Garage demolition in Toronto
A detached garage comes down in a morning. The slab takes the afternoon. The permit takes longer than both. Toronto's stock runs from 1890s brick semis downtown to 1950s bungalows at the edges, and almost none of it has a wide side yard. That shapes how we get a machine to the garage, or whether it is a hand job with the bin at the road.
Toronto, on the ground.
Bins usually sit on the street under a City street occupation permit or in a rear laneway, and the crew carries out through a 30 inch side passage. Roof, walls and doors are loaded the same day, the slab is broken and hauled if it is going, and the ground is raked level.
Read more about demolition in Toronto or the full garage demolition service page.
On the ticket.
Demolition permit filed with the municipality by us
Hydro to the garage disconnected before the first cut
Roof, walls and doors down and loaded the same day
Slab broken and hauled, or left in place, your call
Lot-line walls and neighbouring fences protected
Ground raked level, debris out, site swept
Paper first.
A garage is a building, so it needs a municipal demolition permit and a dead hydro feed before it comes down. Toronto Building issues the permit, and residential tear-downs go through the City's demolition control process, so having the replacement building permit ready shortens the wait.
- A garage is a structure, so taking it down needs a demolition permit from the municipality. We file it.
- If the garage has hydro, the feed is disconnected by a licensed electrician before demolition.
- Attached garages are structural work where the shared wall or roof ties into the house; the engineer's drawing governs.
- Pre-1990 garages: check for asbestos siding or roofing before demolition (O. Reg. 278/05).
The plates on every truck: WSIB, insurance, demolition permits, asbestos survey, utility locates, crew training.
| Driver | What we look at |
|---|---|
| How it is built | A block garage with a thick slab sits at the top; a wood-frame garage with the slab left sits at the bottom. |
| Slab out or left | Breaking and hauling the slab is its own line. |
| Bins and tipping | One 20 yard bin covers most single garages. |
| Permit and utility locates | Whether the municipality wants a permit and whether power runs to the garage. |
The number comes from a site walk. [Kam confirms a garage-specific band.]
Yes. the City of Toronto (Toronto Building) issues the demolition permit because a garage is a structure. We file it as part of the job.
Yes. If a new garage, a laneway house or a deck is going in, the slab comes out so the footings get clean ground. If you want a parking pad, a sound slab can stay.
The party wall stays. We cut the roof and framing back to it, brace it, and leave the wall weather-tight for the builder. Photos of the wall before and after go in the closeout.