How long does a basement renovation take?
About two months for a typical basement, about two and a half with custom cabinetry, about three for a legal suite. Every Desire contract carries a written completion date backed by our $200 a day on-time guarantee, so the number you plan around is the number you get.
Ten phases.
One written date.
Scroll the rail. The order never changes; what changes is how much of the two months each phase takes, and that depends on what you put in the plan.
Site visit and 3D design
We measure the basement, walk through what the space has to do, and design it in 3D. You see the rooms, the bar, the bathroom and the stairs before anyone picks up a tool. The design is free.
Before you commitItemized quote within 24 to 48 hours
Every room measured, every pot light and door counted, cabinetry and stone priced as their own lines. The completion date is written on the same document. Price it first with the calculator.
Guaranteed pricePermit drawings
Prepared and stamped by a licensed structural engineer, included in the quote. If a wall moves or a beam is cut, it is on these drawings before the city sees them.
IncludedBuilding permit
In Toronto a complete House Stream application is reviewed within 10 business days. Other GTA municipalities run their own queues, which is one reason the date is set per project and not per brochure.
Source: City of Toronto, Building Permit Review Streams, 2026Demolition and framing
The bin arrives, the old basement leaves, and the new walls go up in wood studs with metal tracks. This is the loud part.
Wood studs, metal tracksRough-ins
Plumbing to the bathroom and bar, electrical to every pot light and outlet, HVAC points to each room. Everything that will live inside the walls is installed while the walls are still open.
Plumbing, electrical, HVACCity inspections
Toronto inspects structural framing with the plumbing and HVAC rough-ins, then insulation and vapour barrier before anything is covered. Work covered early has to be opened again, so nothing closes until the inspector has seen it.
Source: City of Toronto, When to Call for Inspection of Small BuildingsESA
Almost all electrical work in Ontario must be reported to the Electrical Safety Authority before it starts, and the wiring is inspected before it is concealed. The Certificate of Acceptance goes in your file for insurance and resale.
Source: Electrical Safety Authority, Home RenovationDrywall and finishes
Board, tape, primer, paint. Then the floors, doors, trim, tile, stone and cabinetry you chose in the 3D design. Custom millwork arrives late in this stretch, which is why cabinetry adds about two weeks.
The longest stretchFinal inspection and walkthrough
The city closes the permit at the final inspection. We walk the basement with you, room by room, and the lifetime workmanship warranty starts the day you take it back.
Permit closed
How the completion date is set
The date is not a guess made at the door. It comes off the quote. Once the 3D design is settled we know the room count, whether there is a bathroom, how many steps the staircase has, and whether cabinetry is custom or stock. Each of those has a place in the schedule, and the permit queue for your municipality sits at the front of it.
Custom cabinetry is the one choice that moves the date on its own: the millwork is built to the 3D design and installed after drywall, so a basement with a custom bar or built-ins runs about two and a half months instead of two. A legal suite runs about three because of the added fire separation, the second set of rough-ins and the extra inspections.
The guarantee that makes the date real
A timeline on a website costs nothing to print. A date on a contract with a daily penalty behind it is a different thing, because it is our money on the line, not your patience. If Desire finishes after the written completion date, you are paid $200 for every day past it. That is why the date is set carefully, after the design, and not shouted at the first meeting.
What actually slows a basement down
Selections made late
Tile, stone and cabinetry have lead times. When they are chosen in the 3D design, before the quote, they are ordered the day the contract is signed. When they are chosen after framing, the finishes stretch and the date can move with them. Pick in 3D and the schedule holds.
Permit resubmissions
A drawing set that comes back with comments restarts the review. Permit drawings prepared and stamped by a licensed structural engineer are the plainest way to avoid that, which is why they are included with every Desire quote rather than left to the homeowner. Read when a basement needs a permit.
What the walls were hiding
Older houses are honest only once the old finishes come off. A rubble foundation, knob and tube wiring or a clay drain is not a reason to stop, but it is a reason to re-plan, and we would rather tell you on day three than on day thirty.
A suite's extra inspections
A legal basement apartment carries fire separation, a second kitchen rough-in and a separate exit, each with its own inspection. That is the honest reason a legal suite is about three months rather than two. Source: Ontario, Add a second unit in your house.
The date goes on the contract before the first wall comes down.
Desire Basements, since 2017About the timeline.
How long does a basement renovation take in the GTA?
About two months for a typical basement, about two and a half with custom cabinetry, and about three for a legal suite. Every Desire contract carries a written completion date backed by our $200 a day on-time guarantee.
Is the permit wait part of the two months?
Yes. The date on the contract is set after the 3D design, once we know the scope and the municipality. In Toronto a complete House Stream application is reviewed within 10 business days; other cities have their own timelines, and we plan around the one that applies to your house.
What happens if the project runs late?
You are paid $200 for every day past the written completion date. The date and the guarantee are both in the contract, not in a brochure.
Can we live in the house while the basement is being finished?
Yes. The work happens below the main floor, and the loudest stretch is demolition and framing near the start. Dust control and daily clean up are part of every project.
Why does a legal basement apartment take about three months?
A suite adds a 30 minute fire separation between the units, a second kitchen rough-in, a separate exit and the inspections that go with each of them. The build method is the same; there is simply more of it, and more for the inspector to see.
When does the clock start?
When you sign. The quote arrives within 24 to 48 hours of the site visit, with the completion date on it. Sign it and the permit drawings go in, the bin is booked and the date is live.
Get a date,
not a guess.
A free estimate at your home, a 3D design of the space, and a quote with every line and the completion date on it within 24 to 48 hours.