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Full Kitchen Renovation
We remove everything back to the studs, address any plumbing or electrical that needs updating, and...
From $18,000Cornerstone Renovations handles kitchens, bathrooms, basements, decks, and everything in between. We work in the Greater Toronto Area and have since 2014.
I started Cornerstone Renovations in 2014 after twelve years working as a site supervisor for a mid-size general contractor in Mississauga. I had spent those years watching homeowners get handed back a finished project that looked fine in photos but had corners cut underneath: insulation stuffed rather than fitted, tile set without proper waterproofing membrane, decks built without permits. I kept thinking I could do this differently if I ran my own crew. So in the spring of 2014, I left, took on two small bathroom jobs in Oakville, and started building a reputation one project at a time.
The first few years were genuinely hard. I was doing estimates in the evenings, managing two or three jobs at once, and learning the business side from scratch. The turning point came in the winter of 2016 when a client in Burlington referred us to her sister, who referred us to a neighbour, and suddenly we had a waiting list for the first time. That referral chain is still how most of our work comes in. We have never run a flyer campaign or bought leads from an aggregator site. Every client we have worked with found us through someone who already knew us.
These are the project categories we get asked about most often. Each one links to a fuller description of our...
We remove everything back to the studs, address any plumbing or electrical that needs updating, and...
From $18,000Full demolition, cement board or Schluter Kerdi waterproofing system, large-format tile, frameless glass...
From $9,500We frame interior walls, install Rockwool Safe'n'Sound insulation between party walls, hang and finish...
From $22,000— Jennifer R.
“Marcus and his team renovated our main bathroom last fall. The quote was detailed, the timeline was accurate, and the tile work is genuinely beautiful. We have already asked them to come back for the basement.”
— Jennifer R., Homeowner, Oakville
A kitchen renovation is one of the most significant projects a homeowner can take on. It disrupts daily life for weeks, involves multiple trades, and requires decisions about materials and layout that you will live with for a long time. This guide is meant to give you a realistic picture of what the process looks like, what it costs, and what questions to ask before you sign anything.
Read more →When a bathroom renovation fails, it almost never fails at the surface. The grout cracks, the tile lifts, or water finds its way into the subfloor, and by the time you notice, the damage is already done. In almost every case, the root cause is inadequate waterproofing behind the tile. This article explains what proper waterproofing involves and why it is worth paying attention to.
Read more →Finishing a basement is one of the more cost-effective ways to add usable square footage to a home, but the range of costs is wide and the variables are significant. This article breaks down what drives the cost of a basement finishing project in Ontario and what you can expect to pay for different levels of finish.
Read more →Every estimate is itemized. You see the cost of materials, labour, and disposal separately. If something changes mid-project, we tell you before we spend the money.
Scheduling is one of the most common complaints homeowners have about contractors. We keep a shared project calendar and send a reminder the evening before each visit.
We use ZipWall barriers and HEPA vacuums on every interior job. Your kitchen gets renovated; your living room does not become a construction site.
For any work that requires a building permit in Ontario, we handle the application, the inspections, and the sign-off. You do not have to chase the city.
I am Marcus Holt, the founder of Cornerstone Renovations. I spent twelve years as a site supervisor before starting this company in 2014 out of a genuine frustration with how renovation work was being handed back to homeowners. I trained as a carpenter through the Ontario College of Trades and spent a formative stretch working on heritage restoration projects in Hamilton, which is where I developed a real interest in doing things properly rather than quickly. Outside of work I restore old hand planes, read more about building science than is probably healthy, and spend most summer weekends on a canoe somewhere north of Parry Sound.
For most projects we are booking four to eight weeks out, sometimes longer in spring and early summer when demand is highest. If you have a specific start date in mind, reach out as early as you can. We keep a short waitlist and occasionally have cancellations that open up sooner.
Yes, always. Every project starts with a written agreement that covers the scope of work, materials specified, payment schedule, and what happens if something unexpected comes up mid-project. We do not start work without a signed contract.
We do. For any work that requires a permit under the Ontario Building Code, we submit the application, coordinate the inspections, and obtain the final sign-off. The permit cost is included in your estimate as a separate line item so you can see exactly what you are paying.
Most of the time, yes. We use ZipWall dust barriers to isolate the work area, and we clean the site at the end of every day. For very large projects like a full main-floor renovation, we will have an honest conversation about whether it makes sense to stay in the house during construction.