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Inside · Basement Renovation

The lower level, finished as part of the house.

Family rooms, offices, bathrooms, kitchens and basement apartments across York Region, with the framing, wiring and floors that make them comfortable.

Request a quote What’s included
Years in business
15+
Insured & licensed
WSIB
50 Google reviews
5.0★

What’s included

What a basement
renovation includes.

A basement starts as concrete, pipes and a furnace. Finishing it means deciding what the rooms are for, then building walls, floors and services to suit.

  1. Layout and framing

    A plan for the rooms that works around the stairs, the posts and the mechanical equipment.

    • A design for the whole floor
    • Framing and insulation
    • Ceilings and bulkheads
    • Doors and trim

  2. Floors, walls and lighting

    The finishes that make a basement feel like the floors above it.

    • Flooring suited to a basement
    • Drywall and paint
    • Lighting and wiring

  3. Bathrooms and kitchens

    A bathroom, a kitchen or a wet bar below grade, with the plumbing to serve it.

    • A basement bathroom
    • A second kitchen or wet bar
    • Plumbing rough-in
    • Ventilation

  4. Basement apartments

    A separate unit, built to what the Building Code and your municipality ask of one.

    • A kitchen and bathroom of its own
    • Fire separation between the units
    • Exits and egress windows
    • Work to the approved permit drawings

Why Sonce

One contractor,
both sides of the door.

Most renovators stop at the back door and most landscapers start there. We plan and build on both sides of it.

  1. 15+ years in business

    Sonce Homes brings more than 15 years in business to work inside the home and out in the yard.

  2. Licensed and WSIB insured

    Sonce Homes is licensed and WSIB insured. Ask us about the credentials relevant to your project.

  3. Design before construction

    We work through the design with you, with drawings to help you picture the work, before you approve it for construction.

  4. A conversation throughout

    We discuss the work and your budget at the start, then keep you informed as the project moves through each stage.

Sonce Homes brings more than 15 years in business to work inside the home and out in the yard.

Sonce Homes is licensed and WSIB insured. Ask us about the credentials relevant to your project.

We work through the design with you, with drawings to help you picture the work, before you approve it for construction.

We discuss the work and your budget at the start, then keep you informed as the project moves through each stage.

Client reviews

In their own words.

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Rated 5.0

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Selected Projects

Inside the house.
A closer look.

Choose a scene, then follow its numbered points to the materials beside it. Illustrative scenes to help you picture the possibilities.

Finished basement lounge with large windows, cream walls, navy built-in cabinetry and a light sofa.
01Basement Renovation

Oak, navy cabinetry

A lower level to settle into

A basement lounge with built-in storage and daylight from generous windows.

Strip lighting runs above the shelves, and a desk is built into the same wall beside them.

On the picture

  1. Built-insOak shelves, navy cabinets
  2. DeskSet into the wall unit
  3. WindowsThree, facing the garden
Plan a project like this: A lower level to settle into

Cream cabinetry, oak, stone

A kitchen made for gathering

Cream cabinetry, a navy island and pale stone in a bright family kitchen.

Open oak shelves stand either side of the hood, and black-framed windows wrap the corner of the room.

On the picture

  1. HoodCream, with an oak band
  2. BacksplashHerringbone tile
  3. IslandNavy, slatted oak ends
Plan a project like this: A kitchen made for gathering

Stone tile, navy, brass

Stone, light and a walk-in shower

A navy double vanity beside a generous shower in warm stone tile.

A clear glass panel keeps the shower open to the room, and a niche for bottles is set into its tiled wall.

On the picture

  1. LightingBrass wall lights
  2. VanityNavy, two basins
  3. ShowerBrass rain head
Plan a project like this: Stone, light and a walk-in shower

Cedar, glass

Cedar behind the glass

A glass-fronted cedar sauna beside a calm wellness space.

Cedar boards line the walls and the ceiling inside and carry on across the wall outside the glass, so the sauna reads as part of the room.

On the picture

  1. CladdingVertical cedar boards
  2. BenchesTwo levels, slatted
  3. HeaterFloor-standing, with stones
Plan a project like this: Cedar behind the glass

Oak, pale stone, navy

An open main floor

A kitchen, dining space and living room connected by warm oak flooring.

Tall windows and a glazed door run the length of the back wall, so the island, the table and the sofa share the same daylight.

On the picture

  1. IslandNavy, pale stone top
  2. Back wallGlazed door, tall windows
  3. FloorWide oak boards
Plan a project like this: An open main floor

Scene01of 05

Gallery

Room to imagine.
Details to build on.

Basements, bathrooms, saunas and kitchens. Explore layouts, materials and details for your own home.

Basement recreation room with a wet bar
Walk-in shower in cream stone tile
Outdoor cedar sauna cabin in the yard
Cream shaker kitchen with a deep navy island

  1. Basements1/3

  2. Bathrooms1/3

  3. Saunas1/3

  4. Kitchens1/3

Illustrative scenes for planning your project.

Service area

Close to home.
Across York Region.

Renovation and general contracting from our office in East Gwillimbury. The rings show roughly how long the drive is from there, outside rush hour.

Our office
Home towns
Also serving
Drive time, off‑peak

Drive times are approximate, from OpenStreetMap data (© OpenStreetMap contributors).

Towns we serve

38 towns · 6 regions

Not on the list?

We take on projects across York Region and the GTA. Tell us where the house is and we’ll let you know.

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Questions

Basement Renovation:
common questions.

Short answers to what people ask first. The questions below these cover planning, cost and permits more generally.

Still have a question?

Ask us directly (647) 784-4477

People also ask

What people ask
before they start.

Search questions about basement renovation, with our general planning answers after them.

Good to know

Planning a basement:
what shapes the job.

A basement has constraints the upper floors don’t: moisture, low services and fewer windows. The plan works with them.

Dry first

Everything in a finished basement depends on the space staying dry. The walls and floor are checked for moisture before any framing, and what is found is repaired, not covered.

Materials are chosen with the slab in mind: insulation that keeps room air off cold concrete, and flooring that tolerates humidity.

Working around what is there

Posts, beams, ducts and the main drain are where they are. A good layout hides them inside walls and bulkheads and puts the rooms that need height, like a family room, where the ceiling is clear.

A bedroom below grade needs a window large enough to climb out of. Where the existing windows are too small, they are enlarged, which is structural work and part of the permit.

Permits

East Gwillimbury’s building permit guide lists finished basements among the projects that need a permit, and other York Region municipalities treat them the same way. A second dwelling unit is a larger question, with zoning rules of its own.

Town building permit guide ↗

Related services

Often planned
alongside it.

Each page sets out what the work covers, with scenes to plan from and the questions people ask first.

All services

Your next project

More room downstairs.
Start with a conversation.

Tell us what the basement is like now and what you would like it to be used for.

Request a quote

InsideWalk-out basement

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Years in business
15+
Insured & licensed
WSIB
50 Google reviews
5.0★