HOME RENOVATIONS · AJAX
Home Renovations in Ajax
We’re a Toronto-based design-build studio that serves Ajax. The town’s housing stock ranges from post-war bungalows near the waterfront to 1990s and 2000s detached homes in Pickering Village and Northeast Ajax. Sandra draws the plan, Johanna runs the build, and the same team stays on site from first sketch to final walkthrough.
Our approach
Renovating an Ajax home isn’t a cosmetic project.
Most Ajax renovations go off-budget for the same reason — surprises. A post-war bungalow near Harwood Avenue looks structurally sound until the existing-conditions survey finds knob-and-tube wiring that the insurance company won’t cover once the walls are open. A 1990s detached in Northeast Ajax opens up to builder-grade mechanicals that were sized for the original layout — not the open kitchen the owners have been planning for five years.
You signed a contract before anyone drew the existing conditions.
Now you have to choose: pay for the change orders, or scale back the dream.
AJAX · WHAT THE CITY ADDS
Home renovations in Ajax — what the city adds
Post-war bungalows, 1980s semis, and 2000s detacheds — three generations of Ajax housing
Ajax developed in layers. The original residential fabric near Harwood Avenue South and the Ajax waterfront dates from the late 1940s and 1950s — modest bungalows built for workers at the nearby industrial plants, with solid bones but interiors that haven’t been renovated since. The Pickering Village neighbourhood blends older homes with 1970s and 1980s infill. Further north, Northeast Ajax and Riverside represent the 1990s and 2000s growth wave: larger detacheds, formal layouts, and builder finishes that families are now ready to replace.
The ask in Ajax is typically one of two things: bring a post-war bungalow fully up to date, or reconfigure a large 1990s detached so the layout matches how the family actually lives. Both are design problems before they’re construction problems.
What we plan for is rarely just cosmetic
In post-war Ajax bungalows, the typical discoveries are knob-and-tube or aluminum wiring, galvanized plumbing, and load-bearing walls that run through the middle of the floor plan. None of these appear on the original drawings — because there usually aren’t original drawings. In the 1990s detacheds, the constraint is more often a 100-amp electrical panel where the renovation load needs 200, and HVAC ducts that weren’t designed for the open layout the owners want.
We draw the existing conditions before we quote anything. That means we know what we’re working with before the contract is signed — not after the trades start tearing out walls.
Permits go through the Town of Ajax Building Services
Structural work, additions, and changes to electrical, plumbing, or HVAC in Ajax go through Ajax Building Services. If the project pushes lot coverage or setback limits, a Committee of Adjustment application is required. We pull and manage permits as part of the design-build. Homeowners in Ajax don’t manage that process separately.
We serve Ajax as part of our broader Toronto and GTA practice. For projects closer to the city, see our Toronto home renovations page. Homeowners in neighbouring municipalities — Whitby and Pickering — work with us on the same model.
WHY HABITUAL HOMES
Why Ajax homeowners work with us
1
Architecturally trained
Sandra trained as an architect in Venezuela. Drawings are not an afterthought — they’re how the renovation gets made.
2
Same team, end to end
Sandra designs. Johanna runs the site. The same two people stay on your project from first sketch to final walkthrough.
3
Existing conditions first
We measure and draw what’s actually there before we quote. That’s how we avoid the change orders in week three.
4
Permits handled in scope
Ajax Building Services, Committee of Adjustment if needed — we pull and manage permits as part of the design-build, not extra.
THE PROCESS
How a Habitual Homes renovation works
1
Feasibility & Design
(3–6 weeks) We visit the home, draw the existing conditions, develop design options, and agree on scope before anyone signs anything.
2
Documentation & Permits
(4–8 weeks) Construction drawings, full material spec, structural review if needed. We pull permits with Ajax Building Services and Committee of Adjustment.
3
Build & Handover
(10–16 weeks for a full reno) Johanna runs the site. Trades coordinated by the HH team. Weekly updates, walkthrough + defects list, one year of follow-up.
A RECENT PROJECT
A bedroom we just finished in Downtown Toronto
Custom walnut night tables and a vertical slat feature wall in a Downtown Toronto bedroom. The night tables were designed as built-in millwork — not furniture pushed against a wall — with planned electrical for sconces and integrated storage. Sandra drew every section before fabrication. The same approach scales to renovations across Toronto and the GTA.
WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY
Real reviews from real Toronto homeowners.
SERVICE AREA
We renovate across Toronto and the GTA
Habitual Homes works on residential renovations across Toronto and the inner GTA. If you’re in any of these cities, we likely know the building stock and the permit office.
Not in this list? Contact us → — we cover most of the GTA.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Ajax Renovation FAQ
Q1: How long does an Ajax home renovation take?
A full kitchen or primary bathroom typically runs 12–16 weeks from design sign-off to handover, including the permit cycle with Ajax Building Services. Older bungalows near the waterfront sometimes add time if the existing-conditions survey turns up wiring or plumbing that needs upgrading before finish work can start. We give you a realistic timeline during feasibility.
Q2: Do you handle the permits in Ajax?
Yes. Structural work, plumbing, electrical, and HVAC changes go through Ajax Building Services. If the project needs a variance — setback, lot coverage, or height — we handle the Committee of Adjustment application as part of the design-build scope. You don’t manage that process separately.
Q3: Can we live in the home during an Ajax renovation?
For a single-room renovation — a kitchen or bathroom — most clients manage with some disruption. For a full-floor or bungalow gut renovation, we typically recommend planning for a temporary move. We tell you honestly what the site conditions will look like before you make that decision.
Planning a renovation? Let’s start with a conversation.
No commitment, no pressure. We’ll listen, ask questions, and tell you honestly whether we’re the right fit.