r/homebuildingcanada

Hi Everyone

I have a one bedroom basement apartment with eggress windows , full kitchen bathroom and bedroom

I am looking in converting to legal secondary apartment. I have already submitted the plans, however just want to get some feedback or experience from people who did something similar .

Do i need to rip off everything and do it from scratch ? Or will they agree to leave certain things as is ?

Appreciate your feedback

I’m considering tackling a DIY wall panelling picture frame moulding project and would love to learn from anyone who’s based in Toronto and has done it before.

Where did you buy your moulding? Did you cut mitres yourself? How? Any recommendations for finishing, painting or avoiding any mistakes?

I did inquire from professional companies… it is either too small for them to take on or quoted too expensive for what I’m asking.

Would appreciate any tips, recommendations!

Hi there, looking at buying a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom 2000sq ft side-split in SW Ontario with a bunch of updates required and wanted… wanted to see if I could get a ball-park figure on what the upgrades are going to end up costing.

• window replacement
• baseboard electric heater removal, forced air has been installed but they never removed the electric heaters.
• new flooring throughout
• 2 new walk-out showers 3x4 ft
• removing wall between kitchen and living room (don’t believe it’s load-bearing) and new kitchen installed.

Thank you!

Hey all, a bit of lengthy post but I recently bought a new house and the builder is not agreeing to fix a few issues i identified in the 1 year list. I am debating whether I should move forward with the tarion concliation process.
Some items they are refusing to fix include:
- garage floor has a Crack from one end of the concrete to another.
-The builder is saying it needs to be 4mm wide for it to be covered under warranty.
●Kitchen cabinet wear and tear within one year. The cabinets are bubbling.
-The builder is saying we caused the damage due to steam and water. We were pretty gentle with the cabinets, kept everything clean. I dont think its reasonable for the cabinets to damage so soon.
- one of the garage panels is popping out.
-The builder is saying we caused the damage and since it was not detected in the PDI, they wont fix the panel. This was detected by a independent home inspector within 30 days of taking possession of the house.
- shaky backyard deck. The builder is saying this is normal.
●at the PDI, I told them the grass needed to be replaced. The told me to email customer service. CS asked me to put it on my 30 day list. When I did that, they told me they won't fix this. The main argument for them not fixing the garage panel was because I didnt put it on my PDI. The grass issue was raised on my PDI, and they still won't replace it.

Overall, I found the builder’s inspector difficult to deal with and, at times, disrespectful. I also felt that he was dismissive of some of the larger items and seemed to assume that he could simply say no without any further action or challenge from me.

Do you think I should go through the tarion concilation process?

Looking to connect with anyone in Ontario who is currently planning or executing a custom self-build on land they acquired separately, specifically regarding the Enhanced New Housing Rebate (ENHR).
We’re hiring a General Contractor for a custom home build (approx. $1M build contract = $130k HST paid out of pocket). We already own the lot, but the program rules for owner-built homes under CRA Form GST191 seem tricky, and our GC’s tax interpretation sounds off.
Hoping to compare notes with anyone who has gone through this process or spoken with a CPA/CRA tax specialist on a few specific points:

1. Owner-Built Classification vs. APS: Our GC thought that signing a construction contract before March 31, 2027, qualifies us for the temporary enhanced rebate. However, my understanding is that because we own the land, CRA treats this strictly as an "Owner-Built Home" (Form GST191), meaning construction must physically break ground prior to March 31, 2027, regardless of contract signing dates. Has anyone confirmed this distinction with CRA?
2. Total FMV Cap ($1.5M vs. $1.85M): Our lot market value + $1M build cost puts our finished Fair Market Value (FMV) in a grey zone. The enhanced $130k rebate caps out at a combined FMV of $1.5M and completely phases out at $1.85M (reverting to the legacy $24k cap).
   How are you documenting completed FMV for the CRA audit? Are you relying on a professional appraisal on your occupancy date?
   If you bought a tear-down property, are you using the lot acquisition price as your base land FMV?
3. Appraisal Gaps / All-in Costs: If your total land + build cost ends up around $2M+, did you just accept taking the standard $24k legacy rebate, or did you restructure/scale down the build scope to stay under the $1.5M threshold?
   Would love to hear from anyone actively going through the GST191 filing or planning an owner-build in Ontario under these new temporary rules!