Cromwell Design Build

The steps to building a custom home

Eight stages from the first meeting to the day you move in, with the approvals and inspections in between.

The eight stages

  1. First meeting and site visit

    We walk the lot or the house with you, talk through what you want to build and what you want to spend, and tell you what looks possible.

  2. Survey and zoning review

    A current survey and the zoning by-law set the limits, including setbacks, height and coverage, and tell us whether you’re likely to need a variance or another approval.

  3. Design

    We develop the plans and elevations with a 3D model, checking the structure, the services and the budget at each step.

  4. Renderings and selections

    We render the outside of the house and the rooms, free of charge, and choose the materials, windows, millwork and fixtures with you.

  5. Approvals and permit

    The engineering is finished and the permit drawings are filed. Any variance, conservation or heritage approval has to come first.

  6. Construction

    Excavation up to the roof and the basement slab, then windows, rough-ins, insulation and drywall, with a municipal inspection at each stage the Building Code calls for.

  7. Finishes

    Millwork, stone, tile, flooring and fixtures inside, and masonry, roofing, the final grading with its certificate, and landscaping outside.

  8. Handover

    Permanent hydro and gas connected, a final clean for move-in, the final inspection and occupancy, a walkthrough with a written list of anything outstanding, and the drawings, manuals and warranties for everything that was installed.

The approvals path

Every house needs a building permit. Some lots also need one or more approvals before the permit application can be filed.

The approvals path for a custom home in OntarioFlow from survey and zoning review through design, permit drawings and the building permit application to construction, with three approvals that apply only on some lots.Survey andzoning reviewDesign to thezoning by-lawPermit drawingsand engineeringBuilding permitapplicationPermit issued,construction starts10 business daysreview time in the CodeMinor varianceCommittee of Adjustment,when the design needs relief from zoningConservation authority permitTRCA or LSRCA, when the lot isin a regulated areaHeritage or site plan approvalin a heritage district or where themunicipality requires itOnly where they applyEvery house

The 10 business day review period for a house is set in Division C of the Ontario Building Code. It applies once the application is complete.

When a design needs a minor variance

If a house can’t meet a standard in the zoning by-law, you can ask the municipality’s Committee of Adjustment for a minor variance. Under section 45(1) of the Planning Act, the committee can approve it if it meets four tests:

  • The variance is minor.
  • It is desirable for the appropriate development or use of the land.
  • It keeps the general intent and purpose of the zoning by-law.
  • It keeps the general intent and purpose of the official plan.

A decision can be appealed within 20 days, so the building permit application goes in once that period has passed.

What is inside the wall

Most of what makes a house comfortable and long-lasting is hidden once the drywall goes up, so the frame and the insulation are inspected before it does. Here’s a typical stone-clad wall, from the outside in.

Section through a typical exterior wallCut through a masonry-clad wood-frame wall showing eight layers from the stone outside to the drywall inside.OutsideInside12345678
  1. Stone or brickCarried on the foundation and tied back to the frame.
  2. Air spaceLets water that gets behind the stone drain out at the bottom.
  3. Weather barrierKeeps wind and water out of the wall. Sealed at every seam, window and door.
  4. Continuous insulationRigid insulation outside the frame, so the studs do not carry cold through the wall.
  5. SheathingStiffens the frame against wind.
  6. Studs and cavity insulationThe structure of the wall, with insulation between the studs.
  7. Vapour barrierStops indoor moisture from condensing inside the wall in winter.
  8. DrywallThe finished interior face.

This is a typical wall. Yours depends on the design, the Building Code’s energy rules and the cladding you choose.

Inspections during construction

The Ontario Building Code lists the stages where the builder has to call the municipality for an inspection. On a house, these are the main ones.

Footings
Before concrete is placed.
Foundation
Before the excavation is backfilled.
Framing
When the structural frame is complete.
Plumbing and heating rough-ins
Before they are covered.
Insulation and vapour barrier
Before drywall.
Occupancy
Before anyone moves in.

Process questions

Who deals with the municipality?

We do. That covers the zoning review, any Committee of Adjustment application, the permit application, the examiner’s comments and the inspections.

What do you need from me to start?

The address, a survey if you have one, and a description of what you want to build. Old drawings, a title search and photos all help.

How will I know where the project stands?

You’ll have one point of contact from the first meeting to handover, and the schedule shows every stage and inspection.

Read next

Have a lot, a house or a set of drawings? That’s where we start.

Tell us where the property is and what you’d like to build, and we’ll tell you what we need to see next.

Start a project
(416) 659-8155[email protected]