South OakvilleNew rooms off a bright hallway
A long hallway with new rooms on both sides, light vinyl plank throughout, pot lights and a new railing down the stairs.
See all 24 photosCustomers Rate us 5 out of 5
Customers Rate us 5 out of 5
Family rooms, guest suites and basement apartments across Oakville.
A 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 photosSouth 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
Central OakvilleThe staircase re-clad in treads that match the new floor, with a solid cap on the knee wall and an open, bright basement at the bottom.
See all 31 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 →
Adding a second unit? What a legal basement apartment needs in Oakville →
About 40 minutes to measure, check for moisture and talk through how you'll use the space.
Rooms planned around posts, ducts and windows, and finishes chosen together.
Every room and finish written down, so the price doesn't move.
We confirm the plan, the permit and the dates.
One project lead, with updates and photos in your client portal.
Every room checked with you, your list finished, the warranty started.
An Oakville basement is usually on site for three to five weeks, depending on size and whether it includes a bathroom or a suite.
“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
Costs, permits, timing and local details, for when you want the full picture.
Ranges by how you want to use the space and how big it is, using the same numbers as the estimator above.
| 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
A bathroom, an egress window or lowering the floor adds to these ranges. Read the full Oakville basement cost guide.
The difference between a basement you use every day and one you don't is in the details.
| Detail | How we do it | What you want to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Floor | Dimpled membrane and plywood under the flooring, so the floor is warmer, flatter and protected from damp | A cold, hard floor you avoid in winter |
| Ceiling | Ducts and pipes kept tight, bulkheads only where they have to be, pot lights instead of hanging fixtures | A ceiling broken up by boxes at different heights |
| Lighting | Pot lights on dimmers in zones, and sensor lights on the stairs, like our Palermo basement | One switch for the whole level |
| Stairs | Treads matched to the new floor, a proper railing and a finished knee wall | Painted stairs and an old handrail that give away it's a basement |
| Bedrooms | An egress window sized to the code, so the room is safe and legal | A room with no proper window that can't be called a bedroom |
| Bathroom | Schluter waterproofing in the shower and a pump planned in if the drain sits below the sewer | A bathroom squeezed in without thinking about drainage |
Ontario now allows additional units in most houses. In Oakville, a legal suite can bring in rent, keep family close or give a grown child a start. Built legally, it's inspected, insurable and adds to the value of the house.
We design it, get the permit and pass every inspection. The Oakville rules, step by step, how legal basement apartments work and what they cost.
Oakville basements vary a lot by neighbourhood and decade.
Older foundations and low ceilings. Oakville's interior alteration guide covers digging out a basement for more headroom, which needs an engineer and a permit, and we can tell you if it's worth it for your house.
Many were finished in the 1990s with carpet, drop ceilings and small rooms. We take it back to the studs and lay it out for how families live now.
Good ceiling height and solid basements, ideal for a media room, a guest bedroom and a full bathroom, like our Joshua Creek media wall.
Newer homes, often with an unfinished basement and a bathroom rough-in. A clean start for a full build-out, like our Palermo basement.
New circuits and lighting are filed with Ontario's Electrical Safety Authority by our licensed electrician, separate from the building permit.
Ontario's Building Code gives the Town 10 business days to decide on a complete house permit application. Drawings are usually the longer part.
We draw the plans, apply to the Town and book every inspection. Your quote spells out what your basement needs.
An Oakville basement is usually on site for three to five weeks, depending on size and whether it includes a bathroom or a suite.
We measure, look for moisture and talk through the rooms you want, then give you a fixed price. Drawings and the Town permit start now if the plan needs them.
Exterior walls insulated and framed, rooms laid out, and plumbing, ducts and wiring run before anything is closed.
The Town inspects framing and rough-ins where there's a permit, then the drywall goes up and gets finished.
Subfloor and flooring, stairs re-clad, the bathroom tiled and fitted, doors, trim and paint.
We walk every room with you, finish your list and clean up. The warranty starts.
It comes down to size and what goes in. A family room on its own sits at the lower end of the range shown above, before HST, and a bathroom, a bedroom or a separate entrance moves it up. Use the estimator on this page for your own range; we confirm it with a fixed quote after a free visit.
Three to five weeks on site for most, longer with a bathroom or a suite, after a week or two of planning and permit drawings.
Yes, to finish an unfinished basement into rooms, add a bathroom, bedroom or window, build a second suite, install a backwater valve or dig out the floor. We prepare the drawings and handle the Town permit and inspections.
Yes. It needs a permit, fire separation, interconnected alarms, a safe exit and enough ceiling height, and we take care of all of it.
We keep ducts and pipes tight, use pot lights and plan rooms around the low spots. In some older Oakville homes, digging out the floor is an option, with an engineer and a permit.
Usually. Many Oakville basements have a rough-in. If the drain is below the sewer, we plan a pump into the quote.
We check for moisture before anything else, use a membrane under the subfloor and waterproof flooring, and recommend a backwater valve where the risk is there.
Four years on our workmanship, plus the manufacturers' warranties on materials and fixtures.
All of Oakville, including Old Oakville, Bronte, Glen Abbey, River Oaks, Joshua Creek, Iroquois Ridge, West Oak Trails, Palermo and north Oakville, from our office at 1155 North Service Rd W.
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.
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