Spring is here and home improvement stores are busy as everyone starts to seriously prepare for all those renovations they thought about this winter. Spring and summer are the seasons most homeowners embark on major renovation projects.

The first step for a substantial renovation should come long before you check the price of building supplies. It should begin with an application to your local municipality for a building permit.

This permit grants you the permission to start construction of a building project – whether it is finishing your basement, adding an addition, or even building a deck.

The permit ensures that the construction meets with the standards set out in the Ontario Building Code, and that the proposed project follows the bylaws of the municipality.

The building permit makes sure that with the proper inspections of the work, the public health, safety and welfare are protected. When renovations do not comply with building codes, the value of your investment could be reduced, safety may be compromised and penalties or even demolition may be required. If you require further information, we have all the planning and building department numbers for all local municipalities available and would be glad to forward them on to you.

The first building codes in North America began in 1905 as a result of fire causing extensive loss of property and life. We have come a long way in one hundred years!