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  • Soundproofing in Toronto Multi-Unit Builds: What Most Contractors Miss

    Soundproofing in Toronto Multi-Unit Builds: What Most Contractors Miss

    TLDR: Most Toronto multi-unit builders hit the code minimum for airborne sound and call it done. That’s not enough. Impact sound — footsteps, dropped objects, heavy heels on hardwood — gets overlooked constantly, and tenants feel it immediately after move-in. Here’s what actually works, what it costs, and why the code floor is a terrible ceiling.

    The Complaint Every Multi-Unit Owner Gets After Year One

    Three weeks after your tenants move in, the calls start. Not about a leaky faucet. About the upstairs neighbour walking to the bathroom at 2am. About every footstep on hardwood landing like a drumbeat in the unit below.

    We’ve seen it on duplexes in East York, triplexes near the Junction, stacked townhomes across Scarborough — time and again. The builder hit the code. The walls tested fine. But nobody properly addressed the floor-ceiling assembly for impact sound. And now it’s the building owner’s problem.

    Soundproofing in multi-unit residential builds isn’t just about meeting the Ontario Building Code. It’s about whether tenants actually want to stay.

    Airborne Sound vs. Impact Sound: Two Different Problems

    Most people — including plenty of contractors — conflate the two types of sound transmission. They’re separate problems, and they need separate solutions.

    Airborne sound is what you’d typically imagine — voices, music, TV, conversations through a shared wall. This is what the Ontario Building Code directly addresses with STC (Sound Transmission Class) ratings. It travels through the air and then vibrates through walls and ceilings.

    Impact sound is physical energy transferred through structure. Footsteps. A dropped pot. A dog running across hardwood. Heavy heels on flooring. This type of sound travels directly through the building’s structure — it doesn’t need to travel through air first. That’s what makes it so hard to stop after the fact.

    Most Toronto builders do a decent job managing airborne sound. The code forces them to. Impact sound? That’s where things fall apart, especially in wood-framed buildings — which is the majority of smaller multi-unit residential construction in the city.

    Wood-framed buildings are lightweight. They flex and transfer energy easily. A concrete slab between units naturally damps impact sound far better than a wood joist floor system. When you’re building stacked units on wood framing, you need to be deliberate about impact isolation from the very start of your floor assembly design.

    What the Ontario Building Code Actually Requires

    The OBC sets a minimum STC rating of 50 for assemblies separating dwelling units from other noise-generating spaces. Where a unit borders an elevator shaft or garbage chute, that jumps to STC 55.

    Here’s the important nuance: as of January 1, 2020, Ontario amended the Building Code to require assemblies meet an ASTC (Apparent Sound Transmission Class) rating of 47 — or demonstrate STC 50 compliance under very specific construction conditions. The difference matters.

    STC is a lab rating. It measures how a wall or floor assembly performs in a controlled setting. ASTC is field-measured — it accounts for flanking paths, the indirect routes sound takes around an assembly through adjacent floors, ceilings, and walls. Flanking is almost always present in real-world wood-frame construction, and it eats into your lab-tested STC number considerably.

    The code is now more realistic about this. But it’s still a minimum. We go beyond it on our projects because we’ve seen — and heard — the difference.

    What Minimum Code Compliance Actually Sounds Like

    We’ll be direct: a building that barely meets the OBC is a building where tenants will hear each other. Maybe not every word, but enough. And in a wood-framed Toronto triplex where units are stacked vertically, impact sound compounds the problem.

    Hitting ASTC 47 is passing. That’s it. There’s no award for passing.

    Anyone who’s ever walked into a properly soundproofed apartment — one where the walls absorb, the floors don’t transmit, and upstairs is genuinely another world — knows the difference isn’t subtle. It’s night and day. A properly soundproofed unit is worth more. It rents faster. It retains tenants longer. The additional investment pays for itself.

    What Most Contractors Get Wrong

    The blind spot is almost always the floor-ceiling assembly.

    Contractors will specify a double-stud wall, pack it with mineral wool, and feel good about their airborne numbers. Then they’ll frame the floor system the same way they always have — without any dedicated impact isolation layer — and assume the insulation in the joist cavity will handle it.

    It won’t.

    The consequence is tenants who can track each other’s movement through the building. In smaller wood-frame construction — Toronto’s duplexes and triplexes especially — this becomes a genuine quality-of-life problem that damages the building’s reputation and the owner’s relationship with their tenants.

    What We Recommend for Floor-Ceiling Assemblies

    For horizontal separations (floors and ceilings between stacked units), you need to address both airborne and impact sound independently.

    For airborne sound, a properly designed floor assembly with acoustic insulation in the joist cavity and a resilient channel or sound clip system to decouple the ceiling drywall will get you where you need to be.

    For impact sound, we regularly specify a Sonopan floor panel system. Sonopan manufactures panels that install directly under your finished flooring — hardwood, LVP, carpet — and absorb impact energy before it has a chance to travel through the structure. It’s one of the cleanest, most practical solutions available for existing floor assemblies or new construction, and it’s compatible with nearly every flooring finish you’d specify in a Toronto multi-unit project.

    The combination of proper ceiling decoupling for airborne isolation and an impact-absorbing underlayment like Sonopan is how you build a stacked unit someone is genuinely happy to live in.

    For Wall Assemblies

    Walls between side-by-side units are primarily an airborne sound problem. A double-stud wall system with acoustic mineral wool (like Rockwool Safe’n’Sound or equivalent) is the standard approach. Attention to detail on penetrations — electrical boxes, plumbing runs, HVAC — is critical. Sound finds every gap.

    What Does Proper Soundproofing Cost in Toronto?

    Budget figures from real Toronto multi-unit projects:

    • Floor/ceiling assemblies (combined airborne + impact treatment): Budget $10–20 per square foot depending on the level of performance you’re targeting and the complexity of the floor system.

    • Wall assemblies: Budget $5–15 per square foot depending on the system specified.

    The factors that push costs higher: retrofitting an existing building (more disruptive), targeting higher-than-code performance levels, complex floor systems, or dealing with existing plumbing or mechanical that runs through demising walls or floor assemblies.

    The factor that keeps costs manageable: designing it in from the start. Retrofit soundproofing is always more expensive than doing it right during construction. Always.

    On a Toronto multi-unit project, proper soundproofing isn’t a luxury line item. It’s the line item that protects your investment for the next 30 years.

    What Most Homeowners Get Wrong

    First-time multi-unit developers in Toronto tend to make the same few mistakes:

    Treating soundproofing as a finishing touch. It’s not. Soundproofing decisions — wall assemblies, floor systems, the location and detailing of penetrations — are made during design and framing. By the time you’re finishing floors, some of your options are gone.

    Assuming code compliance equals quality. Minimum code is a legal threshold, not a design goal. For a unit you’re renting at Toronto market rates, “barely meets code” is not the positioning you want.

    Only specifying STC, not IIC. IIC (Impact Isolation Class) is the companion rating to STC — it measures how well a floor-ceiling assembly resists impact sound transmission. You need both numbers, and you need both to be strong. Most specs only reference STC.

    Not detailing penetrations. Every hole through a demising wall or floor assembly is a potential flanking path. Electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and data runs all need to be sealed acoustically. This gets missed constantly on smaller projects.

    The BVM Approach

    Our projects start with the end in mind. Soundproofing isn’t an afterthought — it’s specified during the design phase, confirmed during framing, and checked during finishing.

    We look at every stacked unit project through the lens of both sound types. We design wall assemblies for airborne isolation. We design floor-ceiling assemblies for both airborne and impact. We flag penetrations before they’re drilled and ensure they’re sealed properly.

    Beyond the assembly specs, we vet products. Sonopan for impact control. Acoustic mineral wool for wall and ceiling cavities. Resilient channels or sound isolation clips for ceiling decoupling. These aren’t exotic materials — they’re widely available and practically priced. The issue is never the product; it’s whether the contractor knows to specify them and installs them correctly.

    We also push clients beyond code minimums on projects where long-term rental performance matters. The extra cost is real. The payoff — in tenancy retention, fewer complaints, and building value — is more real.

    Key Takeaways

    • The Ontario Building Code requires ASTC 47 or STC 50 (under specific conditions) for assemblies between dwelling units — that’s the floor, not the target

    • Airborne sound and impact sound require different solutions — most contractors address one but not the other

    • Floor-ceiling assemblies in wood-frame construction are the biggest soundproofing risk in Toronto multi-unit builds

    • Dedicated impact isolation (like Sonopan floor panels) installed under finished flooring is one of the most effective and practical solutions available

    • Budget $10–20/sf for floor/ceiling treatment and $5–15/sf for wall systems

    • Design it in from the start — retrofit is always more expensive

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Q: Does the Ontario Building Code require impact sound ratings as well as airborne?

    A: The OBC primarily specifies STC/ASTC ratings, which address airborne sound transmission. Impact isolation requirements (IIC ratings) are less prescriptive in the OBC, which is exactly why they get missed. We recommend targeting IIC 50+ for floor-ceiling assemblies between stacked units regardless of what’s technically required.

    Q: Can soundproofing be added after a multi-unit build is completed?

    A: Yes, but it’s harder and more expensive. Retrofit ceiling assemblies require opening up ceilings and adding decoupling systems. Floor assemblies can often be improved by adding an impact isolation underlayment like Sonopan under new flooring — but this works best when you’re already replacing floors. Design it right from the start.

    Q: What’s the difference between STC and ASTC ratings?

    A: STC is measured in a lab — it only captures direct sound transmission through the assembly. ASTC is field-measured and includes flanking paths (sound traveling around the assembly through adjacent structure). In real-world wood-frame construction, ASTC is almost always lower than STC for the same assembly. The current OBC requires ASTC 47 to account for this.

    Ready to Talk About Your Multi-Unit Project?

    If you’re planning a duplex, triplex, fourplex, or any stacked multi-unit development in Toronto, let’s talk about soundproofing before you finalize your design. The decisions you make in the design phase will define the quality of the building for decades. We’ve worked on these projects firsthand and know where the common failure points are.

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  • A Holiday Message From BVM Contracting

    A Holiday Message From BVM Contracting

    First and Foremost, Happy Holidays from BVM Contracting

    Before we get to business, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on 2025. Thank you to everyone who follows us, supports us, and works with us. As a small family-owned company with humble beginnings, the support means a lot and we are thankful for it everyday.

    To our subcontractors and vendors, thank you for being the valued extension of BVM Contracting. We couldn’t do it without you!

    To our clients (past, present, and future), thank you for trusting us with your projects. No renovation or home building project is perfect, but we try every single day to approach that impossible goal and work hard to execute your projects.

    To the followers of our weekly newsletter, this is the first year we have done this and it has kept me (Ryan) accountable to deliver insight, industry updates, and interesting information every week. Crafting these articles has been one of my favourite things to do when I have any extra free time, and I hope you have found some value in following along!

    We wish all of you an amazing holiday, and let’s get reset and ready to make 2026 a great year!

    Now, onto the future-looking part of this article!

    What We Built in 2025, and Where We’re Headed in 2026

    2025 wasn’t about chasing volume. It was about building the infrastructure that lets us serve clients the way they deserve to be served.

    We completed the required courses to get our Tarion licensing. We took on multi-unit projects. We onboarded to a construction and project management CRM to streamline our operations. And I (Ryan) launched The Constructible Design Co. These aren’t just milestones to check off. They’re proof points that transparency-first construction can scale without compromising what makes it work.

    Here’s what actually happened, why it matters, and what comes next.

    Tarion Licensing: Removing Barriers for Investors and Developers

    We don’t need Tarion licensing to get more projects. We needed it to serve a specific type of client we kept turning away.

    Investors and developers who want to sell housing as part of their strategy couldn’t work with us. We were limited to one-off custom builds. If you wanted to do spec work or build a fourplex to sell individual units, we had to say no. That changes in 2026.

    Tarion licensing isn’t just regulatory compliance. It’s a formal commitment to accountability that eliminates uncertainty before clients even reach out. When an investor sees that certification, they know we’re building to a standard that comes with warranty protection. They know we’re not cutting corners. They know there’s recourse if something goes wrong.

    For us, it opens the door to work with property owners and developers who need a builder that can handle multi-unit projects without losing the attention to detail that prevents budget blowouts. We’re not changing how we work. We’re extending our methodology to clients who need it at a different scale.

    The goal is still the same: understand who will be buying these homes and become the strategic partner that shapes how they’re built. We’re not optimizing for the investor’s margins alone. We’re optimizing for the end buyer, which creates more demand and better returns. That’s the difference between building what’s on paper and building what actually brings value.

    Multi-Unit Projects: Scaling Precision, Not Just Capacity

    Taking on fourplexes and multiplex developments isn’t about getting bigger. It’s about proving our model works when the stakes are higher.

    Most contractors treat multi-unit projects as a volume play. More units, more revenue, same process. We’re doing the opposite. We’re bringing the same pre-construction rigor, the same database-backed costing, the same early intervention that prevents change orders and scope creep.

    The difference shows up in how we approach spec building. When you’re building to sell, most builders optimize for speed and cost. We optimize for the buyer. That means asking questions during design that most contractors never think about. What does the end user actually need? How do we create spaces that increase demand instead of just meeting minimum requirements?

    It’s a shift from emotional value for custom homeowners to return-on-investment value for investors. But the process is the same: challenge the design before construction starts, make sure what’s on paper is what’s going to bring the most value, and don’t let poor planning turn into expensive fixes later.

    Multi-unit capability isn’t dilution. It’s our methodology at higher expression.

    The Constructible Design Co.: Closing the Gap That Causes Budget Blowouts

    Ryan didn’t launch The Constructible Design Co. to compete with architects. He launched it to solve a problem we see on almost every project: designs that look great on paper but ignore people’s budget constraints.

    Most design firms operate in a vacuum. They create drawings, submit them for permits, and hand them off to a builder. By that point, the homeowner or investor has already committed to a design that might be over budget, structurally inefficient, or impossible to build without major changes.

    The Constructible Design Co. integrates construction costing and buildability analysis into the design process. Before you finalize drawings, you know what it’s going to cost. Before you commit to a layout, you know if it’s structurally sound. Before you start construction, you know the plan is executable.

    It’s intentionally separate from BVM Contracting so clients get unbiased service. But it’s informed by the same decade-long construction database and network that makes our budgets accurate. Whether you work with us for construction or use another builder, you get a design that’s been stress-tested for constructibility.

    The goal is a 100% success rate from design to construction. That means filtering out projects where clients aren’t ready for proper planning. It means saying no to people who want cheap permit drawings. It means prioritizing quality over quantity.

    If you’re not willing to invest in planning, you’re not the right fit. But if you want a design process that eliminates surprises and gives you cost certainty before you break ground, this is the service that didn’t exist in Ontario until now.

    BVM Homes and BVM Pre-construction

    We are building new banners to support different types of clients.

    For custom home building projects, we are launching BVM Homes. This is a subtle shift, but will allow us to showcase our home building expertise and make sure that with homeowners are thinking about building, they contact us.

    For homeowners that are not working with The Constructible Design Co. but are in the design process and need pre-construction expertise, we are creating a new service called BVM Pre-construction. This will allow homeowners to get the costing and builder-side feedback they need in order to confidently navigate the design and pre-construction process.

    Different banners, same team, same mission. Let’s make sure you are armed with all of the information to make the most informed decisions about your residential construction project.

    What Stays the Same Across Everything We Do

    BVM Contracting, BVM Homes, BVM Pre-construction, The Constructible Design Co. Different names, different audiences, same foundation.

    The team is the same. The processes are the same. The mission is the same. We’re not building separate companies. We’re creating entry points for different types of clients who all need the same thing: transparency, cost certainty, and a builder who won’t let them commit to a project they can’t afford.

    BVM Homes speaks to people looking for a home builder with proven expertise. BVM Pre-construction serves anyone who needs sound pre-construction services to create budget-aligned, constructible projects. The Constructible Design Co. gives homeowners and investors a design process that integrates builder knowledge from day one.

    It’s not expansion for the sake of growth. It’s clarity for the sake of reaching the people who need what we do.

    What Success Actually Looks Like in 2026

    We’re not measuring success by project count or revenue. We’re measuring it by whether people see what we’re building and recognize it as a better way to do construction.

    When someone in Toronto hears about a project that went over budget, missed deadlines, or ended in disputes, we want them to think: “That’s why you work with BVM.” Not because we’re perfect. Because we’ve built a system that removes the variables that cause those problems.

    Transparency isn’t a marketing angle. It’s the operating principle that makes everything else work. When clients know what things cost before they commit, when they understand the trade-offs before they make decisions, when they have access to the same information we do, projects don’t go sideways.

    2026 is about proving that at scale. Tarion licensing, multi-unit capability, integrated design services. These aren’t just new offerings. They’re evidence that trust-based construction can grow without losing what makes it trustworthy.

    We’re not chasing every opportunity. We’re choosing the projects that let us showcase our methodology at its highest level. That’s selective growth. That’s how you build a reputation that compounds.

    The clients who care about cost transparency and detailed planning will find us. The ones who want to cut corners or rush the process won’t. And that’s exactly how it should be.

    Here’s to a year of building things the right way, with the right people, for the right reasons.

    About BVM COntracting

    BVM Contracting is a full-service General Contractor or Home Builder located in Toronto. We provide home renovation and building services for major home renovations and custom home builds (full interior renovations, home additions, lot severances, new home construction, garden suites, and laneway suites). Our goal is to help guide our clients through the process of building their home, from concept to completion.

    Further than providing General Contracting and Project Management for major home renovations, we also offer value-added services such as renovation financing, renovation rebate consultations and services, building permit and design services, smart home installation services, and real estate investor services.

    To learn more about our offering by visiting our services page. Learn more about our vision, mission, and values here.

  • Our Preconstruction Process and Referral Program

    Our Preconstruction Process and Referral Program

    Article Summary

    TLDR: BVM Contracting addresses Toronto’s residential construction trust problem through a comprehensive paid pre-construction process ($1,500-$4,000+HST) that filters for qualified clients through 15-30 detailed questions, provides bottom-up preliminary estimates, and sets realistic expectations before any commitment.

    This thorough approach—which includes constructability reviews and budget protection—transforms satisfied clients into natural advocates, fueling a community-focused referral program that keeps marketing dollars local instead of funding Meta and Google ads.

    Key insight: Contractors who ask about your 5-10 year vision and explain competitor relationships honestly are more trustworthy than those offering quick free estimates.

    We’ve Changed our process to align with our ideal clients

    The problem isn’t what homeowners tell us in our first meetings.

    It’s what they don’t tell us. More accurately, it’s what they don’t know about.

    When we sit down with someone whose already talked to three or more other contractors, the gaps become obvious. We ask questions they’ve never heard before. We explain things nobody else mentioned. Their surprise tells us everything we need to know about the industry’s transparency problem.

    Maybe those contractors don’t want to scare away their only lead this week. Maybe the reasons are worse. Either way, homeowners aren’t getting the whole truth and that is why the renovation and home building industry has such a bad reputation.

    The data backs this up. 78% of homeowners went over budget on their last renovation project. That doesn’t happen when expectations are properly set from day one.

    The Questions Nobody Else Asks

    Our first meetings sound different than what homeowners expect.

    Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years? What do you value most in a home builder? Have you done substantial renovation projects before? How many other companies are you talking to? Have you been given a bottom-up budget for your project?

    What do you care about most: cost, quality, or speed? What mechanisms are currently in place to protect your construction budget?

    These aren’t small talk. They’re qualifying questions that help us understand if we’re the right fit for each other.

    Most contractors are desperate for any client. We learned the hard way that’s backwards thinking.

    One bad client can take the space of 2-3 good clients. The time, energy, and stress they create isn’t worth it. Better to understand that before anyone gets too involved.

    How We Build Trust Through Transparency

    After those qualifying questions, we offer bottom-up preliminary estimating. With or without design drawings.

    We ensure constructability, budget adherence, and project feasibility before asking for formal commitments. It’s a good-faith gesture that puts our best foot forward.

    It’s also quite a bit of work.

    We see it as the most pivotal part of our process because it filters out the wrong clients. Some appreciate our thoroughness. Others are just shopping for the lowest number.

    The filter works through engagement. We ask 10-30 questions depending on project complexity, size, and available information. Clients who answer thoughtfully and engage with the process signal they’ll be good fits. Those who don’t engage don’t get pricing.

    We’re gatekeeping our own estimates.

    The scope of work creation and bottom-up estimate become by-products of this engagement filter. The real value is identifying clients who understand what we’re providing: realistic, truthful estimates built on actual data.

    Understanding Costs Versus Questioning Costs

    When we debrief about preliminary estimates, client questions reveal everything.

    Some ask: “Can you walk me through the HVAC scope and pricing? I didn’t realize that was a consideration and want to make sure I understand what this includes.”

    Others ask: “The HVAC costs seem high, what is that about?”

    The first question seeks understanding. The second challenges price. That distinction tells us who becomes a BVM Contracting client. We get it, price is a factor, but what about honesty? We tend to value the latter because one way or another you are going to pay the same amount, so it is up to you to determine how early on in the process you want the truth.

    Understanding-focused questions mean clients are pre-selling themselves. They recognize the difference between our detailed estimates and contractors throwing numbers at walls.

    Why We Started Charging For Pre-Construction

    We used to give away comprehensive pre-construction services completely free.

    Then we learned something critical: free attracted the wrong people. Clients who didn’t see value in having a builder actively scrutinize their plans weren’t right for us. We needed a mechanism to deter people from taking advantage of our expertise.

    We’ve been taken advantage of many times over the years. We know the overwhelming value we provide to the right homeowners.

    So we shifted to adding a pre-construction agreement with fees ranging anywhere from $1,500-$4,000 + HST, depending on the complexity of the project and at what point we are engaged. The savings from bringing in the right team during planning will save multiples of that cost during the project, we’ve seen it many times with our current and past clients.

    The charging itself has become a filtering criterion.

    The best part? The signing of the pre-construction agreement doesn’t require a commitment to work with us after pre-construction. It’s a test-drive for both parties to ensure there is a good fit. The fees paid go toward the project if clients decide to move forward, but at the end of the day it is an investment in getting the right team together to ensure a buildable design.

    Research shows that 95% of renovation cost overruns happen because of poorly defined project scopes. Our pre-construction process directly addresses that root cause.

    From Satisfied Clients To Natural Advocates

    Client advocacy doesn’t happen overnight.

    We work with some clients for over two years when you factor in pre-construction, design, permitting, and actual construction. That’s a long time to build and maintain rapport. It also means the margin of error is slim.

    One unmet expectation can sour a relationship. As builders, we have hundreds of expectations to maintain throughout that timeline.

    The clients who reach the end wanting to refer others share a common experience: sound pre-construction that set proper expectations during planning. Everything that follows becomes manageable because the foundation was solid.

    That’s why we formalized our referral program.

    How Our Referral Program Works

    We recently launched a referral program for past clients, subcontractors, and network partners who know our work.

    If anyone in our network doesn’t want their friends or family going through a poorly planned project, they refer them to us.

    The program has two options. First, both the referring party and referred party get paid when the referred party signs on for pre-construction with BVM. Second, the full payment goes to the referred party to incentivize entering a no-commitment pre-construction agreement with us.

    Why offer an option where referrers give up their payment?

    Through feedback, we identified two camps. Some people don’t want to make money by referring us. They just want to help friends and family avoid horrible renovation and home-building experiences.

    We didn’t create this program out of necessity. People already refer us without incentives. The program supercharges our network to send people they think we can help.

    It also keeps money in the communities we work in instead of giving it to Meta and Google for ads. Given that people are four times more likely to make a purchase when referred by a friend, this approach makes strategic and community sense.

    Best Practices For Choosing The Right Contractor

    If you’re considering a renovation or home building project, here’s how to identify trustworthy contractors before signing anything.

    First, pay attention to what they say about their competitors.

    If they talk negatively about other contractors, ask yourself: what will they say behind your back? That answer reveals the type of person and company you’re dealing with.

    Second, ask them directly how they ensure trust is maintained throughout the entire working relationship with their clients.

    Their answer will either be vague or specific. Vague answers signal they haven’t thought it through. Specific answers with systems and processes signal they’ve built trust maintenance into their operations.

    Third, notice what questions they ask you in initial meetings.

    Are they trying to understand your long-term vision, values, and project goals? Or are they focused on closing the deal quickly and making you commit prematurely? The questions contractors ask reveal their priorities.

    Finally, be wary of estimates that come too quickly.

    Accurate estimates require detailed planning that can’t be done in a few hours. Contractors providing fast, free estimates are using unreliable methods. They’re either underestimating to win your business or padding numbers to cover uncertainty.

    Neither approach serves you well.

    The construction industry has a trust problem because too many contractors hide information instead of revealing it. We built our entire pre-construction process around the opposite approach: asking questions nobody else asks, explaining things nobody else mentions, and being transparent about realistic costs before anyone commits.

    Above all we know the value sound planning makes to residential construction projects, so instead of asking for committments, we provide value through a thorough pre-construction agreement and process that earns your trust along the way.

    That transparency turns satisfied clients into natural advocates. And those advocates help us keep marketing dollars in our community while protecting their friends and family from poorly planned projects.

    It’s a system that works because it’s built on truth from the first conversation.

    About BVM COntracting

    BVM Contracting is a full-service General Contractor or Home Builder located in Toronto. We provide home renovation and building services for major home renovations and custom home builds (full interior renovations, home additions, lot severances, new home construction, garden suites, and laneway suites). Our goal is to help guide our clients through the process of building their home, from concept to completion.

    Further than providing General Contracting and Project Management for major home renovations, we also offer value-added services such as renovation financing, renovation rebate consultations and services, building permit and design services, smart home installation services, and real estate investor services.

    To learn more about our offering by visiting our services page. Learn more about our vision, mission, and values here.

  • Retrofit Versus New Build For Multiplexes

    Retrofit Versus New Build For Multiplexes

    The case for Retrofit versus new development for lowrise multiplex projects

    Most real estate investors have this completely backwards.

    They see a property and immediately start planning the biggest, newest structure possible. More units equals better return on investment, right?

    Wrong.

    We recently worked with investors near U of T Scarborough who wanted to build a fourplex plus garden suite. Big lot, big dreams, big mistake.

    Instead of their original plan, we convinced them to split their existing bungalow into four units. Two per level, working within what already existed.

    The cost difference? $400,000.

    The Numbers Tell the Story

    Building completely new multiplex housing is a surefire way to decrease your return on investment if you aren’t careful. The math is brutal for the construction of these new multiplex projects and most investors don’t realize it until we show them our database.

    We do this exercise with almost every real estate investor we talk to. The ones that see the numbers usually lean toward retrofit multiunit development over new build if they are open to listening to us. With experience doing renovations, home additions, and new home construction, we are uniquely positioned to have all of the costs for the different types of multiplex projects that are available to real estate investors, and we are telling anyone that will listen that new home builds are usually not the best idea (especially with fourplexes).

    This trend isn’t isolated to Toronto. Adaptive reuse projects hit an all-time high in 2024, with over 55,300 apartments underway through repurposing existing structures.

    The reason is simple: construction costs drop substantially when you work with existing structures instead of starting from scratch.

    Location Drives Strategy, Not Unit Count

    Here’s what most investors miss: rent doesn’t scale linearly with unit size.

    Our U of T Scarborough clients didn’t need huge units to generate massive cash flow. University students pay good money for smaller, well-designed spaces.

    When we reviewed market rents in their area, that sealed the deal. The existing structure could deliver four profitable units without the astronomical costs of new construction.

    This location-aware approach challenges the “bigger is better” assumption that drives so many investors toward expensive mistakes.

    Hidden Advantages Beyond Cost Savings

    The financial benefits are obvious, but retrofit and adaptive reuse projects deliver advantages most contractors don’t factor into their analysis.

    Build times are shorter, which means you can get tenants in faster. Less waste makes projects more sustainable. The permitting process moves quicker when you work within the existing building envelope.

    These timeline advantages compound. Faster completion means rental income starts sooner. Simplified permits mean fewer delays and regulatory headaches that start the project faster. This leads to a shorter amount of time spent in pre-construction and construction.

    Every month you save in construction translates directly to cash flow improvement.

    Regulatory Environment Supports Retrofit

    Toronto’s regulatory changes support this approach. The city zoning laws now allow conversion of residential properties to create up to four units, specifically to increase housing density.

    Working within existing structures aligns with municipal goals while delivering superior investor returns.

    This regulatory support makes retrofit projects even more attractive compared to new construction, which faces stricter oversight and longer approval processes.

    The Analysis That Changes Everything

    We run this cost comparison analysis for every investor because the results consistently surprise people.

    Even when retrofit means fewer total units, the financial performance often beats larger new construction projects. Lower costs, faster completion, and market-appropriate unit sizes create better long-term returns.

    The key is understanding your specific market and running the numbers before committing to any approach.

    Most investors assume new construction maximizes value. Our database proves otherwise, project after project.

    Sometimes the smartest move is working with what you already have.

    About BVM COntracting

    BVM Contracting is a full-service General Contractor or Home Builder located in Toronto. We provide home renovation and building services for major home renovations and custom home builds (full interior renovations, home additions, lot severances, new home construction, and laneway suites). Our goal is to help guide our clients through the process of building their home, from concept to completion.

    Further than providing General Contracting and Project Management for major home renovations, we also offer value-added services such as renovation financing, renovation rebate consultations and services, building permit and design services, smart home installation services, and real estate investor services.

    To learn more about our offering by visiting our services page.