--- title: "Architectural Design and Permit Drawings" url: "https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/architectural-design" description: "Floor plans, 3D models and permit drawings in Durham Region and the GTA from the team that builds them, with 2026 drawing costs and how permit review works." publisher: "Jarvis Contracting" --- # Architectural design and permit drawings Floor plans, 3D models and permit drawings from the team that will build them, so the plans are drawn by people who know what they cost to build. Our permit drawings cost $6,000 to $12,000 for an addition, $4,000 to $8,000 for a basement apartment and $5,000 to $15,000 for a garden suite in 2026, before HST. That's the drawings: permit fees, HVAC engineering, truss design, a committee of adjustment application and anything unforeseen are extra. Since 1 April 2025 every permit application uses the 2024 Ontario Building Code ([O. Reg. 163/24](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/240163)), and for a house without one unit above another the town has 10 business days to decide a complete application ([Building Code, Division C](https://www.publications.gov.on.ca/301880)). ## What's included 1. Measured drawings of the existing house 2. Floor plans, revised with you 3. A 3D model with finishes 4. Permit drawings and the application 5. Structural engineering, coordinated with the engineer 6. Answers to the examiner, and amendments if the plan changes The kinds of job: - Additions and second storeys - Additional units and basement apartments - Whole-home and main-floor layouts - Kitchens and bathrooms ## Typical duration Set after the first site visit. ## Permits involved - The building permit application the drawings support - A minor variance application to the Committee of Adjustment where the design needs one - The 2024 Ontario Building Code, required for every application since 1 April 2025 ## What it costs | Work | Range (CAD) | Basis | Source | |---|---|---|---| | Permit drawings for an addition | 6000 to 12000 | 2026. Drawings only: permit fees, HVAC engineering, truss design, committee of adjustment applications and anything unforeseen are extra. Before 13% HST. | Our 2026 price | | Permit drawings for a basement apartment | 4000 to 8000 | 2026. Drawings only: permit fees, HVAC engineering, truss design, committee of adjustment applications and anything unforeseen are extra. Before 13% HST. | Our 2026 price | | Permit drawings for a garden suite | 5000 to 15000 | 2026. Drawings only: permit fees, HVAC engineering, truss design, committee of adjustment applications and anything unforeseen are extra. Before 13% HST. | Our 2026 price | What moves the number: - Size and complexity - Structural engineering - A minor variance application - How many design revisions ## Why have the builder draw the plans? Because the person drawing the roof is the person who has to build it. At West Lynde the drawn roof tie-in would have left low spots for water and ice, so we built one single-slope roof instead. Plans drawn without a builder get priced only at tender, and that's when they can come back over budget. Our guide to [design-build or a general contractor](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/guides/design-build-vs-general-contractor) weighs both routes. ## What do you draw? Measured drawings of the house as it stands, floor plans we revise with you, a 3D model with the finishes in it, and the permit set. Structural drawings come from a structural engineer, and on larger jobs we work with an architect. ## How long does the permit take? The clock starts only when the application is complete: the provincial form, every schedule, the fees and the drawings ([Building Code, Division C](https://www.publications.gov.on.ca/301880)). The 10 days are business days. A house with a basement apartment probably falls in the 15-day category; your town confirms it. We answer the examiner's questions and file amendments if the plan changes. ## Do your drawings meet the Building Code? We draw to the 2024 Ontario Building Code and your town's zoning. The town's plans examiner checks them and issues the permit; that sign-off is theirs, not ours. ## Where we do this Also in Ajax, Aurora, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Clarington, East Gwillimbury, Halton Hills, King, Markham, Milton, Mississauga, Newmarket, Oakville, Oshawa, Pickering, Richmond Hill, Scarborough, Scugog, Toronto, Uxbridge, Vaughan, Whitby, Whitchurch-Stouffville. ## How the job runs 1. **Meet James.** James meets you at the house, hears what you want and gives you a rough estimate on the spot. The first estimate is free. 2. **Proposal and contract.** If the estimate works for you, James prepares a detailed proposal. The whole project is priced, and the contract signed with a 10% deposit, before any design work begins. 3. **Design onboarding.** Our designer sends you an onboarding email with some homework: your style, how your family uses the house, and what you need and want. You share Pinterest boards, then go through them together on a Zoom call: what you like in the pictures, and what you don't. 4. **Measure and floor plans.** The designer measures the house and draws the floor plan: which walls come out, where the stairs land, how new space joins the old. We go through it with you until it's confirmed. 5. **Drawings and 3D rendering.** With the plan confirmed, she draws the elevations and the millwork, then puts it all into a 3D rendering, so you see the rooms before anyone orders a cabinet. 6. **Finishes presentation.** We don't take you round the stores: there are too many options. Using what she learned in onboarding, the designer narrows the tile, flooring, quartz, plumbing fixtures and the rest to a few choices that suit your style, collects the samples and presents them to you in our office. If a selection changes the price, the change goes through a change order you sign. 7. **Permits and engineering.** We prepare the permit drawings, bring in the structural engineer wherever a beam or a load changes, and apply to the municipality. If the plan changes after the permit is issued, we file the amendment. ## Credentials - Written warranty: 1 year workmanship and materials, 2 years plumbing, heating, electrical and building envelope, 7 years structural - BBB Accredited Business: Accredited by the Better Business Bureau since November 2025 (https://www.bbb.org/ca/on/ajax/profile/general-contractor/jarvis-contracting-inc-0107-1416595) - Durham Region Home Builders' Association: Member, Renovators (https://www.drhba.com/Sys/PublicProfile/99587295/5125036) - RenoMark: RenoMark renovator, through the DRHBA (https://renomark.ca/find-a-renovator/) ## Questions ### How much do permit drawings cost in Ontario? Our permit drawings cost $6,000 to $12,000 for an addition, $4,000 to $8,000 for a basement apartment and $5,000 to $15,000 for a garden suite in 2026, before HST. Permit fees, HVAC engineering, truss design, a committee of adjustment application and anything unforeseen are extra. ### How long does a building permit take in Ontario? Under the Ontario Building Code, a municipality has 10 business days to decide a complete permit application for a house without one unit above another, and 15 for most other small buildings, which probably includes a house with a basement apartment. The clock starts only once the application is complete. ### Which building code applies to my project? The 2024 Ontario Building Code has been in force since 1 January 2025, and every permit application made from 1 April 2025 must use it. Older permits issued under the 2012 Code keep it only if construction started within six months. ### Who approves the drawings? Your municipality's plans examiner reviews the drawings against the Building Code and the zoning by-law, then issues the permit. We draw to both and answer the examiner's questions, but the approval is the town's. ## Guides - [Design-build or architect plus contractor in Ontario?](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/guides/design-build-vs-general-contractor) - [Do you need a permit to finish a basement in Durham Region?](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/guides/basement-permits-durham-region) - [Is it cheaper to build up or out? 2026 Ontario costs](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/guides/build-up-or-out) - [Whitby's ADU incentive: fees refunded for applications by 31 Dec 2026](https://www.jarviscontracting.ca/guides/whitby-adu-incentive) ## Sources 1. [O. Reg. 163/24](https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/240163) 2. [Building Code, Division C](https://www.publications.gov.on.ca/301880)