Kitchen demolition in York (Toronto)
The old City of York is 1910s and 1920s brick semis with plaster and lath, many converted to apartments and now being turned back. 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.
York (Toronto), on the ground.
Whole-house gut-outs, legal-suite basement strip-outs and main-floor structural openings are the usual York calls. 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 York (Toronto) or the full kitchen demolition service page.
On the ticket.
Dust walls at every opening; return-air grilles sealed
Water and gas isolated by licensed trades; circuits made safe by an electrician
Cabinets, counters, backsplash, appliances and fixtures out
Flooring and underlayment lifted; subfloor left flat or removed to joists, your call
Soffits, bulkheads and drywall down where the design needs it
Rough-ins marked and protected; floors swept; photos at handover
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. Toronto Building issues the permit; the former City of York has had no separate office since 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.
| Driver | What we look at |
|---|---|
| Floor area | Square footage of the kitchen and any soffits and closets that go with it. |
| Finishes | Tile on a mortar bed and plaster walls take longer than drywall and sheet flooring. |
| Bins and tipping | One 10 or 20 yard bin for most kitchens. |
| Load-bearing wall out | Adds 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.
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.
Sometimes, with dust walls and a separate exit. Noise and vibration are the real issue. We tell you honestly at the site walk whether it works.