Tell us the room and the budget. One Ottawa renovation company calls to walk it through.
Write which room, what changes and roughly what you plan to spend. We pass the work order to one independent local renovation company, and they call to go over the scope and book a look at the space.
In short
- 01Ottawa bathrooms run from $7,000–$12,000 for a cosmetic refresh to $40,000–$55,000 and up for high-end work (HomeStars Ottawa, updated August 2026).
- 02A whole basement in Ottawa: $35,000–$95,000; a 700–900 sq ft mid-range finish usually lands at $50,000–$75,000.
- 03Kitchens: $15,000–$30,000 for a basic update, $30,000–$60,000 mid-range (HomeStars Canada, 2026).
- 04Moved plumbing, new walls or new windows need a City permit: $12.75 per $1,000 of work, $117 minimum.
- 05Start building before the permit is issued and the City adds 50% to the permit fee.
Typical ranges
Source Seen 29.10.2026: HomeStars, Bathroom Renovation Cost Guide for Ottawa (updated 21/08/2026); HomeStars, 2026 Basement Renovation Cost Guide for Ottawa (updated 21/08/2026); HomeStars, How Much Does a Home Renovation Cost in Canada 2026 (updated 21/08/2026); City of Ottawa, Comprehensive Building Code Fee Schedule (January 1, 2026); City of Ottawa, Building permit projects; Ontario, Your rights when starting home renovations or repairs; Ontario, Your rights when signing or cancelling a contract
What to ask before you book
- Q1Which scope fits my budget: a refresh, a rebuild in the same layout, or a full gut?
- Q2Does anything in this plan need a City permit, and will you show me the permit before work starts?
- Q3Which items in the quote are fixed prices and which are allowances?
- Q4How many weeks will the room be out of use, and what date goes in the contract?
- Q5How do we handle a surprise behind the wall: who decides, and how is the change written up?
Before the visit
- The room, its rough size in feet, and the floor it is on.
- A budget number you are ready to say out loud, even a range.
- Photos of the room from the doorway and from the far corner.
- The year the house was built, if you know it.
- Dates that do not work: a sale, a move-in, guests, a baby due.
Refresh, rebuild or gut
Every renovation request lands in one of three scopes. Naming yours in the work order saves half of the first call.
- Refresh. Surfaces change, the layout stays. Paint, flooring, a new vanity or new counters on the old cabinets. HomeStars puts a cosmetic bathroom in Ottawa at $7,000–$12,000.
- Rebuild in the same footprint. Everything comes out down to the studs, and the toilet, sink, shower and range go back where they were. A mid-range Ottawa bathroom of this kind runs $15,000–$30,000.
- Full gut with changes. Walls move, drains move, a window is cut. This is where the top of every range comes from, and where the City permit comes in.
For room-by-room figures, see bathroom, kitchen and basement, or the Ottawa renovation cost guide for all three side by side.
Say the budget, then the wish list
A company reads the number first and the wish list second. “Main bathroom, about $20,000, walk-in shower where the tub is” tells them the scope fits and the plumbing stays put. “Basement, $40,000, rec room and a bathroom” tells them to talk about where the drain goes before anything else.
If you have no number yet, write the scope you want and ask for the price on the call. The company can tell you which band the job sits in once it knows the room.
When the City gets involved
The City of Ottawa lists the work that needs a building permit. For a house renovation, the usual triggers are:
- adding or removing walls;
- a new window where there was none, or a window or door made bigger or moved;
- altering, adding or extending plumbing (swapping a fixture in the same spot is exempt);
- structural foundation repairs and drain tile replacement.
The fee is $12.75 per $1,000 of construction value, with a $117 minimum, and the value counts materials, labour, overhead and professional fees. A job that starts before the permit is issued pays a 50% surcharge on the permit fee. Ontario’s consumer guide puts the permit on the homeowner, so if the contractor applies, get that in the contract and see the permit before the first wall opens.
How long the room is out of use
HomeStars’ Canada guide gives two to four weeks for a bathroom and four to eight weeks for a kitchen. Its Ottawa basement guide gives six to twelve weeks of site work, plus two to six weeks waiting on the permit before that. Put the start and completion dates in the contract: Ontario’s guide lists a work schedule with both dates as part of a renovation contract.
Who you are dealing with
Ottawa Reno Desk is a request service. We pass your work order to one independent local renovation company. That company calls you, sees the space, and gives you its own quote and contract.
Questions
01Should I put a budget in the work order?
Yes. A budget tells the company which scope to talk about on the first call. $10,000 in an Ottawa bathroom points to a refresh; $25,000 points to a mid-range rebuild. Both are real jobs, and the call goes faster when the number is on the table.
02Can one work order cover two rooms?
Yes. Write one line per room, for example “main bathroom refresh” and “basement rec room”. Pick the service for the bigger job on the form.
03Who is responsible for the building permit?
Ontario’s consumer guide puts it on the homeowner. If the contractor applies for you, the guide says to write that into the contract and to let construction begin only after you have seen the permit.
04What if the work does not start on the date in the contract?
Under Ontario consumer rules, a business that has not started within 30 days of the agreed start date can be cancelled, as long as you cancel before the work begins. Send the cancellation by email or registered mail and keep a copy.
05How many companies get my request?
One. If that company cannot take the job, we ask you before passing it to another.