Working at the Destination Renovation Booth at the National Home Show last weekend, I was struck by how many people came by looking for a professional contractor to renovate their condominium.
We make the assumption that renovation is all about ground housing but when you think about it, every condo has a kitchen and an en-suite — the renovation mainstays — and condos get dated too. The first condo buildings in the GTA were built more than forty years ago in the late 1960s.
Of course the logistics of condominium renovations are much different than with low-rise housing. The contractor can’t just drop a bin in the driveway and start ripping out the kitchen. The trades can’t zip outside to cut trim or tile. There are elevators to deal with, other residents to consider, and condo by-laws and boards to contend with.
Condominium owners are required to obtain written permission from the condominium board to renovate their suite. Owners who commission unapproved work could find themselves forced to return everything to its original state at their own expense.
As co-owners of the property, your neighbours have a right to the “quiet enjoyment” of their unit. And when it comes to condo renovation, tidiness and timeliness are critical. No one ever wants to see a renovation dragged out longer than required but adhering to a proper schedule is even more crucial when it comes to condominiums.
Selecting a professional contractor to help you navigate the ins and outs of condo renovation is a must. BILDs professional renovators have agreed to abide by our RenoMark Code of Conduct as well as our general Code of Ethics. Many of our contractors specialize in condominium renovations and you can find them by visiting renomark.ca, selecting Greater Toronto Area, then searching on general renovation contractors and checking “condominium.” You’ll end up with a targeted list of contractors with links to each of their web-sites for further exploration.
This weekend only, you can discuss your condominium renovation questions one-on-one with any of the professional renovation contractors staffing Destination Renovation (Booth 2523) at the National Home Show (nationalhomeshow.com), on through Sunday Feb. 28 at the Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place.
