Home Renovation Service
Home Renovation in Parkdale
South Parkdale · Jameson & Dunn · Cowan & Close · Queen West
Parkdale’s mansions were cut into apartments, and that is the project
Parkdale was a separate village for the well-off until it joined Toronto in 1889, and the large Victorian and Queen Anne houses south of Queen Street date from that period. Once the Gardiner and the rail lines cut the area off from the lake in the mid-twentieth century, many big houses were divided into rooming houses and bachelor apartments, and towers went up along Jameson and nearby streets. That history defines the work. A house we are asked to look at may have eight doors off one hallway, a kitchen in what used to be a dressing room, and three electrical meters on the side wall. Some owners keep it multi-unit and improve each suite. Others take it back to a single home or a legal triplex. Either way, fire separation, exits and sound between units come before finishes. North of Queen the houses are smaller semis and rows, closer in scale to Roncesvalles.
Price ranges: Toronto · cost guide
Proof of work
Recent projects in Toronto, near Parkdale
We have not yet published a project in Parkdale itself. Below are 3 of the 23 projects we completed in Toronto, the city Parkdale sits in — the same crew, the same drive. See all Toronto projects.
Parkdale streets and the buildings on them
Jameson, Dunn & Close south of Queen
Large three-storey Victorians mixed with 1960s apartment towers. Houses here are often licensed multi-tenant buildings. Renovation means working within the rules for that use, or converting to fewer units with a permit that records the change. We start by mapping every unit, meter and exit.
Cowan & Tyndall
Detached and semi-detached houses a little smaller than the Jameson mansions. Many have already been returned to single-family use, sometimes with a basement apartment kept. Original fireplaces, plaster arches and wide staircases are worth protecting through the work.
Springhurst & the lakeside blocks
Streets closest to the Gardiner and the lake. Traffic noise is constant, so owners ask for sound-rated drywall and insulation inside. Basements can be damp from a high water table, which we check before any finishing. A backwater valve is often worth adding at the same time.
North of Queen to the rail
Rows and semis on narrower lots toward Dufferin and the tracks. These are closer in scale to Roncesvalles or Little Portugal: kitchen at the back, one bathroom upstairs, and a basement that may hold a second unit. Lots here are tighter, so materials come through the front.
Tower suites and condos
Apartments in the 1960s and 70s buildings and newer condos near King and Queen. Interior work is unit-only, under the board’s or landlord’s rules, with booked elevators and quiet hours. Flooring needs to meet the building’s sound rating, and we confirm the underlay in writing before ordering.
Eight bachelors down to three proper units
A common Parkdale scope is reducing a crowded house to a legal triplex: an owner’s unit on the lower two floors and two apartments above, or similar. We start with a full survey of what exists, including every kitchen, bathroom, meter and exit. Then the permit drawings showing the new unit count, fire separations and exits. On site, demolition removes surplus kitchens and partitions, opening rooms back to their original sizes. New fire-rated assemblies go between units, with interconnected alarms. Plumbing is rebuilt to stacked bathrooms, and the electrical service is redone with one meter per unit. Original mouldings and the main stair are protected throughout. Tenancy matters have to be resolved before demolition, and that is your process with your own advice. Construction runs five to seven months.
People also ask
Home Renovation questions - Parkdale
What drives the cost of a home renovation in Parkdale?
Scale and the number of units. A big Parkdale Victorian may hold six or eight bachelor apartments, each with its own kitchen and bathroom, so even a partial update multiplies quickly. Fire separations, alarms and exits in a multi-unit house are a large share of the cost. Restoring a grand staircase or plaster ceiling takes skilled hours rather than material.
Our Parkdale house is a licensed rooming house. Can we renovate it without losing the licence?
Often yes, if the work keeps the house within the rules for that use. The City licenses multi-tenant houses, and the licence comes with fire, electrical and property standards that our work has to meet or improve. Some upgrades, like better fire separation and alarms, help with compliance. Changing the number of rooms or the layout may need the City’s sign-off. We plan the drawings with that in mind and you confirm the licence side.
Can you renovate a suite in one of the Jameson Avenue towers?
Yes, if you own it as a condo or the landlord approves the work in writing. Each building has rules for hours, elevator bookings, protection of common areas and flooring sound ratings, and we follow them. Plumbing and electrical changes inside the suite may need the board’s or management’s approval as well as a permit. Most suite renovations here are a kitchen, a bathroom and new floors.
Let’s talk
Contact Osoba Renos & Design
Planning a home renovation in Parkdale? Book a free in-home estimate.
- Phone647-562-4275
- E-mailosobarenos@gmail.com
- Service areaMississauga & GTA