Fixed-price kitchens, bathrooms, basements, additions, and whole-home transformations across the National Capital Region — one project manager, one crew, one warranty, start to finish.
Renovations Ottawa is a locally owned and operated design-build renovation company serving homeowners across the City of Ottawa, the surrounding suburbs, and the Outaouais region. We are not a franchise, a referral network, or an out-of-town outfit chasing the Ottawa market. Our owners, project managers, and lead carpenters live in the same neighbourhoods we renovate — which means we understand the houses, the soil, the building stock, and the climate the way only someone who has spent a career here can.
Our team has been transforming Ottawa homes for over 18 years, with combined trade experience across our crew exceeding 75 years. We have completed 600+ renovations of every scale — from a $9,000 powder-room refresh in Centretown to a $400,000 full-home transformation in Rockcliffe Park. Each project is led by a single dedicated project manager who is your one point of contact from the first measurement to the final walkthrough.
Founder Alain Bélanger comes from three generations of Ottawa-Gatineau builders — his grandfather framed wartime housing in the 1940s, his father ran a custom-home crew through the 1980s and 1990s, and Alain himself swung his first hammer on a Hintonburg century-home rebuild at sixteen. That continuity shows up in how we work: we know what's behind every wall in this city, because someone in this family has probably opened it before.
We earn the work, then we earn the next referral. The majority of our projects come from past-client referrals and repeat customers — a metric we track because it tells us, more honestly than any review, whether we're doing the job right. Our written-quote-to-final-invoice variance averages under 2.5%, our on-time completion rate sits above 96%, and every project is backed by our 5-year workmanship warranty on top of all manufacturer warranties.
Every project we take on follows the same rigor: a written scope document before any contract, a fixed-price quote with line-item visibility into demolition, mechanical, framing, finishes, and project management, a single named project manager who is your daily point of contact, a master schedule shared with you before the first day of work, and a final walkthrough with a written deficiency list closed out within 7 days. The crew arrives in marked vehicles, signs in, and signs out. We do not run several projects from one undermanned crew — your house gets a full crew, every working day, until you're done.
We do not chase the very-low-end of the market with prices that only work if corners get cut. We do not subcontract entire projects to other companies and disappear behind a phone number. We do not pull a permit for a small portion of the job and skip the rest. We do not change the contracted scope verbally during the build and then hand you a surprise final invoice. If those things matter to you — and after 18 years in this market we've found they matter to almost everyone, even the homeowners who don't yet know to ask about them — then we should probably talk.
Ottawa has hundreds of contractors. A handful are excellent. Here's how a renovation team worth hiring is different — and how we measure up.
Every quote is a fixed, written, scope-specific document with line-item pricing for demolition, framing, electrical, plumbing, drywall, tile, cabinetry, countertops, fixtures, finishes, and project management. If something is not in the quote, it is not in the price — and any true change order is signed off in writing before any additional work begins. We do not bury time-and-materials clauses in our contracts.
You will never be passed between estimators, schedulers, and site supervisors who don't talk to each other. Your project manager is on site or in contact daily, holds the master schedule, runs the trade sequence, and is the only person who needs to know the answer to your question. This is the single biggest predictor of a renovation that finishes on time.
If your renovation legally requires a City of Ottawa building permit, we pull it. Period. Working without permits is the cheap-contractor trick that exposes you to stop-work orders, denied insurance claims, and inability to sell your home with a clear conscience. We prepare the drawings, submit through My ServiceOttawa, and schedule every required inspection.
Most renovations happen while families continue to live in the home. We protect floors with adhesive film and ram board, seal off work zones with zip-wall dust barriers, run HEPA air scrubbers during demolition and sanding, and wet-saw outdoors whenever weather allows. Our crew leaves the site broom-clean every evening.
Our electricians, plumbers, HVAC techs, tilers, and cabinet installers have worked with us for years. They are licensed, insured, and accountable to the same standards as our in-house crew. We pay our trades fairly and on time — which is why they show up when we call them, even in spring and summer when the Ottawa renovation market is at its busiest.
A 1920s Sandy Hill brick semi, a 1970s Beacon Hill side-split, and a 2010 Half Moon Bay townhouse all hide completely different problems behind their walls. We know to look for knob-and-tube wiring in older Glebe and Hintonburg homes, leaking poly-B plumbing in late-1980s suburbs, asbestos-containing vermiculite insulation in pre-1990 attics, and undersized electrical panels everywhere. We discover these issues at quote-time, not on day eight of demo.
A true full-service renovation contractor — you do not need to hire a separate designer, plumber, electrician, and tile-setter and coordinate them yourself. Everything below is delivered under one contract, one project manager, and one warranty.
From a refreshed 1990s Barrhaven builder-grade to a custom chef's kitchen in Rockcliffe Park — design, cabinetry, countertops, backsplash, flooring, lighting, electrical, plumbing, ventilation, appliance installation, and load-bearing wall removal for open-concept conversions.
Powder rooms through primary ensuites with curbless walk-in showers, heated floors, freestanding tubs, and frameless glass. Every bathroom we build includes Schluter Kerdi waterproofing, properly sloped shower pans, and ventilation sized to actually clear humidity — not the builder-minimum 50 CFM.
Family rooms, theatres, gyms, home offices, guest suites, and legal secondary dwelling units. Every basement we touch starts with a moisture and waterproofing assessment, because finishing over a damp basement is the most expensive mistake an Ottawa homeowner can make.
When you love your neighbourhood but the house is too small, an addition almost always beats moving — once Ottawa land transfer tax, real-estate commissions, and detached home prices in Westboro, the Glebe, or Old Ottawa South are factored in. Rear, side, full second-storey, and kitchen bump-out additions.
For homeowners who want every room touched — or taking a tired Nepean or Alta Vista house down to the studs. We manage the full general-contractor scope: architectural drawings, structural engineering, mechanical and electrical design, permits, demolition, framing, mechanical rough-in, finishes, and final inspections. We also build custom homes on infill lots in mature Ottawa neighbourhoods.
Glebe, Sandy Hill, New Edinburgh, Centretown, and Hintonburg — Ottawa's pre-1940 housing stock has character and headaches in equal measure. We handle plaster repair, knob-and-tube rewires, asbestos-aware insulation upgrades, City of Ottawa Heritage Committee submissions, and exterior restoration that respects the original envelope.
Custom decks, three-season rooms, screened porches, and outdoor kitchens designed to work through Ottawa's full climate swing — from April mud to January ice loads. Frost-protected footings, hidden fasteners, composite or premium cedar, and integrated lighting and gas lines.
Mudrooms, walk-in closets, home offices, library shelving, fireplace surrounds, coffered ceilings, and panel-detail wall treatments. Built by the same in-house carpentry crew that frames our renovations — not outsourced. Hardwood, engineered, and vinyl-plank flooring installation included.
Accessibility renovations — curbless walk-in showers, comfort-height toilets, properly anchored grab bars (not the suction-cup kind), lever door handles, widened doorways, single-floor primary suites, and ramped or stair-lift-ready entrances — that don't look institutional. Plus insurance-claim restoration for water, fire, and storm damage.
Real 2026 Ottawa pricing — not "every project is unique" non-answers. These ranges hold true for our typical residential scope; we confirm exact pricing in your written quote.
45 to 90 minutes on-site. We measure, listen to how you actually live in the space, and follow up with a preliminary scope-and-budget within 5 business days — before either of us invests more time.
Book your visit →Vanity, toilet, lighting, fixtures, paint, flooring. Ideal for a high-traffic main-floor washroom upgrade. Most powder rooms finish in 2 weeks on site.
Standard 3- or 4-piece bathroom: tub or shower, vanity, toilet, tile, fixtures, and plumbing updates to current code. Schluter waterproofing standard.
Custom or semi-custom cabinetry, quartz countertops, full backsplash tile, under-cabinet LEDs, recessed pot lights, and appliance integration.
Subfloor system, insulation to OBC, drywall, pot lighting, flooring, and one full bathroom. Egress window add for a legal bedroom included.
Curbless walk-in shower with niche and bench, freestanding tub, heated floors, frameless glass, double vanity with quartz counter, and humidity-sensing fan.
Approximately 400 sq ft turn-key rear kitchen-and-family-room addition with foundation, framing, mechanical rough-in, and full interior finishes.
Ottawa's housing stock spans 150 years of construction, three building-code eras, and dramatic climate swings. Every house has its own pattern. Here are the problems we solve most often — properly, the first time.
Cold concrete floors, musty spring smells, mystery dampness along foundation walls. We address the root cause — drainage and weeping-tile inspection, dimple-board membranes, proper subfloor systems, code-compliant insulation, and vapour management — before any finishing work.
Beacon Hill, Beaverbrook, Bridlewood, Lynwood Village, Crystal Beach — Ottawa suburbs built 1965–1990 are full of kitchens walled off from the rest of the main floor. We handle the structural engineering, LVL or steel beam install, and the seamless ceiling and floor patching that makes the change look like the wall was never there.
Pre-1950 Ottawa homes (Centretown, the Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Sandy Hill, New Edinburgh) often still hide knob-and-tube circuits. Houses built 1965–1976 may have aluminum branch-circuit wiring. Both will likely be flagged on home-insurance renewals. We coordinate full or partial rewires with ESA-permitted electricians.
Homes built 1985–1997 — large sections of Kanata, Orléans, Barrhaven, and South Keys — often have grey poly-B supply lines, increasingly declined by Canadian home insurers. We replace poly-B with PEX or copper as part of any renovation, minimizing duplicate drywall work.
Builder-grade 50 CFM bathroom fans cannot clear the humidity from a modern shower, and Ottawa winters trap that moisture behind walls. We upsize fans to 110+ CFM with humidity-sensing controls, run dedicated ducting to the exterior, and waterproof every shower assembly with Schluter Kerdi membrane.
60-amp and 100-amp Federal Pioneer Stab-Lok panels are still found in many Ottawa homes and are considered a fire risk. Modern loads — induction cooktops, EV chargers, heat pumps, hot tubs — demand 200-amp service. We coordinate panel upgrades with Hydro Ottawa and ESA inspections.
Ottawa winters are unforgiving. Single-pane or worn double-pane windows, uninsulated rim joists, and uninsulated cantilevers bleed heat. Our renovations routinely include rim-joist spray foam, attic top-up insulation, and ENERGY STAR window upgrades that pay back in lower heating bills.
Many Ottawa homeowners want to stay in the home they raised their family in. We design curbless walk-in showers, comfort-height toilets, properly anchored grab bars (not suction-cup), lever door handles, widened doorways, single-floor primary suites, and ramped or stair-lift-ready entrances — that don't look institutional.
Aren't they all the same? Not even close. Here's how the two sides of the Ottawa renovation industry actually compare.
A renovation is one of the largest discretionary purchases most families ever make. You deserve to know exactly what happens, in what order, before you sign anything. Every project follows this seven-step process.
We come to your home — not just your driveway. Walk every room involved, measure, ask how you actually live in the space, and listen to what isn't working. 45–90 minutes. Genuinely free, no high-pressure "tonight only" tactics.
Within 3 to 5 business days of the visit, you receive a preliminary scope-and-budget range so you know if we're aligned on price before either of us invests more time. Most contractors skip this — it's why so many homeowners waste weeks on quotes that come back triple their budget.
2D floor plans, 3D renderings of kitchen and bathroom spaces where useful, and finish selections — cabinets, countertops, tile, flooring, hardware, plumbing fixtures, lighting. You make decisions; we make sure those decisions are buildable and within budget.
You receive a line-item, fixed-price written quote — not a one-page lump sum. Every assumption, every allowance, every exclusion is in writing. We review it together, answer every question, and only then ask for a signature and a deposit.
We prepare and submit all required City of Ottawa building permit applications through My ServiceOttawa, order long-lead items (cabinets, windows, custom glass, specialty tile), schedule the trades, and confirm the start date with a written project schedule.
Demo begins on the scheduled start date. Your project manager runs the site, sequences the trades, communicates with you daily or weekly per your preference, and walks you through every required City of Ottawa inspection. Dust containment, daily cleanup, and respectful working hours are non-negotiable.
We walk the finished project with you, capture any final touch-ups on a written deficiency list, complete them within 7 days, and hand over a project package: warranties, paint colours, fixture model numbers, and care-and-cleaning notes. Your 5-year workmanship warranty starts the day you sign the final completion document.
We renovate homes across the full City of Ottawa and into the surrounding Outaouais and Ottawa Valley communities. Local knowledge — soil conditions, foundation types, common builder shortcuts, heritage overlays, permit officers — that makes each project run smoothly.
Every Canadian city has its own renovation rules. Ottawa's are shaped by the Ontario Building Code, the City of Ottawa Zoning Bylaw, the Ontario climate, and a housing stock ranging from 19th-century stone to 2024 production homes.
Under the Ontario Building Code Act, the City of Ottawa requires a permit for most structural, plumbing, and electrical renovation work. You need one for load-bearing wall changes, plumbing additions or relocations, basement finishing into habitable space, new window or door openings, decks above 24 inches, additions over 10 sq m, and secondary dwelling units. Cosmetic-only work generally does not. Fees run roughly $13–$15 per $1,000 of declared construction value with a $150–$300 minimum. Submission is electronic via the My ServiceOttawa portal.
Ottawa City Council approved a major new zoning bylaw in early 2026, transitioning the city from R-zones (Residential) to N-zones (Neighbourhood). The bylaw allows greater housing density — including secondary dwelling units, triplexes, and small-scale apartment buildings — in many neighbourhoods previously zoned single-family-only. For renovation clients, secondary suite, basement apartment, and laneway housing conversions are now permitted across a much broader area.
Ottawa has one of the widest annual temperature ranges of any major Canadian city: roughly -25°C in deep winter to +30°C in mid-summer, with average annual snowfall around 175 cm. That climate creates real renovation requirements: ice-dam protection, attic ventilation, vapour-barrier discipline, frost-protected footings, rim-joist insulation meeting or exceeding 2025 supplementary energy standards, and exterior-grade waterproofing on every below-grade wall. Cutting corners on these in Ottawa creates mould, ice damage, and frozen pipes within a few winters.
Several Ottawa neighbourhoods — parts of the Glebe, Sandy Hill, New Edinburgh, Centretown, and Rockcliffe Park — fall within designated Heritage Conservation Districts, or contain individually designated heritage properties. Exterior renovations to these properties require Heritage Committee approval on top of standard building permits. We prepare and submit the heritage application as part of qualifying projects.
Properties in Constance Bay, Cumberland, Britannia, and other low-lying riverside areas have experienced significant spring flooding in recent years (notably 2017 and 2019). If you're renovating a basement in a known flood-risk area, we factor in elevated mechanicals, backwater valves, sump pumps with battery backup, and flood-resistant materials. Review your home insurance flood coverage before finishing a basement in these zones.
Ontario homeowners may qualify for incentives through the Canada Greener Homes Loan program, Enbridge HER+ (Home Efficiency Rebate Plus), and federal tax credits when renovations include insulation upgrades, heat pumps, ENERGY STAR windows, or solar-ready electrical. We help clients identify which incentives apply and document the work properly so claims go through cleanly. Incentive programs change — confirm current eligibility before relying on specific rebate amounts.
Every electrical permit on an Ottawa renovation goes through the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA), not the City. We pull ESA permits in-house and schedule rough-in and final inspections. WSIB coverage on every worker on site is non-negotiable; we carry it on our crew and only sub to licensed, WSIB-covered partners. Proof of $5M CGL and active WSIB clearance certificates are available on request before any contract.
Under the new 2026 zoning bylaw, legal SDU conversions are permitted in much broader areas. They require proper fire separation (typically a 45-minute rated assembly between units), egress windows, ceiling height minimums, a separate entrance, smoke alarms wired between units, and a building permit. We handle the full process — design, permit, build, and final inspection — and many Ottawa basements have a strong rental ROI once converted.
Anyone can buy a hammer and a magnetic truck sign. Here's what genuinely separates a $5,000 deliverable from a $50 first draft — and what we carry on every job.
Over 18 years renovating Ottawa homes, 600+ completed projects spanning $9,000 powder rooms to $400,000 whole-home transformations, and a combined 75+ years of trade experience across our in-house crew. Third-generation Ottawa-Gatineau builders.
NKBA-affiliated designers, ESA-registered electricians, licensed plumbers, manufacturer-certified Schluter, Kohler, Moen and Fabuwood installers. We solve the actual problems behind Ottawa walls — knob-and-tube, poly-B, Stab-Lok panels, vermiculite — not just the cosmetics in front of them.
RenoMark® Renovator under the Canadian Home Builders' Association code of conduct. Greater Ottawa Home Builders' Association (GOHBA) member since 2009. Licensed under the City of Ottawa and Ontario Building Code Act. Heritage Conservation District-experienced.
$5,000,000 commercial general liability, active WSIB on every worker, fixed-price written quotes with 2.5% average variance to final invoice, 96% on-time completion rate, and a 5-year workmanship warranty backed by a company built to be here for the next renovation too.
Real reviews from real renovations — kitchens in Kanata Lakes, basements in Half Moon Bay, heritage additions in the Glebe. Below are eight recent client stories.
"We hired Renovations Ottawa to gut and redo our 1980s Kanata Lakes kitchen and primary ensuite. The fixed-price quote came in within $400 of the final invoice — and the project finished two days ahead of schedule. Our project manager was on site every single morning. We've already booked them for the basement."
"After three quotes from other contractors, Renovations Ottawa was the only company that walked our basement before quoting and pointed out our weeping-tile issue before we finished the space. They fixed the moisture problem first, then built us a stunning basement with a wet bar, a guest bedroom with egress, and a full bathroom. Worth every dollar."
"We have a 1923 Glebe home with all the charm and all the headaches — plaster walls, knob-and-tube, the works. The team handled the heritage permit, the full rewire, and a beautiful primary suite addition off the back. They respected the original character of the house. Highly recommended for older Ottawa homes."
"My ensuite renovation was completed in just over four weeks — exactly the timeline they quoted. Curbless walk-in shower, heated floors, double vanity. The crew was respectful, on time every day, and the dust containment actually worked. My kitchen on the main floor was untouched dust-wise."
"We needed a fully accessible main-floor bathroom for my mother-in-law moving in. They redesigned the layout to widen the doorway, installed a roll-in shower with proper blocking for grab bars, and made it look like a high-end spa — not a hospital. Everyone in the family is happier."
"A full second-storey addition with a new primary suite, kids' rooms, and laundry on the upper floor. The structural engineering was complex because of our older foundation, but the team coordinated everything — permits, engineer, all the trades. We lived in the house through most of the build and they kept it sealed off and clean."
"Quartz countertops, custom cabinets, full backsplash, new appliances, and a wall opened up to the dining room. The cabinets came in early and they accelerated our timeline by a week. Excellent communication throughout — daily texts from the project manager with photos."
"We had a poly-B plumbing leak in our Stittsville home. They replaced the entire poly-B system with PEX during a planned bathroom renovation so we only paid for drywall repair once. Smart, practical, and honest about what was actually needed versus what would have been overkill."
A small selection of recent kitchens, bathrooms, basements, additions, and heritage restorations across the National Capital Region.
Our Ottawa Google Business Profile rating is 4.9/5 across 187 verified reviews. We're also listed and reviewed on HomeStars, the GOHBA member directory, and RenoMark.
187+ verified Ottawa-area reviews · "Honest, on time, on budget. The whole experience was professional from quote to final walkthrough." — Karen W., Riverside South
"Best basement renovation in Ottawa, full stop. They found problems other contractors missed." — Lisa and Tom R., Kanata
"After two bad contractor experiences, this team restored our faith. Communication was constant." — Vincent O., Vanier
"Quoted us less than two other contractors and delivered better quality. Couldn't be happier." — Sarah F., Manotick
Direct, useful answers — not vague. Click any question to expand. Still have one we haven't covered? Call us at (613) 555-0188 or send a message through the form below.
Your home is too valuable — and too personal — to hand to a contractor you're not sure about. Start with a no-obligation conversation. Most consultations are scheduled within 3 to 5 business days.
Free in-home consultation · preliminary scope-and-budget within 5 business days · fixed-price written quote · permits handled · 5-year workmanship warranty.
Most contractors say they'll get back to you. We do — within one business day. We come measure, listen to what you want, and tell you honestly what's realistic for your budget.