Basement Renovations in Toronto
renoWOW! has been finishing Toronto basements since 1993. Rec rooms, home offices, guest suites and legal apartments, with a fixed price before we start and a two-year warranty after we leave.
Water First. Everything Else Second.
Of every space renoWOW! takes on in home renovation across Toronto, the basement is the one where the order of operations matters most. Finish a basement that still takes water and you have not built a rec room, you have built a mould problem with a television in it.
So we start underneath. Where is water getting in, is there a backwater valve, does the sump work, how is the perimeter draining. Only once that is settled do we talk about the subfloor, the vapour barrier, framing and where the sectional goes. Plenty of basement renovation contractors run that order backwards, because drywall photographs better than drainage. It is the least interesting conversation in the job and the one that decides whether the room lasts.
What We Build Downstairs
Our basement renovation services run from waterproofing through to final basement finishing. One crew handles framing, plumbing, electrical, insulation and finishes, and we pull the permits instead of leaving that with you.
Rec Rooms & Family Space
The most common basement job. A recreation room with warm floors, proper lighting, room for a basement bar, and insulation that meets code rather than just filling the cavity.
Legal Secondary Suites
Rental units and in-law suites with a separate entrance, kitchenette, egress windows, fire separation and ceiling height, built to satisfy an inspector rather than just the eye.
Basement Bathrooms
Adding one below grade usually means breaking concrete, or an up-flush system if the drain sits too high. Both need a permit and proper venting.
Media Rooms & Home Gyms
Home theatres, gyms and quiet offices, each with the wiring, sound insulation and ventilation it actually needs. Planning a basement office.
Guest Suites
A bedroom and bath downstairs, with the egress window and fire separation a legal sleeping room actually needs.
Underpinning & Height
Lowering the floor to make a low basement genuinely usable, with the engineering and inspections managed for you.
What a Toronto Basement Actually Costs
Basement finishing is usually priced per square foot until structure gets involved. Underpinning, a new bathroom and a legal suite are the three things that move the number most, and they are what separates a straightforward remodel from a major build.
- Basic finished rec room$35 – $50 / sq ft
- Full finish with bathroom$50 – $75 / sq ft
- Legal secondary suite$75 – $120 / sq ft
- Underpinning$350 – $500 / linear ft
- Egress window cut$4,000 – $9,000
- Backwater valveCity subsidy may apply
Water is the variable nobody budgets for. If the perimeter drains have failed or the sump is undersized, that gets fixed before a single stud goes up, so we hold back 10 to 15 percent for it. More in our basement cost guide and our waterproofing checklist.
Get a Fixed-Price QuoteWhat Makes a Basement Suite Legal
A finished basement and a legal basement apartment are two different builds. The second has to pass an inspector on egress, fire separation, ceiling height and HVAC, and none of it is negotiable, so we design to those rules from the start rather than retrofitting after a failed inspection.
- Ceiling height that still meets code once floor and ceiling are finished
- Egress windows sized so a person can actually get out of a bedroom
- Fire separation between the suite and the rest of the house
- Backwater valve and sump, which the City may help pay for
Meet Sam Beninato, founder of renoWOW!
Sam has spent more than 32 years in the contracting and remodeling trade and still checks the water side of a basement himself before quoting any finishes. He has been featured on HGTV and quoted in the Toronto editions of Metro, The Globe & Mail and The Huffington Post. Read more on our About Us page.
"A renovation is more than fixtures and cabinets. It is a new feeling for your home. It is the WOW! factor."
renoWOW! is a licensed and insured basement renovation contractor in Toronto, carrying $5 million liability insurance with WSIB coverage. We take one job at a time and back every basement with a two-year workmanship warranty.
Recent renoWOW! Projects
A look at the finish and detail we hold every project to, taken straight from our project portfolio.
Charlottetown Project
A full-scale transformation of a Charlottetown home, top to bottom.
View project →
Wessex Dr
A complete refurbishment with every room brought into one cohesive design.
View project →
Duffins Creek Project
A whole-home transformation with careful, detailed craftsmanship throughout.
View project →How a renoWOW! Basement Runs
Water and Height Check
We measure real finished height and look at drainage, the sump and the stack before anything else, then give you a written scope and a fixed price.
Permits and Engineering
Drawings, applications and any structural engineering go in early, because this stage sets your start date more than anything else.
Build
Waterproofing and rough-in first, inspected before we close a single wall, then insulation, drywall, flooring and finishes.
Walkthrough & Warranty
Final inspections signed off, every detail checked with you, then two years of workmanship warranty in writing.
This was the second time I have used RenoWow, and once again they were excellent. They completed our basement, including bathroom, kitchen, a bar and ceiling work. I really appreciate the open and transparent visibility of all costs and potential extras.
Great experience and high quality work end to end. During the estimating process they provided a high quality timely detailed estimate and consultation. The project was done on time and on budget with a very high degree of attention to detail.
This is the second major renovation that Sam and his team have completed for us and we couldn't be happier. They use many measures to keep your home clean and protected throughout the job and our neighbours even commented on the care being taken. Our kitchen is still in fantastic condition 6 years on.
We recently completed an extensive renovation with Reno Wow, including our kitchen and master bathroom now turned into our master spa. They are knowledgeable, responsive, and trustworthy. The work is high quality and most importantly the whole project was delivered on time and on budget.
They are thoroughly professional, honest, and very conscientious in the quality of his work. In addition to being reliable, they were very creative and offered terrific suggestions for some of my needs.
We had a bathroom totally renovated by renoWOW! and the results are awesome. Sam helped us develop a plan that was perfect for us. He is very easy to talk to, listens, is very detailed oriented and made many helpful suggestions that we had never considered.
Basement Renovations Across Toronto and the GTA
We work as basement renovators right across the city and the surrounding regions, from a straightforward basement remodel to a fully permitted legal suite. Pick your area for local pricing, permit details and recent work.
Ready to start on your basement?
Book a free in-home consultation. Sam will walk the space with you, talk through what is possible and follow up with a written, fixed-price scope.