The Annex sits on some of Toronto's oldest housing — pre-1920 Victorian and Edwardian homes with shallow rubble or fieldstone foundations. We've underpinned dozens of homes along Bedford, Madison, and Walmer.
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.
The Annex's narrow lots (often under 22 feet wide) and old-growth tree canopy demand careful excavation staging. We use compact excavators that fit through the side passages and stage spoil in the front yard within city street-permit windows. Spadina Road parking restrictions mean materials are scheduled for early-morning delivery; we co-ordinate with the local BIA and the Annex Residents' Association on noise windows.
Most Annex homes are 1890s–1915 brick semis with rubble or fieldstone foundations, 6'2" original ceiling height, and at-grade window wells. Shared walls between semis demand simultaneous structural sign-off from both engineers when neighbours are also planning underpinning. We coordinate the heritage permit when window-well changes face a public street.
“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.
