Burlington Home Renovations That Bring 1960s and 70s Houses Up to Date

Below the escarpment, short creeks run south across Burlington to Lake Ontario, and in the west Grindstone Creek winds through Aldershot to Hamilton Harbour. Plenty of lots back onto one of those valleys or onto the lake itself, and the rear of such a lot often lies inside the area Conservation Halton regulates for flooding and erosion. There, a new deck, an addition, a retaining wall or a change in grade usually needs the authority's permission as well as the City's permit, applied for separately. Before a plan reaches outdoors on one of these lots, we look up the Conservation Halton mapping with you, and during the job we keep stockpiles and the bin well back from the slope.

In a Brant Hills or Tyandaga kitchen, keeping the sink, dishwasher and range in place is the simplest route: new cabinets, counters, backsplash and floor on the plumbing already there. Moving the sink to an island means new drain and vent piping under the floor, which a licensed plumber installs under a permit. Swapping a gas range for induction can outgrow a panel sized in the 1970s. A gas fitter caps the old line, and a licensed electrical contractor files the notification with the Electrical Safety Authority and, if the service has to grow, applies to Burlington Hydro, whose engineering staff lay out the upgrade. Where old vinyl tile turns up under a newer floor, we have it tested before anyone lifts it, as Health Canada advises for pre-1990 materials.

Burlington's population skews older than the country's: the 2016 census put its median age at 43.3, against 41.2 nationally. For owners choosing floors for the years ahead rather than for resale, the brief changes. We favour a matte, slip-resistant finish over high gloss, flush thresholds instead of raised reducers between rooms, and one continuous surface so that loose rugs are no longer needed. Carpeted stairs can be replaced with solid treads and a nosing in a contrasting tone that is easy to see. In bedrooms, a cushioned vinyl plank or cork is gentler underfoot than ceramic, and quieter too.

Halton Region's Basement Flooding Prevention Subsidy Program pays toward a backwater valve fitted inside the house, disconnecting downspouts or a reverse-grade driveway drain, relining a damaged private sewer lateral, and moving the weeping tile off the sewer to a new sump pump. Homes built from the mid-1950s to the late 1970s, a span that takes in much of Brant Hills, can also get a Household Drainage Survey if they have flooded before and sit in a Region priority area. A licensed plumber installs the valve and sump under a City of Burlington permit, before any finishing. The Region's pipe ends at the property line; the rest is yours. Then we frame, insulate and finish around them, and the basement itself usually takes four to eight weeks.

The City lists replacing plumbing fixtures with the same type, in the same location, among the work that needs no building permit. So a bathroom that keeps its toilet, tub and vanity in place can get new tile and fixtures with fewer steps up front. Adding a bathroom is a different job. Where a 1970s two-storey has no washroom on the main floor, a powder room under the stairs or beside the front hall needs new drain and vent lines, run by a licensed plumber under a permit, and a fan ducted outside. We time tile and drywall around the inspection and, while the studs are bare, add blocking where grab bars may go later. A main bath generally takes two to four weeks to rebuild.

In March 2026 Council approved the plan and guidelines for the Burlington Avenue and Ontario Street Heritage Conservation District, so exterior work on the older houses along those streets near downtown is now expected to follow the district's guidelines. Before we repaint porches, wood siding, doors or trim there, we ask you to email the City's heritage staff, who confirm whether a heritage permit applies; the same check suits individually designated houses elsewhere on the Municipal Cultural Heritage Register. Indoors, the common request is different: stained oak or pine trim and doors from the 1970s and 80s brought to a painted finish. That means de-glossing, a bonding primer and caulked joints, plus grain filler if you want the oak to look smooth.

Burlington permits one, two or three additional residential units on a lot where the zoning allows: inside the house, attached to it, or in a detached coach house or similar accessory building. The first unit needs no extra parking space. For owners eyeing the garage, the City publishes a Garage Conversion Toolkit with sample one- and two-bedroom layouts and an accessible option. Those are concepts only, so a designer still draws your plans, which pass the City's Pre-Building Approval step before the building permit is issued. Our part is the framing: a level, insulated floor built up over the sloping slab, the overhead door opening closed in with a stud wall and window, and partitions for the bedroom and bathroom.