Thornhill renovations on both sides of Yonge Street

One community, two city halls

Because Thornhill is not a municipality of its own, there is no Thornhill building department. An owner on the west side of Yonge applies to Vaughan; an owner on the east side applies to Markham. Both work under the Ontario Building Code, but forms, zoning details and review steps are each city's own. Work that commonly needs a permit includes removing a load-bearing wall, creating a basement apartment and building many kinds of decks.

The old village along Yonge Street adds another layer. Each city has designated its half of the historic core as a heritage conservation district with its own plan, so a change to how a house there looks from the street may need heritage approval from Vaughan or Markham before work begins. What happens indoors seldom draws that kind of review, but we confirm whether an address falls inside a district before planning any exterior work.

Where Thornhill homes show their age

Backsplits, sidesplits and the half-wall problem

Split-level houses are common in the older subdivisions on both sides of Yonge, alongside larger two-storey homes. Their stacked levels are part of the appeal, but they are awkward to update: each level has its own floor height, and the kitchen often sits on the middle level behind a half-wall that overlooks the stairs. Opening that half-wall, replacing tired railings and carrying one flooring material across every level are some of the most useful changes you can make to a split-level. Where a wall proves structural or hides pipes and wiring, we explain what that means before any work starts.

The partly below-grade family room found in many split-levels deserves attention too. With insulated exterior walls, new drywall, warmer flooring and new paint, a cool, rarely used space becomes a comfortable room for the whole household.

Bathrooms and tile that have run their course

Tile is often where the age of a Thornhill house shows first. Bathrooms from the 1970s and 1980s may still have small-format wall tile, coloured fixtures or tile set over backing that has softened around the tub. We remove it down to the studs where needed, rebuild the substrate properly and install new floor and wall tile. From tear-out to the last bead of caulk, a bathroom like this takes two to four weeks; the drain and fixture connections go to a plumber, and we plan our tiling on either side of that visit.

Kitchens, older and newer

In older parts of the Markham side, including Royal Orchard, Bayview Glen and German Mills, the kitchen is frequently a closed room with dated cabinets and limited counter space, and the renovation is as much about layout as finishes. Thornhill Woods, on the Vaughan side, was farmland until the late 1990s and much of it was built in the 2000s, so the kitchen there is usually open already; the work there is more about cabinets, counters, backsplash tile and flooring. Either way, expect to be without a working kitchen for three to six weeks from demolition, and the free estimate we prepare is itemized so you can see where the money goes.

Split-levels have more stairs and landings to protect than most houses, so we cover them along with the floors before work begins and keep dust to the level we are working on as far as we can. Extra work only goes ahead once you have said yes to it, and our team checks in with you as one stage finishes and the next begins.