Customers Rate us 5 out of 5
A second unit for family or a tenant, built to the Ontario Building Code, with the Town of Oakville zoning certificate, the building permit and every inspection handled by us.
Two basement suites with their own kitchen and bathroom, and basements we've finished in Oakville.
A white shaker kitchen with a stone-look counter, a bathroom with a glass shower, a separate laundry room and wood-look plank floors. Bulkheads are kept tight to the ducts so the rest of the ceiling stays at full height.
See the project
Basement suite · Clarkson, MississaugaA long L-shaped kitchen with under-cabinet lighting, a bedroom, and a bathroom with a linear drain and a backlit mirror, over a subfloor that keeps the floor warmer.
See the project
Joshua Creek, OakvilleA media wall with a linear electric fireplace and white built-in shelving on both sides, wide vinyl plank flooring and pot lights across the room.
See all 19 photos
South OakvilleA long hallway with new rooms on both sides, light vinyl plank throughout, pot lights and a new railing down the stairs.
See all 24 photos
Family owned since 2003We are a family-owned renovation company with offices in Oakville and Burlington. The people who design your basement are the people who build it.
Want the detail before you start? Read the Oakville basement renovation cost guide →
We measure ceiling heights, windows, the entrance and the mechanical room, and tell you what a legal unit would take before any design work.
A layout for the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living space, with the fire separation, exits and heating drawn in.
We apply for the Town's zoning certificate of occupancy, which approves changing the basement into a second unit.
Floor plans with the fire separations, the HVAC design, egress details and the water service form go to the Town for the permit.
The Town inspects framing, plumbing, HVAC, insulation and the fire separation as we go, and the ESA inspects the electrical.
The Town's final inspection closes the permit, and the unit is ready to live in or rent.
Most basement apartments take 8 to 14 weeks on site, after design and the Town approvals.
“We are over the moon with our new basement! Daniel and Elijah were fantastic to work with giving great suggestions and ideas on how to use the space and get the most out of it.”
“From interviewing other companies we appreciated how with Gracia the design proposal wasnt just aesthetic but made the most sense for function (like drain locations/ pipe slope/sizing of things, etc).”
“We looked for many contractors in Oakville and Gracia makeovers were recommended by many people in our community. Fantastic job, great prices, great craftsmanship.”
5.0 on Google · rated by the homeowners we've built for
Zoning, the Building Code, the permit, timing and cost, for when you want the full picture.
The Town of Oakville calls a basement apartment an additional residential unit. Under Zoning By-law 2014-014, which covers most of Oakville, one is permitted inside a detached house, a semi-detached house, a linked house or a townhouse.
From the Town's zoning by-law, consolidated to June 15, 2026. Rules change, so we confirm your lot with the Town's zoning team before design.
These come from the current Ontario Building Code (2024, Part 9), which has its own rules for a house with a secondary suite. Your designer applies the exact clauses to your house.
| Item | What the Code asks for |
|---|---|
| Ceiling height | At least 1.95 m (about 6 ft 5 in) in the unit, and at least 1.85 m (about 6 ft 1 in) under beams and ducts. |
| Between the units | The walls and ceiling that separate the units are covered with a continuous layer of 15.9 mm (5/8 in) Type X fire-rated drywall, sealed so it also stops smoke. |
| Smoke alarms | In each unit, in every bedroom, on every level and in any shared hallway or laundry, each with a flashing light, and all interconnected so one alarm sounds them all, in both units. |
| Carbon monoxide alarms | Needed where a gas furnace, water heater or fireplace is in or next to the unit, or the garage is attached. They go beside every bedroom and are interconnected across the house too. |
| A way out of every bedroom | A window that opens without tools, with at least 0.35 m² of clear opening and no side under 380 mm, or a door straight outside. A window into a window well needs 550 mm of clear space in front of it. |
| Natural light | Window glass of at least 10% of the floor area in living and dining rooms, and 5% in bedrooms. |
| Heating and ventilation | The ductwork serving one unit can't connect directly to the rest of the house, so the unit usually gets its own heating or its own duct system, laid out by the HVAC designer. |
| Electrical | Wiring in the unit needs its own permit from the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA), which inspects it. |
If the house is more than five years old, Ontario treats it as an existing house, which gives the design more flexibility. Read the Building Code, Part 9 and Ontario's guide to adding a second unit.
A basement apartment in Oakville needs two approvals from the Town, and we prepare and submit both.
The Town's approval for changing a basement into a second unit, applied for online.
Changing windows or doors on a heritage-listed house needs heritage approval, and digging on a lot that backs onto green space, a creek or a wetland needs Conservation Halton approval. The Town says a basement apartment added to an existing house will likely be exempt from development charges. Sources: the Town's accessory apartment and zoning certificate pages.
| Stage | How long |
|---|---|
| Visit and design | Two to four weeks for the layout and the permit drawings |
| Zoning certificate and permit | Depends on the Town's queue. Ontario's target is a decision within 10 business days once a house permit application is complete |
| Construction | 8 to 14 weeks on site, depending on the entrance and how much plumbing is needed |
| Inspections | Booked at each stage as we go, then the final |
Ranges by how you want to use the space and how big it is, from the same numbers as the estimator above. A basement apartment is the top row: it adds a kitchen, a bathroom, the fire separation and usually an entrance or egress windows.
| Basement | Small Under 600 sq ft | Medium About 600 to 1,000 sq ft | Large 1,000 sq ft or more |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open family room One big space to relax, play or work out | $25K–$40K | $35K–$55K | $45K–$70K |
| Family room and bedroom Add a guest room or office with a closet | $35K–$50K | $45K–$65K | $55K–$85K |
| Basement apartment Kitchen, bedroom and living space for family or a tenant | $60K–$85K | $75K–$105K | $90K–$130K |
Rough ranges before HST, for planning only. Your exact price comes as a fixed quote after a free consultation.
Ranges from projects we have built, before HST
We confirm it with a fixed quote after a free visit. The Oakville basement cost guide and what a legal basement apartment costs in Ontario.
The inspector checks each stage before it's covered up. These are the details we get right first time.
A permitted unit can house family or be rented.
Yes. Oakville's zoning permits an additional residential unit inside a detached, semi-detached or linked house or a townhouse: up to two in the house, or one in the house and one in a separate building. It needs the Town's zoning certificate of occupancy and a building permit, and it has to meet the Ontario Building Code.
Approval from the Town and a build that meets the Code: the zoning certificate, a building permit, a fire-rated separation between the units, interconnected smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, a way out of every bedroom, enough ceiling height, separate ductwork, and passed inspections, including the ESA for the electrical.
At least 1.95 m in the unit, and 1.85 m under beams and ducts, under the current Ontario Building Code. If your basement is lower, rerouting ducts or lowering the floor are options we look at during the visit.
Not always. A shared entrance can work when it's separated and alarmed to the Code, but most owners and tenants prefer a separate one. In Oakville, the unit's entrance can't face a yard narrower than 1.0 metre.
The Town's zoning by-law asks for one additional parking space for the unit, on top of the spaces the house already needs.
Usually 8 to 14 weeks on site, after two to four weeks of design and the Town approvals.
The Town says a basement apartment added to an existing house will likely be exempt from development charges. We confirm it for your property when we apply.
Usually, yes. It goes through the same zoning certificate and building permit, and we open up what's needed to show the fire separation, alarms, exits and wiring meet the Code.
A permitted unit can be rented. Talk to your insurer and your accountant first, and keep the permit and inspection records.
It sits at the top of our basement range because of the kitchen, bathroom, fire separation and entrance. Use the estimator on this page for a range; we confirm it with a fixed quote after a free visit.
We serve Oakville from our Oakville office.
1. Free consultation at your home
2. A fixed quote, with every finish listed
3. We build, then walk through it with you
Oakville Home Renovation Contractors by Gracia Makeovers
1155 North Service Rd W, Oakville, ON L6M 3E3
647-919-1997
Gracia Makeovers designs and builds kitchens, bathrooms, basements, additions and whole-home renovations from offices in Oakville and Burlington.
Also serving MiltonMississaugaEtobicokeTorontoAncaster
