North York's 1950s–70s post-war bungalow stock is the GTA's strongest underpinning market — homes built with low original ceiling heights (typically 6'8") that become 8 ft legal apartments after lowering.
Neighbourhoods Served
The homeowners we work with are usually wrestling with one of these. We solve them properly — not with a quick fix that fails in two years.
Basement ceiling under 7 feet — finishing the space feels claustrophobic and a legal apartment is impossible at that height.
Recurring or stair-step cracks signal active settlement. Patches keep failing because the underlying bearing problem continues.
Water at the wall-floor cove every spring. The original weeping tile is clogged, cracked, or aged out.
Building permits, structural engineering, and the plan-review process feel like a maze. We handle all of it.
Complete framing, rough-ins, drywall, flooring and trim to convert a raw basement into a legal apartment or luxury living suite.
Crack injection, footing repair, and structural reinforcement for Toronto homes — with an honest call on when full underpinning is the right answer instead.
End-to-end drawings plus permit coordination — architect, structural engineer, City of Toronto submission, and Committee of Adjustment if zoning relief is needed.
Full interior waterproofing of foundation walls — weeping tile, sump pit, and dimpled membrane — to stop leaks at the source.
Primary plus battery backup sump pump systems sized for Toronto's freeze-thaw water table — eligible for the City of Toronto Basement Flooding Subsidy.
Engineered assessment at your property. Fixed-price quote within two business hours.
Architect, structural engineer, building permit submission. We handle every form and every hearing.
Pin-section excavation and pours. Daily site cleanup. Engineered inspections at every milestone.
City sign-off, engineer's stamp, warranty documentation, finishing handoff if bundled.
Free engineered assessment. Zero-risk, no-questions-asked warranty on every project.
North York's larger suburban lots mean rear-yard equipment access on most projects. Spoil stages to the rear, the front yard stays clean, and the neighbours barely notice. North York Civic Centre is the local building permit office; we have a dedicated permit coordinator who runs the North York pipeline. Yonge subway access also means consistent rental demand for the resulting basement apartments.
Most North York underpinning is 1950s–70s detached bungalows — concrete-block foundations, 6'6"–6'10" original ceilings, often a side-door entrance from the original build that's perfect for legal-apartment compliance. We've underpinned hundreds of these along Bayview, Willowdale, and through Bathurst Manor. The bungalow archetype is so consistent that we run a near-standard project plan adapted to the specific lot.
“We finally finished our 1920s Annex basement after underpinning lowered the slab to a real 8-foot ceiling. The crew warned us about every dust event in advance, swept the site daily, and finished a week ahead of the engineered schedule.”
Megan R.
The Annex, Toronto
“Bought a North York bungalow specifically to legalize a basement apartment. TBU handled drawings, the City of Toronto permit, structural engineering, and the finishing. Tenant moved in two months after the pour cured. Zero callbacks since.”
Daniel T.
North York, Toronto
“We had three contractors quote our Leslieville semi. TBU was the only one who explained the shared-wall sequencing and walked our neighbour through the process before booking. Underpinning, waterproofing, and a sump pump done in five weeks.”
Priya S.
Leslieville, Toronto
Free estimate within two business hours. Local crews, same-day estimate.
