Trim, Baseboard & Crown

Finish carpentry covers baseboard, door casing, crown moulding, chair rail, wainscoting and other interior millwork, new or replacing what is there. Trim does not appear on either of ottawa.ca's lists, the projects that need a building permit or the ones that do not. "Painting and decorating" is on the exempt list. If you are unsure whether your job counts as more than trim, ask the City.

Older houses raise two extra questions. The first is heritage. In a heritage conservation district, the Ontario Heritage Act's district permit covers "any part of the property, other than the interior of any structure or building on the property", so interior trim sits outside it. An individually designated house is different: its designation by-law may list interior features, so check the by-law with City heritage staff before original mouldings come off. City building-permit exemptions do not apply to either kind of heritage property.

The second is old paint and plaster. Health Canada says a home built before 1960 probably contains lead-based paint, that interior paint may also contain lead in smaller amounts, and not to use sanders, heat guns or blowlamps to remove it. It lists older plaster among materials that may contain asbestos and advises testing before renovating. Test before you disturb old trim, paint or plaster.

Window casing that comes with a new window is covered on ottawawindowinstall.ca.