Frequently Asked Questions

We found too few published Ottawa prices to quote ranges for carpentry jobs, so this site does not show any. What moves the price: design work, the building permit, temporary support for a wall, the materials (beam type, wood species, trim profile), labour, moving wiring, ducts or plumbing, patching drywall, paint and floors afterwards, testing for lead or asbestos in an older home, and heritage review on a designated house. Get written quotes that list these as separate lines.

For alterations, renovations and repairs, the City of Ottawa charges $12.75 per $1,000 of construction value, with a minimum fee of $117 (Comprehensive Building Code Fee Schedule, dated January 1, 2026). The valuation is the total value of all materials, labour, overhead and professional fees. By that formula a $20,000 job works out to $255. The City sets the valuation, so treat your own figure as an estimate.

Compare the same scope line by line: who prepares any design, who applies for the permit and books inspections, the materials named by type and size, temporary support, patching and finishing, disposal, and the schedule. If a quote is an estimate, Ontario's Consumer Protection Act says the final bill may not exceed it by more than 10 per cent.

Ontario's Construction Act has each payer on a contract where a lien may arise keep a holdback of 10 per cent of the price of the work as it is supplied. A lien expires at the end of a 60-day period after the work is substantially performed, completed or abandoned. For a large job, ask a lawyer how this applies to your contract.

Plan on it. ottawa.ca lists "adding or removing walls, i.e., creating different room sizes and/or uses" among the interior structural alterations that need a building permit, and the list does not separate load-bearing walls from partitions. Confirm with Building Code Services before any wall comes out. The owner is responsible for getting the permit, though a contractor or designer may apply for you.

ottawa.ca's list of projects not requiring a building permit includes "Replacing doors or windows (provided they are in the same size opening)" and "Painting and decorating". Enlarging or relocating a door is on the permit list. Trim, baseboard and crown are not on either list, so ask the City if you are unsure. On a designated heritage building or in a Heritage District Overlay, the exemptions do not apply.

Stairs are not listed on either of ottawa.ca's lists, the projects that need a permit or the ones that do not, so ask the City before you start. If the stair moves or the floor opening changes, that can mean cutting joists, and structural repairs or alterations are on the City's permit list.

A qualified, registered designer (BCIN), an engineer or an architect, or you, for a house you own (Ontario Building Code, Division C, 3.2.5.1.(3)(b)). We found nothing on ottawa.ca saying the City requires an engineer's stamp for every beam. Many beam designs come from an engineer or a registered designer; ask the City what it will accept for your wall.

The Building Code has span tables for wood, glulam and steel beams and for lintels, but the right size depends on what the beam carries, the snow load, the wood species and other conditions, and anything outside the tables is designed to Part 4 of the Code or good engineering practice. This site does not publish span numbers. The size for your house comes from its design.

Under the Building Code, holes in floor, ceiling or roof joists are no larger than a quarter of the depth and at least 50 mm from the edges. Notches go on the top, within half the joist depth of the bearing, and no deeper than a third of the depth. A load-bearing stud keeps at least two-thirds of its depth undamaged, a stud that carries no load at least 40 mm, and a top plate at least 50 mm, unless the member is reinforced. Trusses are not cut unless their design allows it.

For private stairs, Table 9.8.4.1. of the 2024 Ontario Building Code sets the rise between 125 and 200 mm and the run between 255 and 355 mm. At least one stair between floors is at least 860 mm wide, and the clear height over it is at least 1 950 mm. Risers may vary by no more than 5 mm from one to the next and 10 mm across a flight.

A required handrail is 865 to 1 070 mm high, measured from a line along the tread nosings (Ontario Building Code 9.8.7.4.). Inside a house, one handrail is required on a stair narrower than 1 100 mm, and an interior stair of two risers or fewer needs none. Handrail height and guard height are separate rules.

A guard is required where the drop beside a stair, landing or floor is more than 600 mm. Inside a dwelling unit it is at least 900 mm high (Ontario Building Code 9.8.8.3.(2)). Openings must stop a 100 mm sphere, and the triangle under a stair guard must stop a 150 mm sphere.

We found no City of Ottawa licence for carpenters, and General Carpenter is a non-compulsory trade in Ontario. A carpenter may hold a Certificate of Qualification, but none is required to do the work, and Skilled Trades Ontario says people in this trade do not appear on its public register. Ask about similar jobs they have done, who will do the work, and what the written quote covers.

An agreement made away from the contractor's place of business, such as at your home, is a direct agreement under Ontario's Consumer Protection Act, 2002: over $50 it must be in writing, and you may cancel within 10 days of receiving your written copy. Where a contract includes an estimate, the final price may not exceed it by more than 10 per cent. Put the scope, materials, design, permit and inspection steps, patching and clean-up in writing.

Not for your own home. WSIB's clearance rule excludes contractors hired directly by a householder for exempt home renovation work on a private residence the householder occupies or will occupy. You may still ask for a clearance. The exemption does not cover rental properties, so an owner hiring for a rental should check with WSIB.

In a heritage conservation district, the Ontario Heritage Act's district permit covers "any part of the property, other than the interior", so interior carpentry is outside it. An individually designated house is different: its designation by-law may protect interior features, so check the by-law with City heritage staff. Building-permit exemptions do not apply to either kind of heritage property.

It can. Health Canada says a home built before 1960 probably contains lead-based paint, and interior paint may contain lead in smaller amounts; it advises against sanders, heat guns or blowlamps for removing it. It lists older plaster among materials that may contain asbestos and advises testing before renovating. Test before you disturb old paint, trim or plaster; the contractor has its own worker-safety duties.