Everything Under Your Roof. One Contractor. One Contract.
Walls, floors, ceilings, doors, trim, electrical, plumbing, drywall, painting, and structural work — managed by one team, fixed price, from start to final handover.
Back to Residential ServicesWe Handle Everything Under Your Roof — So You Do Not Have To
Most homeowners have a list of things that need to get done. A wall that needs to come out. A bathroom that needs updating. Floors that need replacing throughout. A ceiling that needs to come down. They call three different contractors, get three different timelines, and spend six months coordinating people who do not talk to each other.
At Cornerstone, you make one call. We handle everything under your roof — walls, floors, ceilings, doors, trim, electrical, plumbing, drywall, painting, and structural work — under one contract, with one fixed price, and one person accountable for all of it.
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Full Scope Assessment
Before a single number is discussed, we walk your property and identify everything that needs to happen. Then we build a complete scope and a fixed price around that.
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Trade Coordination
Framer, electrician, plumber, drywaller, tile setter, painter — we manage every trade on your project from scheduling to payment. One point of contact.
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Permit Management
We pull and manage every permit your project requires. You do not deal with the municipality. We do.
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Daily Site Updates
You always know what happened today and what is next. We update your client portal every evening so you are never left wondering.
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White Glove Handover
Final walkthrough, Owner's Manual, and full warranty documentation at handover. You know exactly what was done and how to maintain it.
"One team. One contract. One call."
Start Your Home Diagnostic
Everything Done Under One Roof
"From permits to final punch list — one team, one contract, no surprises. All work performed by licensed trades."
No Project Is Too Complex
Multi-room, multi-trade, or complex structural work — we manage every scope with the same fixed price commitment and white glove standard.
Multi-Room Renovations
Kitchen, bathroom, and main floor renovated under one contract. One mobilisation. One timeline. One price. More efficient and less disruptive than hiring separate contractors for each space.
Additions & Structural Work
Room additions, garage conversions, and structural modifications managed from permit to final inspection. Complex scopes handled with the same discipline as our standard renovations.
Insurance Restoration
Full project management for insurance-related repairs — water damage, fire damage, and mould remediation. We work with your adjuster and handle everything from demo to rebuild.
Pre-Sale Property Preparation
Pre-sale renovation and staging prep for homeowners and realtors. Targeted improvements that maximise listing value on a defined budget and timeline.
One Contractor. Every Trade.
If it is inside your home, we handle it. Here is what each service costs in Durham Region — real numbers with no hidden markups.
Wall Removal
Load-bearing or non-load-bearing — we assess, engineer, permit, and execute. Every structural wall removal includes a P.Eng. stamp before permit submission.
Demolition
HEPA containment from day one. Negative air scrubbing machines and sealed dust barriers before the first swing. Hazardous material testing on pre-1990 homes included in assessment.
Flooring
We install LVP, LVT, porcelain, ceramic, engineered hardwood, and solid hardwood. Every floor starts with a substrate inspection — flat to within 1/8 inch over 10 feet before any flooring goes down.
Painting
Two coats minimum. Benjamin Moore Regal Select or Sherwin-Williams Emerald. Surfaces repaired, caulked, and primed before paint touches the wall.
Popcorn Ceiling Removal
Festool Planex long-reach sander with CT HEPA extractor. Dust captured at the point of cut — 99% of debris never touches your air. Level 5 smooth finish available.
Drywall
Level 4 drywall is our baseline — not Level 2. Fire-rated Type X for legal suite assemblies. Resilient channels and QuietRock available for sound control between rooms.
Stairs
Sand and refinish existing treads or install solid oak and maple overlays over existing sub-steps. Black metal balusters and matching risers finished to your main floor standard.
Interior Doors
Slab replacement, pre-hung installation, or full French and pocket door systems. Frames plumbed and shimmed square. Matching casing installed and finished to your trim standard.
Carpentry & Trim
Baseboard, casing, crown moulding, and custom built-ins. Precision mitre cuts and hand-coped inside corners. Solid hardwood or moisture-resistant MDF depending on location.
Structural Work
Beam installation, load-bearing wall removal, header work, and point load transfers. Every structural modification requires a P.Eng. stamp before permit submission. We coordinate the engineer.
Ranges reflect Durham Region market pricing as of 2025. Final investment confirmed in your written proposal — price locked before work begins.
The Most Requested Service We Do. The Most Misunderstood.
Not every wall is the same. A non-load-bearing wall comes down in a day. A load-bearing wall requires an engineer, a permit, a beam, and a foundation assessment. Most contractors do not tell you this until they are already in your wall.
The Ontario Building Code requires a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) to perform an on-site structural assessment and provide stamped drawings before any load-bearing wall is removed. This is not optional. Municipalities will not issue a building permit without it. Contractors who skip this step are not saving you time — they are creating a liability that voids your insurance and exposes your home to structural risk.
At Cornerstone, we assess every wall before we quote it. We identify the load path, coordinate the engineer, pull the permit, and execute the removal under inspection. You get a finished open space — and a permit history that protects your home on resale.
Non-Load-Bearing Wall
Cost range $500 – $2,500- —No structural engineer required
- —No building permit for simple partition walls
- —Electrical and plumbing relocation may be needed
- —Demo, patch, paint, and finish included
- —One day to one week depending on utilities
Fastest and lowest cost — but only if the wall is confirmed non-structural.
Load-Bearing — Drop Beam
Cost range $7,000 – $15,000- —P.Eng. structural assessment required
- —Building permit required before work starts
- —Temporary shoring walls built during demo
- —LVL or steel beam installed below ceiling joists
- —Beam wrapped in drywall or decorative cladding
Beam is visible but can be designed as a feature. Faster than flush beam installation.
Load-Bearing — Flush Beam
Cost range $12,000 – $20,000+- —P.Eng. structural assessment required
- —Building permit required before work starts
- —Ceiling joists cut and reconfigured around beam
- —Beam recessed into ceiling cavity — fully hidden
- —Result is completely flat uninterrupted ceiling
The premium option. Ceiling looks like the wall was never there.
LVL Beam vs Steel Beam
Decision guide Engineer selects- —LVL: $3–$12 per ft material — moderate spans
- —Steel I-Beam: $6–$18 per ft — long spans
- —Steel is slimmer — better for tight ceiling depth
- —LVL is lighter — simpler installation
- —Engineer selects based on span and load path
We coordinate the engineer assessment as part of your project. You do not make this decision alone.
Durham Region Permit Fees for Structural Work
Oshawa structural alterations start at $155 flat fee. Whitby bills at $10.47 per square metre minimum $300. Ajax uses a $9.68–$14.22 multiplier minimum $329. Pickering runs $15.40 per square metre minimum $165. Expect 2–6 weeks for permit processing depending on municipality workload. Cornerstone manages the entire permit application — you do not make a single call to the city.
We Collect the Mess at the Point of Cut — Before It Hits Your Air
Cheap contractors scrape popcorn ceilings dry and let toxic particles rain onto your floors. We treat every ceiling removal as an engineered dust-containment project using the industry's most advanced tool stack.
Direct-Source HEPA Extraction
We use Festool Planex long-reach sanders with fully enclosed articulating heads hooked directly to Festool CT HEPA extractors. The dust is captured at the exact second it is sanded off the ceiling. 99% of the debris never touches your room's air.
Active Air Management
Even with direct-source sanding we do not take chances. This system runs in tandem with our mandatory Negative Pressure Zones — commercial air scrubbers filtering the ambient room air continuously throughout the entire project.
Flawless Level 5 Finish
Our specialized orbital sanding does not gouge your ceiling like primitive hand-scraping tools do. It cleanly removes the texture while perfectly prepping the gypsum board for a smooth, modern, paint-ready Level 5 finish.
Popcorn Ceiling Removal Calculator
Select ceiling type, adjust square footage, choose finish level, and add optional scopes to estimate your investment.
Estimated investment range
Ranges reflect Durham Region market pricing as of 2025. Final investment confirmed in your written proposal — price locked before work begins.
Start Your Home DiagnosticYour Home Is Protected From Day One
Complex projects mean more trades, more days, and more disruption potential. Our site protection protocol is designed to keep your home clean, safe, and livable regardless of how long the project runs.
Floor Armour
Guardia Pro applied to all hardwood, tile, and stone surfaces in all transit paths. HEPA vacuumed first. Self-adhesive, breathable, and waterproof. Protects every surface trades walk over every day of the project.
Sealed Dust Containment
Floor-to-ceiling ZipWall barriers at every entry point. Heavy-duty zipper doors for crew access. Tuck tape sealed at every seam. Smoke detector dust covers installed. Your living space stays completely clean throughout the build.
HVAC Protection
MERV 5 filter pads installed over every supply and return vent in the work zone. Prevents drywall dust and debris from entering your duct system and circulating through the rest of the house.
Utility Safing-Off
SharkBite Max brass push-to-connect fittings for clean water isolation. Full LOTO Lockout Tagout electrical protocol before any panel or circuit work begins. No live work. No shortcuts. Ever.
Daily Site Reset
Every day before we leave, the last 30 minutes of our shift is dedicated to cleanup. Tools away. Debris removed. Transit paths cleared. Your home put back in order every single night regardless of how long the project runs.
Negative Pressure Zone
Hospital-grade HEPA air scrubber running continuously in the work zone. Creates negative pressure so airborne particles move toward the filter — not toward your living space. Running from day one to final cleanup.
"This is not an add-on. It is standard on every Cornerstone project regardless of scope or budget."
General Contracting Questions
Real answers for Durham Region homeowners who are not sure where to start.
What is the difference between a general contractor and a subcontractor?
A general contractor like Cornerstone manages the entire project — scheduling, permits, trades, and budget. Subcontractors are the individual trades we hire and manage on your behalf. You have one point of contact. We handle everything else. You never chase a plumber or electrician directly.
Do you handle projects of all sizes?
Yes. We manage projects from focused single-trade repairs starting at $20,000 to full home renovations and additions exceeding $300,000. Every project gets the same white glove service, the same fixed price commitment, and the same $300 per day on-time penalty clause.
Can you coordinate multiple trades at the same time?
Yes. Managing multiple trades simultaneously is the core of what a general contractor does. We schedule, coordinate, and supervise every trade on your project so you do not have to. Framer, electrician, plumber, drywaller, tile setter, and painter — all managed by us.
Do you pull all the permits?
Yes. We pull and manage every permit your project requires — building, electrical, plumbing, and structural. You do not deal with the municipality. We handle the application, the inspections, and the final sign-off.
What is included in your general contracting quote?
Everything. Labour, materials, permits, project management, daily cleanup, and final handover with an Owner's Manual. The number we quote is the number you pay unless you change the scope in writing. No surprise invoices. Ever.
Do you work across Durham Region?
Yes. We serve Oshawa, Whitby, Bowmanville, Ajax, Pickering, Newcastle, Clarington, Scarborough, Stouffville, and Peterborough. Most of our projects are within 45 minutes of our Oshawa base.
Not Sure Where to Start?
Book your free project diagnostic. We walk your property, assess the full scope, and give you a fixed price before we start — whether it is one room or the whole house.
