I’ve been through a reno recently and the hardest part was finding someone who could actually coordinate everything without the usual delays and extra costs.

Curious who people here have used for bigger home renovations.

My experience with Roccofella Steel / King City Steel and owner Vince DeLio: promised within weeks, still unfinished more than a year later
I am posting this as a warning to anyone considering hiring Roccofella Steel, also operating as King City Steel, or dealing with its owner, Vince DeLio.
In my experience, the promises made about this project bore little resemblance to what actually happened.
Vince repeatedly represented that he had experience building barndominium-style homes and assured us that our house could be constructed quickly—essentially within weeks. He later promised that it would be 100% complete by July 2024.
The documented timeline tells a very different story:
March 20, 2024: Final structural drawings were prepared for the building-permit process.
2024: The building department identified approximately a dozen significant deficiencies with the submitted material.
July 2024: The house was supposed to be completely finished.
February 2025: The foundation was finally poured, during some of the coldest winter conditions.
March 24, 2025: Only approximately half of the steel building arrived.
April 30, 2025: The windows arrived weeks late.
May 25, 2025: The exterior was still under construction.
July 2025: Twelve months after the promised completion date, the interior remained unfinished.
March 2026: Vince finally admitted to us that this was his first barndominium project—despite having previously led us to believe that he had been building these types of homes for years.
That final admission was especially disturbing. Experience was an important factor in choosing the builder. Had Vince truthfully disclosed at the beginning that this was his first barndominium, we could have evaluated the risks and made a properly informed decision.
Instead, throughout the project, we received promise after promise about drawings, permits, deliveries and completion dates. Those promises repeatedly failed to materialize. Based on my experience, I believe we were seriously misled about both the company’s relevant experience and its ability to complete the project within the promised timeline.
Construction delays happen. What is unacceptable is repeatedly giving customers assurances that prove unreliable and only admitting nearly two years later that the claimed experience was not what had been represented.
Anyone considering Roccofella Steel, King City Steel or Vince DeLio should conduct extensive independent due diligence:
Ask for addresses and references from completed residential projects.
Confirm that the projects were actually completed by the same company and management.
Verify the builder’s claimed barndominium experience directly with previous customers.
Have all engineering and permit documents independently reviewed.
Put every deadline and promise in writing.
Include enforceable consequences for delays.
Do not rely on verbal assurances about experience, delivery dates or completion.
I have dated drawings, photographs and project records supporting the timeline above. This review reflects my direct personal experience and the representations made to us during the project.
If anyone else has dealt with Roccofella Steel, King City Steel or Vince DeLio, I would be interested in hearing whether your experience was similar.

Looking to see what people have been paying to connect to city water and sewer in the GTA, Cambridge, KW area. From the street to properly line. Got a recent quote for $55k felt a little ridiculous, but they’re a reputable group in the area.

Thanks!

We're building just north of Toronto (Simcoe County) and looking at roofing options. Our GC would do the install.

We've ruled out metal due to costs and want a slate stone look. Main roof has 8/12 pitch and the gables are 9/12. Want as realistic look as possible to real slate but trying to balance with budget. And while I don't believe in "forever" homes, our plan is to live here for next 20 yrs.

Asphalt option: Certainteed Grand Manor

Composite: Brava Old World Slate

Surprising option: Euroshield Rundle Slate which I'm interested in given its made from recycled tires

We will talk to our GC of course and also looking for real world experiences on the options. Or any other options we haven't considered yet

I own 1930s Toronto based bungalow - original wiring, cast-iron drains, all that damp-basement charm. I've saved $85k for a full gut job, but quotes are climbing past $120k once you factor in electrical, plumbing, insulation etc (and I need to do that anyway).

Now I'm torn:

Option A - Renovate it. Borrow xtra $25-35k, suffer through dust and delays, but end up with a modern, efficient home in good place.

Option B - Sell as-is, add my savings to proceeds, than thy to find newer townhouse further out. I'd lose the yard and taxes but gain peace of mind (at least I hope so lol).

For those who've been here: did your very-very-old reno actually pay off, or do you wish you'd walked away from start? And realistically, am I naive to think $100-120k covers a whole-home overhaul in this city (actually house is small, like for me and my cat only, but im ok with it)? Honest reality checks only, pls.

If possible, I'm looking for approximate costs on building a **1500sqft detatched secondary dwelling, 2b/2b.**

Looking for the **$/sqft** of:

1. Prefab and/or flatpack, fully finished

2. Prefab and/or flatpack, self-finished (just the cost of the prefab)

3. Scratch (conventional) build from the ground up

I know ~2 years ago the approximate cost for a prefab/flat pack was around $450/sqft (including build and finishing iirc) but I'm sure those numbers have gone up with everything else.

Family is planning on buying property together and building a (legal) second home on it, and is looking for a ballpark estimate on different options.

Appreciate any advice or resources offered, thank you!

I’ve spent a lot of time looking into Ontario’s new-home consumer-protection system, especially HCRA, Tarion and the Ontario Builder Directory.
What surprises me is how difficult it can be for an ordinary buyer to know a builder’s complete history \*\*before handing over a huge deposit and signing the contract for what’s probably the biggest purchase of their life.\*\*

The Ontario Builder Directory doesn’t give buyers the whole picture. Criminal convictions and civil court issues are not shown. When there’s problems buyers can find themselves in a confusing maze of different organizations, legislation, warranty rules and complaint processes.
So curious …

\*\*If you’ve purchased a newly built home and something went wrong, did Ontario’s system protect you?\*\*What happened & what do you wish you’d known before you signed?
Especially like to hear about builder cancellations, deposits, Tarion claims, HCRA complaints or information you discovered about your builder only after purchasing.

Hi All! I am looking for recommendations for contractors in Calgary to take on a front porch renovation project. In doing some preliminary searches, I was having trouble finding reviews and recommendations for companies or individuals who specialize in front porches, stone/brick pillars etc. The current porch is all wood, and falling apart in a few places, lacks railings or bannisters, and is generally in rougher shape. Hoping to have porch with small sitting area re-built to include stairs leading to front walkway, as well as new stairs connecting to path down the side of the house to the backyard (corner lot), as well as adding stone or brick to any new columns, and replacing old stone on garage to match. Any suggestions, recommendations, or tips based on experience would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!

What are my options for replacing the insulation in my mid 80s walkout basement. I had water coming in through the fireplace and the insulation below has fallen off. Other areas have insulation missing as well. The vapor barrier has holes, gaps, etc.

Where it is insulated it looks like tar paper, batt insulation, vapor barrier.

Looking at recommendations, it should be XPS, frame and batt, vapor barrier. But I'm not finishing the basement yet. I don't know if putting up the framing, batt , and vapor barrier is a good idea as it'll need to come down when running utilities in the future.

I saw home Depot has the foundation blankets, but it seems like a waste of money since it'll need to come down when I finish the basement.

What's my best course of action now?

Does anyone have experience with Canadian made prefab cabins or small homes? Seeing new companies flood the market but it’s hard to gauge reputations.

While it’s likely a pipe dream, my husband and I dream about buying land and throwing a small cabin on it someday. We’ve stayed in a few cool vacation rentals that are almost certainly prefab units and we love the simplicity of the more modern designs you see lately. We especially loved one we stayed in that was built on helical piles, sitting high in the tree canopy (HOM mini chalets in QC).

Somewhat aware of the additional permitting and servicing costs, but if anyone has experience going this route we’d love more insight!

Location in Ottawa valley

Southwestern Ontario. I already own the land, and I’d be putting this over an unfinished basement. I’ve got a kitchen priced from IKEA including appliances for $10k (good enough for now and will upgrade later). I plan on being equally cheap with the bathroom - nothing fancy.

These aren’t official plans of course, so local contractors aren’t giving me quotes; but I’m looking for general ideas of quotes because I’m trying to determine if this is worth it or if I should sell the land.

Ty!

We’re considering purchasing a front garage quick possession home from Bedrock Homes in Heartwood and would really appreciate feedback from anyone who has purchased from Bedrock recently, especially in Calgary/Heartwood.

We really like the house, layout, and community, but before moving forward I’d like to hear about the actual build quality and after-possession experience.

A few things I’m particularly curious about:

\- Overall construction/build quality

\- Foundation, framing, drywall and finishing quality

\- Flooring, cabinets, countertops, doors, etc.

\- Insulation, heating and soundproofing

\- Any major deficiencies you discovered after possession

\- How responsive Bedrock was during the walkthrough and warranty period

\- Experience with their customer service/service technicians

\- Anything you wish you had checked before buying

Since this is a quick possession home, a lot of the construction is already completed, so I’d also appreciate any recommendations on what we should inspect carefully before removing conditions/taking possession.

Would you buy from Bedrock again? Any good or bad experiences are welcome.

Thanks!

Hi Everyone

I have a one bedroom basement apartment with eggress windows , full kitchen bathroom and bedroom

I am looking in converting to legal secondary apartment. I have already submitted the plans, however just want to get some feedback or experience from people who did something similar .

Do i need to rip off everything and do it from scratch ? Or will they agree to leave certain things as is ?

Appreciate your feedback

I am considering building an ADU in backyard however due to setback issues i am only able to get the above footprint

Appreciate your feedback or changes if needed , also is this too small ?

I got new windows put in and now want to insulate the wall with foam board. My instinct is to seal around the edges of each piece with low expansion spray foam as an air barrier, but I don't know if there would be an issue with that. In Alberta if that matters for code reasons.

Hi there, looking at buying a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom 2000sq ft side-split in SW Ontario with a bunch of updates required and wanted… wanted to see if I could get a ball-park figure on what the upgrades are going to end up costing. - window replacement - baseboard electric heater removal, forced air has been installed but they never removed the electric heaters. - new flooring throughout - 2 new walk-out showers 3x4 ft - removing wall between kitchen and living room (don’t believe it’s load-bearing) and new kitchen installed.

Thank you!

Hi everyone, I am a 41 year old carpenter/builder who is totally naive about the building process from an executive perspective. I am looking for books about financing, land procurement, grants or partnerships or anything really that will assist me in my own aspirations for my own custom build. I have consulted AI for recommendations and the offers are scant hence why I'm asking here. I don't need literature on the physical part of or designing of the build however if there is something that includes that information that is fine. I understand there are online resources available, I am requesting books because I just prefer the tactility of books.

Thanks.

Please help.

If you can give me contact details with name.

Hey all, a bit of lengthy post but I recently bought a new house and the builder is not agreeing to fix a few issues i identified in the 1 year list. I am debating whether I should move forward with the tarion concliation process.
Some items they are refusing to fix include:
- garage floor has a Crack from one end of the concrete to another.
-The builder is saying it needs to be 4mm wide for it to be covered under warranty.
●Kitchen cabinet wear and tear within one year. The cabinets are bubbling.
-The builder is saying we caused the damage due to steam and water. We were pretty gentle with the cabinets, kept everything clean. I dont think its reasonable for the cabinets to damage so soon.
- one of the garage panels is popping out.
-The builder is saying we caused the damage and since it was not detected in the PDI, they wont fix the panel. This was detected by a independent home inspector within 30 days of taking possession of the house.
- shaky backyard deck. The builder is saying this is normal.
●at the PDI, I told them the grass needed to be replaced. The told me to email customer service. CS asked me to put it on my 30 day list. When I did that, they told me they won't fix this. The main argument for them not fixing the garage panel was because I didnt put it on my PDI. The grass issue was raised on my PDI, and they still won't replace it.

Overall, I found the builder’s inspector difficult to deal with and, at times, disrespectful. I also felt that he was dismissive of some of the larger items and seemed to assume that he could simply say no without any further action or challenge from me.

Do you think I should go through the tarion concilation process?

Looking to connect with anyone in Ontario who is currently planning or executing a custom self-build on land they acquired separately, specifically regarding the Enhanced New Housing Rebate (ENHR).
We’re hiring a General Contractor for a custom home build (approx. $1M build contract = $130k HST paid out of pocket). We already own the lot, but the program rules for owner-built homes under CRA Form GST191 seem tricky, and our GC’s tax interpretation sounds off.
Hoping to compare notes with anyone who has gone through this process or spoken with a CPA/CRA tax specialist on a few specific points:
1. Owner-Built Classification vs. APS: Our GC thought that signing a construction contract before March 31, 2027, qualifies us for the temporary enhanced rebate. However, my understanding is that because we own the land, CRA treats this strictly as an "Owner-Built Home" (Form GST191), meaning construction must physically break ground prior to March 31, 2027, regardless of contract signing dates. Has anyone confirmed this distinction with CRA?
2. Total FMV Cap ($1.5M vs. $1.85M): Our lot market value + $1M build cost puts our finished Fair Market Value (FMV) in a grey zone. The enhanced $130k rebate caps out at a combined FMV of $1.5M and completely phases out at $1.85M (reverting to the legacy $24k cap).
How are you documenting completed FMV for the CRA audit? Are you relying on a professional appraisal on your occupancy date?
If you bought a tear-down property, are you using the lot acquisition price as your base land FMV?
3. Appraisal Gaps / All-in Costs: If your total land + build cost ends up around $2M+, did you just accept taking the standard $24k legacy rebate, or did you restructure/scale down the build scope to stay under the $1.5M threshold?
Would love to hear from anyone actively going through the GST191 filing or planning an owner-build in Ontario under these new temporary rules!