09 · Scarborough, City of Toronto

Kitchen demolition in Scarborough

Scarborough is mostly 1950s to 1970s bungalows and side-splits on 40 to 50 foot lots, nearly all old enough to need a designated-substances survey. That tells us whether we are lifting tile on a mortar bed, pulling plaster, or stripping drywall that comes off in sheets. A kitchen is a day of demolition and a month of finishing, so the day has to leave the room exactly the way the new kitchen needs it.

Kitchen demolition · Scarborough

Scarborough, on the ground.

We see bungalow tear-downs for two-storey rebuilds, basement gut-outs for second suites, and a steady run of kitchens. Water and power are isolated by licensed trades, the room is contained, and cabinets, counters, flooring and soffits leave through a protected route to the bin.

Read more about demolition in Scarborough or the full kitchen demolition service page.

What is included

On the ticket.

01

Dust walls at every opening; return-air grilles sealed

02

Water and gas isolated by licensed trades; circuits made safe by an electrician

03

Cabinets, counters, backsplash, appliances and fixtures out

04

Flooring and underlayment lifted; subfloor left flat or removed to joists, your call

05

Soffits, bulkheads and drywall down where the design needs it

06

Rough-ins marked and protected; floors swept; photos at handover

Permits in Scarborough

Paper first.

Stripping a kitchen to the studs is non-structural and usually needs no permit; the new kitchen's plumbing and electrical, and any load-bearing wall, do. Permits come from Toronto Building; Scarborough has had no separate permit office since amalgamation in 1998.

  • Stripping a kitchen to the studs is non-structural and usually needs no permit. The new kitchen's plumbing and electrical work will need one.
  • Opening the wall to the next room is structural if it carries load: permit, engineer's drawing and temporary shoring.
  • Pre-1990 houses: floor tile, mastic and plaster can contain asbestos. A designated-substances survey comes first (O. Reg. 278/05).

The plates on every truck: WSIB, insurance, demolition permits, asbestos survey, utility locates, crew training.

What sets the price in Scarborough
DriverWhat we look at
Floor areaSquare footage of the kitchen and any soffits and closets that go with it.
FinishesTile on a mortar bed and plaster walls take longer than drywall and sheet flooring.
Bins and tippingOne 10 or 20 yard bin for most kitchens.
Load-bearing wall outAdds structural work, shoring and an engineer's drawing.

The number comes from a site walk. Tile on mortar bed, plaster walls and a load-bearing wall removal move it up.

Kitchen demolition questions from Scarborough

One day for most kitchens, two if the floor comes out to the joists or a wall is opening to the next room.

Yes. If it carries load, it comes out under temporary shoring with an engineer's drawing and a permit from the City of Toronto (Toronto Building). If it does not, it is part of the strip-out.

On most Scarborough lots, yes, and that skips the street permit. We put protection under it so the asphalt is not marked.

Quote a Scarborough kitchen demolition from a site walk.

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