Ossington Home Renovation

Woodsmith Home Renovation Delaware

Woodsmith Construction Project Journal: Ossington Home Renovation

  Renovating homes in the west end of Toronto is something the Woodsmith Construction team has become very familiar with. With street after street of townhomes and semi detached homes, there is no shortage of work to be done. These homes have not received a lot of love over the years and in the vast majority of cases they are showing signs of major deterioration. If you own a home in this area, here are a few tips you should keep in mind based on our last project in your community.   First a little background on our Ossington home renovation. This home was your standard semi detached home with a semi renovated interior. The renovations were done poorly and the major work which had not been done, like sagging floor joists, leaking roof or bad foundation, was really starting to come apart at the seams. We were fortunate enough to get the green light for a complete home renovation. Which means a complete gut back to foundation and structure and start fresh from there. As a rule this is always the best way to go about any renovation to an older home. Especially one that seems to have had shoddy work done to it in the past.   There were however a few interesting things that became apparent once things got removed, that are worth sharing.  

Third Floor

Although most of the homes in the Ossington area have third floors built into the roof. Before you start any work on your home, keep in mind that the structure of those third floors will be bad. With multiple layers of roofing membrane installed of the years. You will more then likely have to correct some major sagging in your roof and potentially some structural failure. Our Ossington home renovation was no exception to this reality. It required lots of man hours to get off what must of been 8 layers of torch down roof. Along with a complete rebuild of the roof itself.  Always plan for the worst when it comes to gutting a home. Better to be pleasantly surprised then disappointed with the findings because once the problem is revealed it has to get fixed.  

Basement

Most basements in the West end of Toronto have had some work done to them. It usually was very poorly done and in bad shape once we get there. Our Ossington home renovation was also no exception to this fact. The basement on this project had been lowered but unfortunately they had not done it with a permit so we had to make sure it is done right. Once a sample was removed we could clearly see the the under pins had been dug half the width of the foundation instead of the full depth which would be required. Which meant, we then had to repair all of the work done. Rule of thumb if your basement has been underpinned without a permit, odds are it was not done right. Be very careful when dealing with bad foundation work, as it can structurally comprise your entire home.    

Woodsmith Construction completed a project for us in a timely and professional manner. The quality of their workmanship is superb. Communication between them and us was informative, courteous and collaborative. We would highly recommend them.

Rick Wilson
Rick Wilson2020-03-31
Google

Woodsmith Construction is first and foremost one of the leading contractors serving the GTA. We at Rigid Frame Structural Engineers Inc. provide structural engineering consulting for them. Woodsmith always adhere to the drawings and regulations in all of their construction projects. We also find Chris and all his crews to be very respectful. We recommend Woodsmith to all our clients who like to tackle renovations.

We worked with Chris Smith and Woodsmith Construction Inc. on the design for a garage addition, and the experience was fantastic. The project included adding attic trusses to create a new walk-in closet and laundry room that seamlessly connected to our existing main bedroom. Chris’s goal was to make the addition feel like it had always been part of the home, and he absolutely nailed it.From the start, Chris took the time to understand what we needed and came up with a design that not only maximized the functionality of the space but also kept the style consistent with the rest of the house. He paid close attention to every detail, from the layout to the finishes, ensuring everything worked perfectly with our main bedroom.The design makes such smart use of the space, and it feels like a natural extension of the home rather than an afterthought. Chris was great to work with—responsive, creative, and incredibly knowledgeable. He even provided advice on how to approach the construction phase, which made us feel confident moving forward.If you’re looking for someone to bring your vision to life with a thoughtful and practical design, we highly recommend Chris Smith and Woodsmith Construction. The design he created for us has truly enhanced our home. Our construction is well under way and we are already seeing the great design come to life!

Steve F
Steve F2024-12-03
Google

We worked with Chris Smith and Woodsmith Construction Inc. on a large-scale renovation of our east-end semi and we couldn’t be happier with the finished product. The project included adding a third floor, underpinning the basement, and updating the interior throughout the house. Chris handled both the design and the build, and he is incredibly knowledgeable about all stages of the process. He was professional and responsive and always had our best interests at heart. His team was hard-working and respectful and they were all a pleasure to work with.Chris was professional, calm, and reasonable in working with our neighbours at all stages of the process and earned a very positive reputation among people on the street who saw the process and admired the result. The final product maintains the same exterior character of the home while updating the interior and making it a hundred times more functional for our family. It is a total transformation from what it used to be and we thank Chris for his vision and guidance throughout the process.Chris and his team were organized, professional, and always on top of the details. They kept us in the loop throughout the project and made sure everything was done to the highest standard. We would not hesitate to recommend Woodsmith to anyone undertaking a residential renovation – he is one of the hardest-working people we know and we are very grateful for his expertise and dedication.

D Volpe
D Volpe2024-12-01
Google

Cristina Blesa
Cristina Blesa2023-12-06
Google

Emmanuel Moysis
Emmanuel Moysis2019-03-31
Google

Woodsmith construction just completed a gut job and garage addition for my husband and I and it was the best experience I could have hoped for especially given all the renovation horror stories we have heard. They were so professional, helpful, diligent and responsive and the quality of the renovation was first class. I would recommend anyone to hire Woodsmith construction for all their needs whether it is a renovation or a new build. We could not be happier with the outcome and our newly renovated home.

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