Are you thinking of adding an addition onto your London, Ontario area home, but don’t know where to start? Here’s our top 6 tips for building a successful home addition in London, Ontario in 2025.
1. Understand Local Regulations and Ontario Building Code. Make sure to familiarize yourself with local London zoning bylaws, which dictate permissible lot size, building height, and setbacks from property lines. You will also want to look into regulations regarding renovations and home additions under the 2024 Ontario Building Code that went into effect as of January 1st, 2025. For instance, minimum ceiling heights now have to be 1.95 m, with 1.85 m headroom under heating ducts and wood beams. And if you do not abide by local or provincial building codes you can face big fines, such as $50,000 for being convicted of illegal construction.
2. Learn About Most Common Types of Home Additions. Although most people likely think of home additions as only consisting of a few types, there are actually quite a few different common types of home additions. For instance, there are bump outs, garage additions, basement additions, second story additions, and single room additions. In case you have not heard of it, a bump-out is a smaller extension on a living room. And is ideal for adding more space to kitchens or bathrooms without the complexity of a full-blown home addition.
3. Research Top-Rated and Most Experienced Local Renovations Companies. Before considering hiring a home renovations company in London to build your new home addition, you will want to make sure that they are qualified and experienced enough to complete your home renovation to your satisfaction. For instance, how many years of experience do they have compared to their competitors and do they have a good reputation on Google and the other reputable review and social media platforms, such as the BBB (i.e. the Better Business Bureau). Are they even from London or are they part of a larger renovation company in Ontario or Canada or the U.S.? To some this might not matter, but to many other customers they would prefer to support local Canadian businesses, so they can better support our local economy and give back to local charities. To help with this process you can create a list of your top 3 home additions contractors in London, Ontario, and then narrow it down from there to one. At the end of the day, it will likely come down to who you trust the most with your hard-earned money to carry out the renovation work on your home; as well as what your budget is for the home addition project.
4. Only Sign a Contract with Firm Project Goals, Deadlines, and Detailed Information About Costs to Prevent Major Issues Later On. Otherwise if you agree to the terms of a general contract and sign off on it and make your down payment, and then later on decide that you want to change something in the project, you will have to pay extra. So it is best to make sure that you get a detailed contract with goals, project milestones, and a breakdown of the associated costs of achieving the goals and project milestones, so there will be no major issues later on. And also, so you can protect yourself in case the contractor decides to not deliver on their promises and you choose to pursue legal action against them.
5. Make a Down Payment. After choosing which company you want to hire to build your home addition, you will need to put down some form of a down payment, so they can start working on building your new home addition. And if you don’t have the money in your bank account, you will need to find another way to fund the home addition renovation project, such as getting a line of credit or bank loan.
6. Do not sign off on the design or construction of your home addition until you are 100% happy or you will likely deeply regret it later on, which could lead to significant project budget overruns. Not only that, but to do significant home renovation projects you will first need to get an architect or engineer to design the plans for it; as well as obtaining local building permits from the City of London. To learn more about what should be included in a professional home renovation services contract, visit the Canadian Homebuilder’s Association Website.
If you are looking to learn more about our home additions services, please check out our home additions services page. Whether you need help with exterior or interior renovations, our talented home renovation experts at Oak 42 are here to make your home renovation dreams a reality with over 20 years experience in the London, Ontario area. Call us today at 226-448-8450 to get a free in-home renovation quote or visit our website to learn more about us and see photos from some of our past renovation projects in our Photo Gallery!
