Legal basement conversions
A second unit can bring in rental income or house family. It also comes with real requirements — and the time to plan for them is before the first stud goes up.
A legal basement apartment is a self-contained unit built with a building permit and passed by the required inspections. It typically has its own entrance, kitchen, bathroom and sleeping area, and meets requirements covering things like ceiling height, exits and egress windows, fire separation between units, smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms, and heating and ventilation.
Requirements differ by municipality and change over time, so every project starts with a review of your house and the current rules where you live. We then plan the layout, coordinate drawings and permit applications, and build to pass inspection.
The specifics depend on your home and the current code — this is the general shape of it.
Real photos from a single Shabo walk-out entrance built under an existing deck.
The deck is temporarily shored and the area beside the foundation dug out to depth, with water managed as we go.
Timber forms set for the stairwell walls and stairs; concrete poured and the new door opening framed.
Board-formed walls, broom-finished steps and a landing sloped to a drain.
Exterior door installed, glass guards on the walls, and a new concrete pad tied into the yard.
How it works
Ceiling heights, moisture, mechanicals, windows and where a bathroom or entrance could go.
A layout that suits your goals, with drawings and permits arranged where they are needed.
Walls, insulation, plumbing, electrical and ductwork, inspected before they are closed in.
Drywall, flooring, doors, trim, bathroom and bar finishes.
Final inspection where required, then a walkthrough with you.
Projects
A separate entrance to the basement, built beneath an existing deck. The area beside the foundation was excavated with the deck shored, then a concrete stairwell was formed and poured, finished with a sloped…
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A finished basement bar with white shaker cabinets, a quartz counter, sink and dishwasher, set into a framed alcove with…
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Still have a question? Ask us directly
Many are, some are not without major work. Ceiling height and the ability to add a safe entrance and egress windows are usually the deciding factors. A walk-through answers it quickly.
No one can guarantee an approval — that is the municipality’s decision. What we do is plan to the current requirements, prepare a complete application with the right professionals, and build to pass inspection.
Longer than a standard basement finish, because permits and inspections are part of the schedule. We map out the stages with you before starting.
Where we work
Most of our work is in Hamilton and the communities around it. Not sure if we cover your street? Ask — it takes ten seconds.
Service areasFree estimate
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