Living Room Renovations

It depends heavily on the scope. A refresh — new paint, trim, and flooring — can come in at few thousand dollars. A more significant renovation involving layout changes, custom millwork, or structural work will be considerably more. For larger projects, our sister company Gneiss Contracting is better set up to scope and price the work accurately.

For most North Shore homeowners, a meaningful living room renovation starts around $5,000–$10,000 for cosmetic updates and goes up from there depending on what's involved. The clearer you are on what you want to change, the easier it is to build a realistic budget — we're happy to help you figure out what's in scope.

The biggest ones are scope, materials, and whether any structural or trade work is involved. Painting and trim are relatively straightforward. Flooring, built-ins, and layout changes add complexity and cost. If licensed trades like electricians or structural work are involved, that's typically a sign the project is better suited for a general contractor like Gneiss Contracting.

A cosmetic refresh can be done in a few days. A more involved renovation — new flooring throughout, custom built-ins, paint — typically takes one to two weeks. Anything structural or requiring permits will take longer.

Usually flooring or custom millwork — both are material and labour intensive. Structural changes like opening up a wall can also add significant cost once you factor in engineering, permits, and trade coordination.

Cosmetic work — painting, flooring, trim — typically doesn't. Structural changes, electrical work, or anything that alters the layout of the space usually does. If your project is heading in that direction, it's worth talking to a general contractor early so permitting is handled properly from the start.

It varies by municipality and project complexity, but on the North Shore you can typically expect a about 12 weeks for straightforward permits. More complex structural or electrical work can take longer. We'll always be upfront about what's likely to require a permit before any work begins.