Permits!

We got our final plans from the designer (Brendon Eatley, Eatley Drafting & Design) last week. This meant that we could go ahead and get our building permits. Dave went to the City of Toronto permit office on Friday and waited for a couple of hours. They call this the "Fast Track" service!

Finally, he came away with our structural, drainage and plumbing permits. Now we're all ready to go!

The Plans!

Lot's of people have been asking, so we thought we'd share our initial thoughts about what we plan to do to the house. This weekend we'll be meeting with a designer who will do up some drawings and we're having a home energy audit, so plans may change a bit after that. But, here's what we're thinking right now...


Utilities:

• Bring in gas service
• Remove radiators and replace the oil boiler with a forced air gas furnace
• Add a tankless water heater
• Remove knob and tube wiring and update electrical panel
• Replace existing plumbing with pex manifold system
• Upgrade water service

Basement:

• Add a three-piece bathroom
• Create laundry and storage areas
• Use remaining space for a finished rec room

Main Floor:

• Gut entire main floor, insulate and replace plaster walls with drywall
• Open up the wall between the kitchen and the dining room
• Install a new kitchen, including an island
• Add a sliding door from the dining room out to the backyard

Second Floor:

• Completely replace bathroom
• Remove plaster in stairwell/hallway and replace with drywall

We still haven't decided what to do with the second floor bedrooms. We're back and forth on whether we should gut these rooms. We've come up with the pros and cons of gutting the bedrooms but haven't landed on a decision. Let us know what you think by voting in our poll!

Pros
Ease of installing new electrical
Insulate for sound from attached neighbours
Insulate exterior walls for energy rebates

Cons
Extra cost and time
Potential damage to (and replacement of) existing hardwood floors