From heritage homes in the Glebe to new builds in Barrhaven, Contractors Ottawa delivers fully managed renovation and construction projects across the National Capital Region. Licensed, insured, and backed by more than two decades of local experience, our crew handles everything — permits, design, structural work, finishing, and final inspection — so you never have to chase multiple trades. Whether you are planning a kitchen remodel, a basement finish, a full-home renovation, or a custom home build, you get fixed-price quotes, firm timelines, and a dedicated project manager from day one.
Same-week site visits across Ottawa, Kanata, Nepean, Orleans, and Barrhaven.
Contractors Ottawa is a full-service general contracting company based in Ottawa, Ontario, serving homeowners, landlords, property managers, and small business owners across the National Capital Region. We were founded on a simple principle: renovation and construction should not feel like a gamble. Our clients choose us because we handle the complexity — permits, drawings, trades, scheduling, inspections, warranty — and deliver a finished project that matches the quote and the drawings.
Our founders have more than 25 combined years of on-site experience in the Ottawa market, which means we understand how local conditions shape every build. We know how the freeze-thaw cycle punishes foundations along the Rideau River, why century homes in Sandy Hill and Lowertown need specialized structural assessments before any load-bearing wall comes down, and how the Ontario Building Code applies differently to heritage properties in the Centretown Heritage Conservation District. That local knowledge is the difference between a renovation that holds up and one that needs to be redone in five years.
Every project we run is staffed by our own supervised crew and a curated roster of vetted sub-trades — licensed electricians with ESA authorization, TSSA-certified gas fitters, insured plumbers, and red-seal carpenters. We carry $5 million in commercial general liability insurance, are in good standing with WSIB (Workplace Safety and Insurance Board), and pull every permit through the City of Ottawa's Building Code Services department. For new-home builds and major additions, we are registered with the Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA) and enrol each eligible project in Tarion warranty protection.
We are locally owned and locally operated. Our office is in Ottawa. Our project managers live in Ottawa. Our crews drive to your home from Ottawa. When you call us on a Tuesday about a shingle that blew off on Monday night's storm, you are calling a neighbour — not a call centre.
Every Contractors Ottawa project is built on the same foundations — fixed pricing, pulled permits, one point of accountability, and paperwork you can hold us to years later.
Every Contractors Ottawa proposal breaks down materials, labour, permits, disposal, and contingencies line by line. Once you approve the scope, the price is locked. If we discover something behind the drywall — knob-and-tube wiring in a Rockcliffe Park century home, an undersized header in a Westboro bungalow — we stop, document the finding, and price the change in writing before we touch it. No surprise invoices at the end of the job.
We pull permits. Always. That matters because an unpermitted renovation can void your home insurance, complicate resale, and trigger an order-to-comply from the City of Ottawa. Our paperwork is clean, our inspections are passed on the first visit, and every closing package includes your permit final, warranty documents, and as-built drawings.
You will not be juggling calls between a plumber, an electrician, a drywaller, and a tile setter. Your dedicated project manager schedules every trade, orders every material, manages every inspection, and sends you a written status update at the end of each week. One call, one email, one answer.
Every Contractors Ottawa project is backed by a written two-year workmanship warranty in addition to any manufacturer or Tarion coverage. If something we installed fails because of how we installed it, we come back and fix it. No fine print.
We have completed more than 600 projects across Ottawa — from basement apartments in Alta Vista to rear additions in New Edinburgh to full custom builds in Manotick. Ask to see a project in your neighbourhood. Chances are we finished one recently.
Your dedicated project manager sends you a written update every Friday of the build covering the week's progress, next week's trades, any decisions needed from you, and current budget status. All change orders are documented and approved in writing before work starts — you are never guessing where the project stands.
Contractors Ottawa is a true general contractor. That means we can run a full whole-home renovation or a focused single-room remodel — and we take responsibility for the entire scope. Below is a detailed look at our most requested services, typical Ottawa market pricing, and what is included in each scope.
A kitchen renovation is the single highest-ROI renovation in Ottawa's resale market. Our kitchen builds cover demolition, structural modifications (removing load-bearing walls, adding LVL beams, widening openings), electrical and plumbing rework, new cabinetry (stock, semi-custom, and fully custom), countertops (quartz, granite, porcelain slab, butcher block), backsplash, flooring, lighting, painting, and final appliance installation.
Typical Ottawa pricing (placeholder): budget refresh $25,000–$45,000; mid-range renovation $50,000–$90,000; high-end or structural kitchen $100,000–$180,000+. Final cost depends on layout changes, cabinet brand, countertop material, and appliance package.
$25K – $180K+Scope-dependent, installed
We renovate powder rooms, family baths, and full primary ensuites. Our bathroom scope covers waterproofing to Ontario Building Code, Schluter or Wedi shower systems, curbless walk-in showers, freestanding tubs, heated floors, custom vanities, wall-hung toilets, and accessibility upgrades (grab bars, zero-threshold entries, comfort-height fixtures). Ottawa's hard water is factored into every fixture choice we recommend.
Typical Ottawa pricing (placeholder): powder room $12,000–$22,000; full bathroom gut $25,000–$50,000; luxury primary ensuite $60,000–$110,000+.
$12K – $110K+Per bathroom, installed
Ottawa basements are an undervalued asset. We finish basements into family rooms, home theatres, gyms, home offices, and legal secondary dwelling units. Every basement we finish starts with a moisture assessment and, where needed, interior or exterior waterproofing, sump pump, and backwater valve installation (eligible for the City of Ottawa's Residential Protective Plumbing Isolation subsidy).
For legal basement apartments, we handle the full process: zoning confirmation, building permit, fire separation to OBC 9.10.9, egress windows, independent HVAC balancing, and ESA electrical inspection. A compliant secondary dwelling unit is one of the best investments an Ottawa homeowner can make given current rental demand.
Typical Ottawa pricing (placeholder): basic finished basement $45,000–$75,000; basement with bathroom $65,000–$110,000; legal secondary dwelling unit $95,000–$165,000+.
$45K – $165K+Finish or legal SDU
When moving is not an option, adding square footage is. We design and build rear additions, side additions, second-storey additions, and four-season sunrooms. Additions require full architectural and structural drawings, zoning compliance (including lot coverage, setback, and FSI rules unique to each Ottawa neighbourhood), a committee of adjustment application where applicable, and a full building permit. Our design-build model means you get drawings, permits, and construction from one team.
Typical Ottawa pricing (placeholder): rear bump-out $80,000–$150,000; full main-floor addition $250,000–$450,000; second-storey addition $350,000–$600,000+.
$80K – $600K+Architectural + build
A whole-home renovation takes a tired 1950s Alta Vista bungalow, a 1970s Blackburn Hamlet split-level, or a 1920s Hintonburg semi and brings it fully up to modern standards: new electrical service, new plumbing, spray-foam or mineral-wool insulation, high-efficiency HVAC, all-new windows and doors, reconfigured floor plan, and contemporary finishes. We live-load project management for six to twelve months and deliver a home that performs like new construction without losing the character that made you buy it.
Quoted by scope6–12 month builds
For buyers with a lot in Manotick, Dunrobin, Carp, Greely, or the rural edges of the city, we build custom homes from the ground up. Our custom-build package includes architectural design, structural engineering, HVAC load calculations, energy modelling to exceed Ontario Building Code SB-12, full HCRA registration, Tarion enrolment, and fixed-price delivery. Typical custom-build timelines run 10–14 months from permit to possession.
Quoted by lot10–14 months, HCRA + Tarion
Ottawa's climate is unforgiving on building envelopes. We replace asphalt and metal roofs, install fibre-cement, engineered wood, and vinyl siding systems, and install Energy Star Most Efficient windows and entry doors. Every exterior job includes ice-and-water shield at all eaves and valleys (mandatory in Ottawa's climate zone), proper flashing integration, and attic ventilation calculations to prevent ice damming — one of the single most common winter callbacks in the National Capital Region.
Quoted by scopeFull envelope, climate-graded
We build pressure-treated, cedar, and composite (Trex, TimberTech, Duxxbak) decks, pergolas, screen rooms, and three-season sunrooms. All structural decks over 600 mm above grade require a building permit in Ottawa — we handle it. Footings are dug to the local frost line (minimum 1.5 m or 5 feet in Ottawa) to prevent seasonal heave.
Quoted by designDeck, fence, pergola, sunroom
Beyond residential, we handle commercial tenant fit-outs for retail, office, medical, and restaurant clients across Ottawa, Kanata North, and the ByWard Market. Commercial work requires Part 3 OBC compliance, accessibility (AODA) design, commercial-grade MEP systems, and coordination with landlord build standards. Our commercial projects range from $75,000 fit-outs to $1.5 million ground-up retail builds.
$75K – $1.5M+Tenant fit-out to retail buildFixed-price proposals break every project down line by line — materials, labour, permits, disposal, contingency. The ranges below reflect current Ottawa market pricing; your detailed proposal arrives within 48 hours of the free site visit.
Cabinet refinish or paint, new counters, backsplash, lighting upgrade, appliance swap.
Semi-custom cabinetry, quartz or granite, layout tweaks, new flooring, full MEP rework.
Full tear-out, new vanity, toilet, fixtures, tile, lighting, and painting.
Complete rebuild with waterproofing, tiled shower system, new plumbing rough-in.
Framing, insulation, drywall, flooring, trim, and lighting — moisture assessment included.
Permits, fire separation, egress windows, independent HVAC, ESA electrical, full kitchen & bath.
Architectural drawings, structural engineering, permit, foundation, envelope, finishes.
Senior estimator walks your home, listens to goals, and delivers a written scope summary within 48 hours.
Ottawa's housing stock, climate, and regulatory environment create a specific set of recurring problems that generic out-of-town contractors are not equipped to handle. These are the issues we see and solve every week.
Ottawa's January freeze-thaw cycle causes ice dams along roof eaves, which back up under shingles and leak into attics and exterior walls. The root cause is almost always inadequate attic insulation (below R-60) combined with poor soffit-to-ridge ventilation. We diagnose with thermal imaging, upgrade insulation, rebalance ventilation, and install ice-and-water shield to the Ottawa minimum of 3 feet past the exterior wall line.
Decades of homes in Ottawa South, Vanier, and the older parts of Nepean were built with brittle parged foundations and no exterior waterproofing membrane. We excavate, apply a blueskin or dimple-board drainage plane, re-bed weeping tile, add a backwater valve, and install a reliable sump system with battery backup. The City of Ottawa's Residential Protective Plumbing Isolation program offers up to $5,000 in subsidies — we help eligible clients apply (verify current program terms before publishing).
Century homes in Centretown, Sandy Hill, and the Glebe frequently still contain knob-and-tube circuits. 1960s and 1970s homes in Beacon Hill and Orleans often have aluminum branch wiring. Both create insurance problems and fire risk. We coordinate full ESA-inspected rewires with minimal drywall disturbance.
Ottawa continues to replace lead service lines under its city-wide Lead Pipe Replacement Program. We coordinate interior service-line replacements with the city's exterior replacement, trench-dig or pipe-burst the private-side lead or galvanized pipe, and upgrade to 3/4-inch copper or PEX.
Many Ottawa homes still have 60-amp or 100-amp service that cannot support modern loads — induction cooktops, EV chargers, heat pumps, hot tubs. We upgrade to 200-amp service, coordinate the Hydro Ottawa meter swap, and install the mast, panel, and grounding to current Ontario Electrical Safety Code.
The City of Ottawa now permits secondary dwelling units (SDUs) in most low-rise residential zones, but the compliance bar is high: 45-minute fire separation, interconnected smoke and CO alarms, egress windows, independent heating, proper sound attenuation. We build legal, permitted, insurable units — not the grey-market conversions that show up on the market every week.
An honest contrast — no attack marketing, no strawman. The practical differences between hiring a licensed general contractor with written guarantees and hiring someone working under the table. Read both columns before you sign anything.
We have refined our process across hundreds of Ottawa projects. Every build, from a single bathroom to a custom home in Manotick, follows the same proven six-step sequence.
We visit your home, listen to your goals, take preliminary measurements, and photograph the space. No high-pressure sales, no same-day closing. You receive a written scope summary within 48 hours.
For renovations involving structural work, layout changes, or additions, our designer prepares scaled concept drawings and a transparent ballpark budget range based on current Ottawa market pricing. This is where 90% of scope decisions get made.
Once the design is locked, we produce a line-by-line fixed-price proposal: demolition, framing, MEP, insulation, drywall, finishes, fixtures, permits, disposal, contingency. You see every dollar.
We submit to the City of Ottawa's Building Code Services, coordinate structural stamping where required, schedule utility locates, and order long-lead materials (cabinetry, custom windows, tile). Most Ottawa renovation permits are issued within 2–4 weeks.
Your dedicated project manager runs the job. You receive a written weekly update every Friday covering progress, upcoming week's trades, any decisions needed, and budget status. All change orders are documented and approved in writing before work starts.
We schedule every required inspection (framing, plumbing rough-in, electrical rough-in, insulation, final). Once inspections pass, we walk the job with you, build a punch list, and do not invoice the final hold-back until every item is complete. You receive a closing package with permit final, warranty documents, and maintenance notes.
Contractors Ottawa provides free on-site consultations and full renovation and construction services across every ward of the City of Ottawa and the surrounding communities. Below is our active service area. If your neighbourhood is not listed, call us — we likely serve it.
Centretown, Sandy Hill, Lowertown, the Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Old Ottawa East, the ByWard Market, Chinatown, Hintonburg, Mechanicsville, LeBreton Flats.
Westboro, Wellington West, Hampton Park, Carlington, Champlain Park, McKellar Park, Civic Hospital, Island Park.
New Edinburgh, Rockcliffe Park, Manor Park, Lindenlea, Overbrook, Vanier, Rideau-Rockcliffe.
Alta Vista, Riverview, Heron Park, Billings Bridge, Ottawa South, Old Ottawa South, Greenboro, Hunt Club, Hunt Club Park, Blossom Park, Findlay Creek, Leitrim, Riverside South.
Kanata Lakes, Katimavik-Hazeldean, Beaverbrook, Bridlewood, Glen Cairn, Morgan's Grant, Marchwood-Lakeside, Stittsville, Jackson Trails, Fernbank.
Barrhaven, Stonebridge, Half Moon Bay, Longfields, Chapman Mills, Heritage Park, Bells Corners, Craig Henry, Centrepointe, Tanglewood, City View, Trend-Arlington.
Orleans, Fallingbrook, Avalon, Chapel Hill, Queenswood Heights, Convent Glen, Chatelaine Village, Blackburn Hamlet, Beacon Hill North, Beacon Hill South, Cardinal Creek, Cumberland.
Manotick, Greely, Osgoode, Metcalfe, Munster, Richmond, Carp, Dunrobin, Constance Bay, Kinburn, Fitzroy Harbour, Navan, Sarsfield, Vars.
Ottawa has a stricter permit and inspection regime than many Canadian cities. Understanding the local process before you start saves weeks of delay and tens of thousands of dollars in rework.
The City of Ottawa Building Code Services requires a permit for any structural change (removing or modifying a load-bearing wall, adding a beam, cutting a new opening), any addition or new detached structure over 10 square metres, plumbing additions or relocations, new or replacement electrical service, basement underpinning, finishing a basement with bedrooms, and any secondary dwelling unit. You do not need a permit for like-for-like drywall, flooring, kitchen cabinet replacement without plumbing changes, or painting. When in doubt, we check for you.
Ottawa sits in climate zone 6, with design temperatures as low as −25°C and annual freeze-thaw cycles that punish any building envelope failure. Frost depth for footings is 1.5 metres (60 inches). Insulation minimums under the Ontario Building Code SB-12 compliance path require R-60 attics, R-22 effective walls, and R-31 basement walls. Ice-and-water shield is mandatory at roof eaves, valleys, and around all penetrations. Ignoring any of these is not a stylistic choice — it is what separates a healthy, durable home from one with mould, rot, and insurance problems within five years.
If your home is in Centretown Heritage Conservation District, Rockcliffe Park Heritage Conservation District, Sandy Hill West, or one of Ottawa's other designated HCDs, any exterior alteration — windows, siding, roofing, additions, even front-yard fences — requires a Heritage Permit in addition to a standard building permit. The review adds 4–8 weeks. We have walked many heritage applications through council and know what will and will not be approved.
Additions, laneway suites, and some secondary dwelling units often trigger minor variance applications because of lot coverage, setback, or height rules in the City of Ottawa Zoning By-law 2008-250. The Committee of Adjustment process takes roughly 10–12 weeks from application to decision. If your project needs relief, we identify that early, prepare the application, and attend the hearing on your behalf.
In Ontario, any new home or significant addition built for a consumer must be enrolled in Tarion's warranty program, and the builder must be licensed by the Home Construction Regulatory Authority. Contractors Ottawa is HCRA-registered (verify licence number before publishing) and enrols every eligible project in Tarion, providing homeowners with one-year, two-year, and seven-year statutory warranty coverage.
Depending on your project and current program availability, you may qualify for the Canada Greener Homes Grant and interest-free loan, Enbridge's Home Efficiency Rebate Plus, the City of Ottawa's Residential Protective Plumbing Isolation subsidy, and the provincial Better Homes Ottawa loan. We identify eligible rebates during the scoping phase and provide the invoicing and documentation homeowners need to claim them. Program terms change frequently — always verify current eligibility at time of application.
The four credentials that separate a licensed general contractor from the alternative — documented, verifiable, and available in writing with every contract.
600+ projects delivered across Ottawa. 25+ combined years of on-site experience in the National Capital Region, spanning heritage restoration, custom builds, and commercial fit-outs.
Our own supervised crew plus a curated roster of red-seal carpenters, ESA-authorized electricians, TSSA-certified gas fitters, and insured plumbers — every trade vetted.
HCRA-registered for new-home construction. Every permit pulled through the City of Ottawa's Building Code Services. Tarion-enrolled on eligible new builds and major additions.
$5M commercial general liability insurance. WSIB clearance certificate on every contract. Two-year written workmanship warranty plus Tarion statutory coverage where applicable.
Quotes from homeowners across the National Capital Region who hired us for kitchens, basements, additions, heritage restorations, and custom builds.
We had three contractors quote our kitchen-and-family-room combo. Contractors Ottawa was the only team that walked us through the structural work honestly, warned us about a bearing wall the others missed, and still came in on budget. Ten months later, everything works. Not a single callback.
We wanted a legal secondary dwelling unit and had no idea where to start. They handled zoning, permits, fire separation, ESA inspection, and final occupancy. The unit rented in four days. Full professional operation.
Our house is in the Centretown HCD and every other contractor we called either did not understand heritage review or tried to talk us out of it. Contractors Ottawa had done heritage work before, walked the application through, and delivered a gorgeous result.
The part that shocked me most was that the crew showed up every single morning for four months. In Ottawa, that is not normal. Communication was excellent. Final invoice matched the quote.
We did a full second-storey addition. Complex project, long timeline, big budget. They nailed it. The weekly Friday updates were exactly what we needed to trust the process.
We had chronic basement moisture for years. They diagnosed it properly, waterproofed the exterior, installed a backwater valve, and helped us apply for the city subsidy. Two winters in now — bone dry.
From lot grading to final walkthrough, 11 months. HCRA-registered, Tarion-enrolled, delivered on spec. We have referred three friends already.
Eight-week commercial fit-out for our café, delivered in seven. Landlord was happy. Health inspection passed first visit. Opening day went off without a hitch.
A small sample of the range of work we complete each month — heritage exteriors, full whole-home renovations, legal basement apartments, commercial fit-outs, and outdoor living builds.
"Final invoice matched the quote. That almost never happens with a reno."
"Heritage application, permit, build — one team, one contract, no chasing."
"Basement stayed bone dry through two Ottawa winters. Job done right."
"Weekly Friday updates kept a six-month build feeling manageable."
Direct answers to the questions Ottawa homeowners ask us most often. Optimized for both search and AI-generated answers.
Every Contractors Ottawa project begins with a free, no-obligation on-site consultation. A senior estimator walks your home, listens to your goals, and delivers a written scope summary within 48 hours. There is no high-pressure sales, no same-day closing, and no obligation to proceed.
Whether you are planning a kitchen renovation in Westboro, a basement finish in Barrhaven, a legal second dwelling unit in Orleans, a whole-home renovation in the Glebe, or a custom home build in Manotick, we are ready to quote it, build it, and warranty it.
Monday–Friday 8 am – 6 pm · Saturday 9 am – 3 pm. Speak with a senior estimator, not a call centre.
Ottawa, Ontario — serving the entire National Capital Region, including Kanata, Nepean, Orleans, Barrhaven, Stittsville, Manotick, Greely, Carp, Dunrobin, and rural Ottawa.
Ottawa, Ontario. Same-week site visits across the core service area, typically within 48 hours of your call.
Licensed. Insured. HCRA-registered. WSIB-covered. Backed by a two-year written workmanship warranty and Tarion on every eligible build. Replace placeholder credentials with verified details before publishing.