Luxury basement finishing for North York homes. Free 3D design, an itemized price that locks before you sign, a lifetime workmanship warranty and a written finish date that pays you $200 for every late day.
Get a Free EstimateSee our projectsNorth York's post-war bungalows and wide-lot rebuilds are some of the best basement candidates in the city: generous footprints in Willowdale, York Mills and Don Mills that finish into theatres, gyms and full in-law suites. Along the Yonge subway corridor, suite demand keeps climbing.
Older bungalows often come with lower ceilings. Benching and underpinning turn them into full-height living space, and our moisture-first construction handles mature streets as part of the build. The result: finished, livable square footage and real value added to your North York home.
Theatres, bars, gyms and family spaces. Wood studs with metal tracks and moisture-resistant drywall as standard, finished to match the rest of your home.
EXPLORE BASEMENT FINISHING →
Kitchens, bathrooms and whole-home updates for North York families, built with the same crew and warranty as our basements.
EXPLORE HOME RENOVATIONS →
Underpinning for ceiling height, waterproofing, and permitted separate entrances for legal North York second suites.
EXPLORE STRUCTURAL WORK →North York basements fall under Toronto Building. A building permit is required for finishing, with applications filed online and staged inspections through the build. Under Ontario's updated housing rules, secondary suites are permitted as-of-right in most detached, semi-detached and townhouse zones, with no parking requirement for the unit. The rules that decide older homes are Building Code details: 1.95 m ceiling height over most of the living space (underpinning solves it), compliant egress, fire separation and interconnected alarms. We design to code from day one, file with Toronto Building, and manage every inspection to final sign-off.
Drawings & permit
Engineer-stamped and filed for your North York address
Code-first build
Egress, fire separation and alarms built in
Staged inspections
Framing, insulation, ESA electrical, plumbing
Final sign-off
Closed permit, documented for resale
Walk your basement room by room in 3D. Move a wall, swap a finish, then approve every detail before a stud goes up.
"Kam delivered the project on time and on budget. It's now been three years since our basement was completed, and it still looks incredible. We continue to receive so many compliments on the space."
MS FAIRBAIRN · GTA HOMEOWNER · ✓ GOOGLE REVIEWBasement renovations across the GTA since 2017, the owner on every site.
Lifetime workmanship warranty on every wall, floor and fixture we install, in writing.
Your quote includes a written timeline. If we miss it, we pay you $200 for every late day.
Every basement is priced from the same quote sheet, line by line. Permit drawings, 3D design and the lifetime workmanship warranty are included.
Quoted in August 2026 with a 75-day guaranteed completion. The design puts a gym behind a single glass door with sliding mirror closet doors, a home office, and a stackable laundry closet with sink plumbing. The bathroom gets a custom tiled shower on a Schluter-KERDI system, the lounge a 5-foot bar and a 60-inch Napoleon linear fireplace, with two closets, eight doors and 22 pot lights.



The same quote sheet we use everywhere in the GTA, line by line. Permit drawings, 3D design and the lifetime workmanship warranty are included.
| Scope | Price before HST |
|---|---|
| 600 sq ft with a three-piece bathroom | $56,000 |
| 800 sq ft with a three-piece bathroom | $62,000 |
| 1,000 sq ft with a three-piece bathroom | $67,800 |
| 1,200 sq ft with a three-piece bathroom and two bedrooms | $75,200 |
| 1,500 sq ft with a three-piece bathroom and two bedrooms | $83,700 |
| The family basement: media wall, full bathroom, laundry, around 1,000 sq ft | $60,000 to $85,000 |
| The entertainment build: theatre or media room, bar, gym, spa bathroom, 1,000 to 1,300 sq ft | $95,000 to $130,000 |
| Three-piece bathroom, added to a basement without one | $11,700 |
| Custom wet bar | +$15,000 |
| Home theatre setup | +$20,000 |
| Walkout entrance, permits included | $15,000 to $25,000 |
| Full-perimeter underpinning for low ceilings | $60,000 to $120,000 |
| Legal basement apartment, purpose-built | $75,000 to $110,000 or more |
Every basement is priced from the same quote sheet, line by line: a 1,000 sq ft basement with a three-piece bathroom comes to about $67,800 before HST, and the price per square foot falls as the basement grows because the permit, bin, breakers, stairs and bathroom cost the same at any size. Use the calculator to price yours. Cost guides: bathroom, walkout and underpinning.
Yes. Finishing a basement in North York requires a building permit from Toronto Building, with staged inspections for structural, framing, insulation, electrical and plumbing work. Desire Basements has the drawings prepared and stamped by a licensed structural engineer, files the application online, and manages every inspection through final sign-off.
Yes. Secondary suites are permitted as-of-right in most detached, semi-detached and townhouse zones in North York, with no minor variance and no parking requirement for the unit. The suite must meet Building Code requirements: 1.95 m ceiling height over most of the living space, compliant egress, fire separation and interconnected alarms. Where ceilings fall short, underpinning or benching solves it. We design, permit and build the full package.
Every basement is priced from the same quote sheet, line by line: a 1,000 sq ft basement with a three-piece bathroom comes to about $67,800 before HST, and the price per square foot falls as the basement grows because the permit, bin, breakers, stairs and bathroom cost the same at any size. Use the calculator to price yours. Every Desire quote is itemized line by line and locked before you sign, and includes a free 3D design of your finished basement.
Book a free in-home consultation. We'll measure your space, talk through your vision, and bring a 3D design with your itemized basement renovation quote.
Get a Free EstimateTap to watch the walkthrough: Yorkmills & Wilson area, custom millwork throughout.
