and out of style. Subway tile. Natural stone. Shaker-style cabinetry. Simple proportions. These aren’t trendy — they’re the choices that look good in 20 years, not just in the listing photos.
Basement Finishing in Toronto
Toronto basements are tricky. They’re often low, sometimes damp, and almost always under-planned. We’ve seen a lot of finished basements that checked a box without solving the problem — low ceilings that feel like a bunker, layouts that waste the space, finishes that don’t age well in a below-grade environment.
When we finish a basement, we start with the real constraints: ceiling height, egress, waterproofing, HVAC. Those determine what’s actually possible before you start picking flooring. Then we look at how you’ll use the space — whether that’s a rental suite, a home office, a family room, or a combination.
We handle permit coordination, framing, drywall, tile installation, painting, and all interior finishes. We work with licensed trades for plumbing, electrical, and mechanical. You get one point of contact instead of managing four different contractors.
Custom Home Building in Toronto: Starting From Scratch
Sometimes a renovation isn’t the right answer. The house is too far gone, the layout can’t be fixed, or you’re on a lot that could hold something so much better. That’s when a teardown and custom build starts to make sense.
Building a custom home in Toronto is a long process — permits alone can take months, and the total timeline from design to occupancy is typically 18 to 36 months depending on the project. We’re not going to tell you it’s simple. But for the right homeowner, on the right lot, it’s the most complete way to build a home that actually fits how you live.
As a design-build firm, we work with you from the earliest design conversations through construction completion. We bring our architectural training to the design process — proportion, light, spatial flow, materials — while staying grounded in what’s buildable in Toronto and what it actually costs.
Interior Renovations in Toronto
Not every project needs a permit. Not every project needs to be massive. Sometimes what a home needs is a better layout in one room, a staircase that doesn’t waste space, or a mudroom that finally functions the way it should.
Interior renovations in Toronto can include anything from opening up a wall between rooms to a full floor reconfiguration. We work with what already exists — understanding the structure, the systems, the proportions — before deciding what to change. That saves you money and produces better results.
Our interior work includes drywall installation, tile installation, painting, carpentry and millwork, and finish coordination. We build in Shaker-style simplicity where possible — clean lines, quality joinery, hardware that lasts. Not because it’s fashionable, but because it holds up.
Exterior Renovations in Toronto
The outside of your home in Toronto has to handle a lot — freeze-thaw cycles, ice, snow loads, UV exposure, and neighbours who notice everything. Exterior renovations that cut corners will show it within a few years.
We approach exterior work the same way we approach everything else: material quality first, then aesthetics. That means siding installation that’s properly detailed, not just nailed up. Deck construction that accounts for drainage and long-term movement. Porches that match the scale and character of the existing house rather than looking like an addition from a different building.
We can also help with fence installation, concrete work, and garage construction — coordinating all trades and handling the permit process where required.
Home Addition Construction and Room Additions in Toronto
A home addition is one of the more complex projects you can take on in Toronto. Zoning setbacks, lot coverage limits, building code compliance, and the structural connection to the existing house all have to be figured out before a single shovel goes in the ground.
We start with a feasibility review — looking at your lot, your current structure, and what the zoning actually allows — before you commit to anything. That pre-purchase or pre-design review can save you a significant amount of money and time by surfacing the real constraints early.
Additions we work with include rear extensions, second-storey additions, sunroom additions, and attic conversions. Each one requires careful design to make the new space feel like it belongs — proportionally and architecturally — rather than looking like it was stuck on afterward.
ADU Construction and Garden Suites in Toronto
Toronto’s rules around additional dwelling units — garden suites, laneway houses, basement apartments — have evolved significantly in recent years. A lot of homeowners are looking at these options for rental income, multigenerational living, or long-term investment.
The key is understanding what your lot actually allows and what the process looks like before you get excited about the concept. We do pre-feasibility reviews specifically for this: we look at your lot, your zoning, your utility connections, and give you an honest picture of what’s possible, what it costs, and how long it takes.
Design Consultations: The First Step Most People Skip
The biggest renovation mistakes we see in Toronto happen before construction starts. Homeowners skip the design phase, go straight to getting quotes, and end up with contractors interpreting their ideas differently, or discovering halfway through that what they wanted isn’t actually possible.
A design consultation with us is a working session. We look at your space, understand how you live, and help you figure out what’s actually achievable within your budget. We don’t sell you a dream. We help you calibrate expectations and make better decisions before anything gets built.
This is especially valuable for homeowners who are early in their planning — still deciding between renovating and building new, still figuring out scope, still trying to understand what their budget can realistically accomplish in Toronto’s market.
Why Some Toronto Homeowners Work With Us
We’re not the right fit for every project. We work best with homeowners who want to understand the process — not just have something done to them. People who care about quality over speed, and who want a team that will be honest about trade-offs rather than just agreeing to get the job.
We bring an architectural perspective to every project: proportion, light, material quality, how spaces connect. We also bring real construction experience — 10 years across three countries — so the design we propose is grounded in what can actually be built.
We’re licensed by the City of Toronto as a Building Renovator. We work with licensed trades only. We coordinate permits and inspections. And we’re transparent about costs from the beginning — including the contingency you should budget for, the permit timeline you should expect, and the conditions that most commonly cause surprises.
We serve homeowners across Toronto, including Leslieville, East York, the Danforth, Riverdale, the Beaches, Leaside, Rosedale, Forest Hill, Midtown, and the west end. If you’re planning a major renovation, a custom build, or you’re trying to figure out where to start — we’re happy to talk.