Condo Renovations near you

Approval comes from the corporation first, then the city. The Condominium Authority of Ontario (CAO) says unit owners generally must ask their board to approve a renovation, provide supporting documents and check with the municipality for any permits the work needs. It adds that changes affecting the building's structural integrity, contravening the governing documents or affecting other owners' safety are unlikely to be approved. Read the declaration, by-laws and rules before any design work, since renovation requirements are often spelled out there.

When the work touches the common elements, CAO notes that most owner-proposed changes require board approval and a formal agreement under section 98 of Ontario's Condominium Act. Read that agreement closely before signing, because it sets out who is responsible for what once the work is done. In Quebec, a divided co-ownership is run by a syndicate under its declaration of co-ownership, which defines the private portions and the common portions and what each owner may change; submit your plans to the board or manager before hiring anyone.

Where a unit ends is defined in each corporation's declaration and description, not by a general rule, so two buildings can draw the line in different places. CAO describes common elements as shared areas of the property, such as hallways, elevators and piping, and notes that balconies and other exclusive-use common elements belong to the corporation even though one owner uses them. As a rough guide:

CAO notes that some corporations require owners to use approved contractors or allow contractors to work only during certain hours, and that the work should not create a nuisance for the rest of the community. Building rules commonly set narrower hours for noisy work such as demolition, drilling into concrete or cutting tile, and often restrict it on weekends and holidays, so the contractor's schedule has to fit inside those windows.

Replacing carpet with hardwood, laminate, vinyl plank or tile is one of the most common condo projects and one of the most common sources of complaints. A hard surface on a concrete slab sends footsteps and dropped objects straight into the suite below, which is called impact noise. Many buildings answer with rules that require approval for hard flooring and an acoustic underlay that meets a performance standard the building sets.

Ask the manager for the flooring rule before choosing a product, and have the installer confirm in writing that the underlay and installation method match it, since performance depends on the whole floor assembly, not the underlay alone. Keeping the floor isolated from the walls with a flexible perimeter, rather than butting it tight, also limits sound travelling into the structure. Flooring laid without approval can end up having to come out; the soundproofing page explains impact and airborne noise in more depth.

In most condo towers, water supply and drain lines run vertically through the building in risers, and each kitchen and bathroom connects to them at fixed points. Moving a kitchen across the suite or adding a bathroom far from the existing stacks is difficult, because drains need slope and a concrete building often has no space below the floor to run them. Coring through a slab or a column is a structural change the board is unlikely to accept without an engineer's review.

Work that ties into the risers usually needs the building's involvement. Shutting off the water often affects other suites, so the manager schedules it and notifies residents, and some buildings want their own plumber to make the connection. While the walls are open, replacing the unit's old shut-off valves makes later repairs easier. A leak during a renovation can damage the units below, which is one reason the building's insurance requirements matter.

CAO notes that some corporations require insurance information from contractors, as well as inspections before and after the work. Expect the manager to ask for the contractor's certificate of liability insurance, sometimes naming the corporation and the management company as additional insured. Get the building's exact wording early and pass it on to every trade that will be on site, so nobody is turned away on the first morning.

Your own coverage matters too. Tell your unit owner insurer about a major renovation before it starts, and ask how improvements and liability for damage to other units are covered. Depending on the declaration, an owner whose renovation causes a leak may be responsible for costs the building's policy doesn't pick up. Photos of the corridor and elevator before and after the work help settle any damage claim.