Kitchens, Baths & Interiors · Cambridge
Commercial Renovations in Cambridge
Office, retail, clinic and restaurant renovations and tenant fit-outs, permitted, inspected and scheduled around your business.
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Commercial Renovations in Cambridge
Cambridge businesses renovate to grow, to move into a new unit, or to bring an older space up to date. From offices and clinics to storefronts and restaurants, we plan each project around the building, the lease and the opening date.
Commercial building permits in Cambridge are issued by the City of Cambridge. We confirm what your project needs, including any change of use, coordinate drawings with an architect or engineer where required, and book the inspections through to occupancy.
Call (647) 424-1511 or send the form on this page for a free commercial renovation quote in Cambridge. Tell us what you want to change, add a few photos of the space, and we will book a visit and send a written quote that lists the scope, the materials, the permits involved and the schedule.
Cambridge buildings
Commercial renovation in Cambridge's buildings
Older downtown and main-street buildings in Cambridge
Cambridge's older downtown buildings mix shops at street level with offices or apartments above. Renovating them means working with old wiring and plumbing, stairs and entrances that are hard to make barrier-free, and fire separations between the store and the units above. Facade changes in heritage areas may need heritage approval.
Post-war plazas and commercial strips in Cambridge
Post-war plazas and commercial strips in Cambridge are simple, single-storey buildings that adapt well to new tenants. Typical work is opening or dividing units, upgrading washrooms for accessibility, and bringing aging electrical and HVAC up to current needs.
New commercial units and fit-outs in Cambridge
Newer commercial units in Cambridge are often delivered as a shell: bare walls, a concrete floor and services stubbed in. A tenant fit-out builds everything else, from partitions and washrooms to lighting, HVAC distribution and finishes, to the landlord's standards.
Rules in Cambridge
Permits and approvals for commercial renovations in Cambridge
Building permits and change of use
Commercial building permits in Cambridge are issued by the City of Cambridge. Changing walls, exits, plumbing or fire separations generally needs a permit, and so does changing how a space is used, such as retail to restaurant or office to clinic. Larger buildings often need drawings by an architect or engineer.
Electrical and mechanical
Electrical work is done by a licensed electrical contractor under an Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) permit. Plumbing, HVAC and gas work are done by licensed trades and inspected.
Accessibility
Renovating a commercial space can trigger barrier-free requirements under the Ontario Building Code, such as an accessible entrance, washroom and path of travel. We identify what applies to your project before design is finalized.
Designated substances
Before construction in a workplace, Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety Act requires the owner to identify designated substances such as asbestos and lead. In older Cambridge buildings we confirm a survey is in place and plan any removal first.
Restaurants and food service
Food premises need a kitchen exhaust hood and fire suppression system where cooking produces grease, a grease interceptor, enough washrooms for the seating, and an inspection by the local public health unit before opening.
Heritage buildings
If the building is designated under the Ontario Heritage Act or sits in a heritage conservation district, storefront and facade changes generally need heritage approval as well as a building permit.
The service
Commercial Renovations Scheduled Around Your Business
Commercial renovations run on different rules from houses. The space has to meet the Building Code for its use, stay accessible, pass fire and life-safety inspections, and often be built while the business, its neighbours or the landlord carry on around it. We plan offices, retail stores, clinics, salons, restaurants and tenant fit-outs with those constraints in mind.
Most commercial projects start with the lease and the landlord's requirements, then the permit. A change in how a space is used, such as retail becoming a restaurant or clinic, generally needs a building permit even if little construction is involved. Larger buildings often need drawings by an architect or engineer. Renovations can also trigger barrier-free upgrades under the Building Code, and restaurants need kitchen exhaust, fire suppression and health unit approval.
More about commercial renovations →The process
How your Cambridge project comes together
01
Consultation
Tell us what you want to change and send a few photos. We visit, measure and talk through options.
02
Written Quote
A clear scope, materials, permits and schedule, in writing. No vague allowances.
03
Permits & Planning
Drawings, permits and material orders lined up before demolition starts.
04
Build & Walk-Through
Work done in the right order, inspected where required, and walked through with you at the end.
Across Cambridge
Commercial Renovations throughout Cambridge
Cambridge brings together the historic cores of Galt, Preston and Hespeler, with stone and brick century homes along the Grand and Speed rivers and newer subdivisions in Hespeler and east Galt.
Nearby
Commercial Renovations near Cambridge
Questions
Commercial Renovations in Cambridge: FAQs
How do I get a commercial renovations quote in Cambridge?+
Call (647) 424-1511, use the form on this page or email info@ontariorenovationcompany.com. Tell us what you want to change and send a few photos, and we will book a visit and send a written quote for your Cambridge project.
Do you renovate older commercial buildings in Cambridge?+
Yes. Cambridge has older downtown and main-street buildings, post-war plazas and commercial strips and new commercial units and fit-outs, and each comes with its own considerations, from old wiring and fire separations above storefronts to landlord standards in new units. We plan the work around the building you are in.
Do I need a permit for a commercial renovation?+
Most commercial renovations need a building permit, especially when walls, plumbing, fire separations or exits change, or when the use of the space changes. Electrical work needs an ESA permit. We confirm the requirements with the municipality before quoting.
Can you work around our business hours?+
Yes. Many commercial projects are phased or done in the evenings and on weekends so the business can keep operating. We agree on the schedule before work starts.
Do you do tenant fit-outs?+
Yes. We build out new and existing commercial units from a bare shell or a previous tenant's layout, working to the landlord's requirements and the lease.
Do you renovate restaurants?+
Yes. Restaurants involve kitchen exhaust hoods and fire suppression, grease interceptors, washroom counts and a public health inspection before opening. We plan those from the start.
Do you offer commercial renovations across Cambridge?+
Yes. We work throughout Cambridge, including Galt, Preston, Hespeler, Blair, East Galt and West Galt, and in nearby Paris, Ancaster, Dundas, Waterdown and Hamilton.
More renovation services in Cambridge
Alongside commercial renovations, we also handle drywall and interior finishing, flooring installation and accessible and aging-in-place renovations in Cambridge, so related work can be planned together.
Other kitchens, baths & interiors services in Cambridge: kitchen renovations, bathroom renovations, accessible & aging-in-place renovations, flooring installation, drywall & interior finishing and whole-home renovations.
Your Cambridge renovation, done properly.
Tell us what you want to change and send a few photos. We will book a visit and send a clear written quote, with no obligation.