Toronto, ON · 355 permits
Basement Apartment Conversion in Toronto: declared permit values
This job is also called second suite or legal basement apartment. Not an estimate. These are declared construction values from building permits filed with the City of Toronto between 2024 and 2026. The records do not consistently itemize project scope or record final spending.
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The Kildrin Estimator
What the permit sample declares
Property type and an optional postal code can narrow the permit sample. The result is not a quote or a prediction of final spending.
These property labels come from the permit record. They may describe the proposed multi-unit building rather than your home before conversion.
Only the first three characters are used.
Pick a property type to see the range. Across all 355 permits the median declared construction value is $40,000. Scope varies between declarations, and the record does not contain final spending.
Want a real number for your address? One vetted contractor who works your postal code. Never three.
Request a quoteChecking whether a basement apartment can be approved? The legal basement apartment guide covers Toronto zoning, Building Code requirements, permits and how to check an existing suite’s records. The figures on this page are declared construction values, not a list of what a suite needs.
What actually moves the price
Ceiling height and the proposed work matter. A basement suite may need structural work, or it may not. The permit record does not tell us which items are in each declaration, so this sample cannot price a combined conversion and underpinning project. Measure the existing space and ask a qualified designer or contractor what work is needed. If lowering is proposed, see our basement underpinning data as a separate sample, not an amount to add automatically.
Egress. A bedroom needs a compliant means of escape, which in a basement usually means cutting a window opening into the foundation wall and building a window well. That is concrete work, not carpentry, and it is a common surprise on quotes that were priced off a floor plan without anyone looking at the walls.
Fire separation and alarms. The suite has to be separated from the rest of the house to a required rating, and alarms have to be interconnected across both units. This is unglamorous, invisible when finished, and not optional. A quote that omits it is cheaper because it is not a legal suite.
Heating and ventilation. Whether the existing system can serve two dwellings or whether the suite needs its own arrangement changes the number materially.
Why doing this legally is worth the money
An unpermitted basement apartment is worth less at sale, is difficult to insure honestly, and leaves you exposed if a tenant is hurt. It also gives a tenant leverage in any dispute. The gap between the informal version and the permitted version is smaller than most people assume, and everything above is the reason the permitted one costs what it costs.
What the permit record does not tell us
The record provides one applicant-declared construction value, not an itemized scope or final invoice. For a second suite, it does not consistently show whether design, fees, appliances, finishing or related structural work are included. Confirm each item in a written quote.
Three questions before you sign
- What is my finished ceiling height, measured today? Ask before budgeting. Ask which work, if any, is needed to meet the applicable requirements.
- Is the egress window included, including the well and the excavation? Get it itemised.
- Who signs off the fire separation? There should be an inspection, and you should see it pass.
The permit count shown above is the current sample for this category. It changes as the active permit file changes.
Compare the written scope before comparing totals. Use the Toronto renovation quote comparison guide to check allowances, exclusions, taxes, changes and project-specific work across competing quotes.
The Kildrin Quote Checker
Compare with declared permit values
Enter a quote to place it on the full Toronto sample of 355 second suite conversion permits. This does not use the property selection above or judge whether the quote is high or low.
- 25th percentile declared value
- $20,000
- Median declared construction value
- $40,000
- 75th percentile declared value
- $50,000
Half of these permit declarations fell between the 25th and 75th percentile values. Treat this as a description of the records rather than a price for your property.
One contractor, not three
Get a real quote for your property
We pass your details to a single vetted contractor who works your postal code. You will not be called by five companies, because we only ever sell a request once.
See how this compares across all categories. The Toronto Renovation Cost Report puts basement apartment conversion next to every other renovation category we publish — median declared value, sample size and the change against the previous two years, in one table.