Your plan, drawn properly
Custom floor plans
Layouts developed from your sketch or brief, checked against zoning and the code, and drawn for permit.
- Floor plans & elevations
- Zoning & lot fit
- Sections & details
- 3D views where they help a decision
New Custom Homes
A house from your sketch, with one team for every discipline.
Architectural, structural and mechanical design, the permit and the build, coordinated by one office. The Haldimand County house on our project list was taken from the client’s own plan to occupancy that way.
- Building
designs - 200+
- Years of
practice - 10
- Trusted
partners - 20+
- Recent project
- Haldimand County · 1,750 sq ft
- Drawn & stamped
- In-house, one P.Eng and BCIN team
- Service area
- GTA, within 90 minutes of Richmond Hill
- First consultation
- Free, by phone or on site
What’s included
Scope: what we take on, and what each part includes.
A new house is the one project where every discipline is ours from the start. The structural sheet never fights the mechanical one, and the office that drew both coordinates the build.
Stamped in-house
Structural design
Foundations, framing and roof designed by our P.Eng for the house, the soil and the site.
- Foundation design
- Wood framing & engineered lumber
- Steel beams where spans need them
- Site review during construction
Sized for the house
HVAC & energy calculations
Heat-loss and heat-gain calculations, equipment sizing, ductwork and the energy efficiency design the permit requires.
- Heat-loss & gain calculations
- Equipment & duct design
- SB-12 energy compliance
- Plumbing & electrical layouts
One point of contact
Build coordination
Construction coordinated with the builder, and the engineer who drew the house on site through the build.
- Scheduling & trades
- Inspections at each stage
- Changes decided on site
- Occupancy & close-out
The package
When you need it, and what you get.
Find your situation below. If it’s there, this is the service, and the card underneath is everything you get from our one office.
You need this when
05 common situations
- Building on a lotOwned, or about to be
- Tear down and rebuildOn the lot you live on
- Have a designer’s planNeed structure, mechanical and a builder
- One teamDesign and the build coordinated
- Rural or cottage lotSeptic, well or conservation approvals
- Not sure it applies?Tell us about it on a free call and we’ll say whether this is the right service.
What you get
07
items in your package, all from one P.Eng and BCIN team.
Drawn & stamped in-house
- Zoning & lot reviewVariances or conservation permits flagged
- Architectural drawingsPlans, elevations, sections, details
- Structural designStamped by our P.Eng
- Mechanical designHVAC with energy calcs, plumbing, electrical
- Grading & servicingSite drawings for the city
- Building permitFiled and followed to issue
- ConstructionCoordinated with the builder
How it runs
Process: 4 steps from first call to sign-off.
Four steps from the lot to the occupancy permit, with one office answering for every drawing.
Lot & brief
We walk the lot, check the zoning and any conservation or servicing constraints, and turn your brief or sketch into a first layout.
Design & engineering
Architectural, structural and mechanical drawings developed together in one office, then filed for permit and followed through the city’s comments.
Build
Excavation, foundation, framing, envelope, rough-ins and finishes by the builder we coordinate, with the engineer on site at each structural stage.
Occupancy
Final inspections, the occupancy permit, and a house built to the drawings you approved.
- Lot address and a survey, if you have one
- Your sketch, brief or a plan from another designer
- Whether the lot is serviced or needs a well and septic
- A rough budget range and a target move-in
- Any previous permits, conservation letters or soil reports
Case files
Our Projects: real permits, real builds, real value added.
Open any file for the scope, the disciplines involved, what we delivered and what the owner came away with.
- Files
- 08
- Municipalities
- 07
A compact two-storey suite in a Toronto backyard. Architectural and structural drawings, zoning review and a framing package that makes every square foot count.
- Location
- Toronto
- Area
- 700 sq ft
- Sector
- Residential
- Disciplines
- Architectural · Structural
Delivered
- Architectural drawings
- Structural framing design
- Zoning review
- Building permit application
New living space on a lot the owners already had.
Start a project like this
Structural walls came out and rooms were added to open the plan. Beam and column design, permit drawings and renovation coordination through to final inspection.
- Location
- Richmond Hill
- Area
- 2,700 sq ft
- Sector
- Residential
- Disciplines
- Structural · Architectural
Delivered
- Load-bearing wall removal
- Beam & column design
- Permit drawings
- Renovation coordination
An open layout where the load-bearing walls used to be.
Start a project like this
A code-compliant second unit with its own entrance, fire separations between the units, HVAC design and the full permit package.
- Location
- Vaughan
- Area
- 1,100 sq ft
- Sector
- Residential
- Disciplines
- Architectural · Mechanical · Fire safety
Delivered
- Separate entrance
- Fire separations
- HVAC design
- Full permit package
A legal second unit that brings in rent and adds property value.
Start a project like thisA new build taken from the client’s sketch to occupancy, with the architectural, structural and mechanical design done by one team.
- Location
- Haldimand County
- Area
- 1,750 sq ft
- Sector
- Residential
- Disciplines
- Architectural · Structural · Mechanical
Delivered
- Architectural design
- Structural design
- Mechanical design
- Permit drawings
Built to the client’s own plan, with one team answering for every discipline.
Start a project like this
A two-storey garden suite laid out to get the most usable space from the footprint, designed and permitted as a rentable unit.
- Location
- Richmond Hill
- Area
- 1,250 sq ft
- Sector
- Residential
- Disciplines
- Architectural · Structural
Delivered
- Layout planning
- Architectural drawings
- Structural design
- Permit application
Rental income and a higher property value.
Start a project like this
A dental office converted into a supermarket. Interior renovation, a new plumbing system and fire separations upgraded to the Ontario Fire Code.
- Location
- Kitchener
- Area
- Dental → grocery
- Sector
- Commercial
- Disciplines
- Architectural · Plumbing · Fire safety
Delivered
- Change-of-use permit
- Interior renovation drawings
- New plumbing design
- Upgraded fire separations
A dental office reopened as a supermarket, compliant with the Ontario Fire Code.
Start a project like this
A custom covered porch that turns the front of the house into usable outdoor space. Addition design and structural drawings for the permit.
- Location
- London
- Area
- 570 sq ft
- Sector
- Residential
- Disciplines
- Architectural · Structural
Delivered
- Addition design
- Structural drawings
- Permit application
More usable outdoor space and added home value.
Start a project like this
Site grading to manage drainage and prepare the land for a new driveway, drawn as a grading plan for the site alteration permit.
- Location
- Guelph
- Area
- 11,700 sq ft
- Sector
- Site
- Disciplines
- Site engineering
Delivered
- Grading plan
- Drainage design
- Driveway extension layout
- Site alteration permit
Drainage handled and the land ready for a new driveway.
Start a project like thisPhoto plates
Project Gallery: from the framing to the finished room.
Additions, basements, kitchens, new builds and commercial fit-outs. Drag a row to scrub through it, or open any photo full size.Tap any photo to see it full size.
21 platesResidential, commercial & new build
The drawing set
Drawing Samples: sheets from real permit sets.
Framing schedules, wall assemblies, dimensions and a city review stamp, as issued. Client title blocks are trimmed off to protect the people we drew them for.
- Sector
- Residential
- Discipline
- Architectural · Structural
- Location
- London, ON
- Scale
- —
Drawing set
Sheets in this set
Sheet title
Existing basement plan
The existing house recorded before any design: beams, joists and bearing walls.
Drawing no.
2 of 5
Service area
Where We Work: within 90 minutes of Richmond Hill.
From the office we cover the whole GTA, north to Barrie and Orillia, east to Peterborough and Cobourg, west to Kitchener and Brantford, and down through Niagara.
Our office
Service area
Completed project
Drive time, off-peak
Municipalities we serve
46 across 8 regions
York Region
- Richmond Hill (completed project)Office
- Vaughan (completed project)
- Markham (completed project)
- Aurora
- Newmarket
- King
- Whitchurch-Stouffville
- East Gwillimbury
- Georgina
Toronto & Peel
- Toronto (completed project)
- Mississauga
- Brampton
- Caledon
Halton
- Oakville
- Burlington
- Milton
- Halton Hills
Durham
- Pickering
- Ajax
- Whitby
- Oshawa
- Clarington
- Uxbridge
- Scugog
Simcoe & Dufferin
- Barrie (completed project)
- Innisfil
- Bradford
- New Tecumseth
- Orillia
- Wasaga Beach
- Collingwood
- Orangeville
Waterloo, Wellington & Brant
Hamilton, Niagara & Haldimand
- Hamilton
- Grimsby
- St. Catharines
- Niagara Falls
- Haldimand County (completed project)
Kawarthas & Northumberland
- Peterborough
- Kawartha Lakes
- Port Hope
- Cobourg
Past the 90-minute line
We've also completed projects in London and Strathroy. Farther out than that? Call (416) 990-9179 and ask.
Permits filed with municipalities including
Before you call
FAQ: new custom homes, answered.
Anything we haven’t answered here, we’ll answer on a call. The first consultation is free.
(416) 990-9179Not for a house of the size most people build. Ontario allows a BCIN-qualified designer to prepare the drawings for a house and a P.Eng to design the structure, and we hold both. Larger or unusual buildings may need an architect, and we say so at the start.
Yes. We add the structural, HVAC and electrical design the permit needs, check the plans against the zoning and the code, and coordinate the build from them. If the plans need changes to work on your lot, we make them with you.
Yes. On a serviced urban lot, Ontario’s Planning Act stops zoning from prohibiting up to three units, so a basement suite can go into the first plan instead of being converted later. We draw its entrance, its ceiling height (at least 1.95 m under the Building Code) and the separation between the units into the permit set. For a new house, the Code accepts 15.9 mm Type X gypsum board on both sides of the walls that divide the units and on the underside of the floor framing between them.
We coordinate them, after checking that the zoning allows a house and how the lot gets water, sewage and road access. Septic, well and conservation approvals each have their own process, and the permit waits on them.
Changes are priced and drawn before they are built, and structural ones are checked by the engineer on the job. Because the office that drew the house also coordinates the build, a change does not wait on an outside designer.
Only if our P.Eng confirms that the existing footings and foundation walls can carry the new house. The check covers the condition of the concrete and whether the new walls and loads line up with what is there. If they cannot, we design a new foundation with the house.
Yes. We prepare the drawings, the engineering and the permit, and you or your own contractor build from the stamped set and book the inspections against it. Who builds matters beyond the schedule, because Ontario’s builder licensing and new home warranty rules both turn on it. We go through how they apply to your arrangement before anything is signed.
Yes, with the HVAC design and from the same drawings. Ontario’s 2024 Building Code requires a new house lived in through the winter to either beat the 2012 Code’s energy efficiency levels by at least 15 per cent or conform to Chapters 1 and 3 of Supplementary Standard SB-12, Energy Efficiency for Housing. The municipality checks it at the permit stage, so it goes in with the rest of the permit set.
Our P.Eng tells you when we walk the lot. The Building Code ties minimum footing depth to the type of soil, so the footing design cannot be final until the soil is known. Where it is clay or not clearly identified, a soil report settles it.
Searched & answered
People Also Ask: what the GTA searches about new custom homes.
Short answers to the new custom homes questions people search most, and the broader topics they lead to.
Not covered here? Book a free consultationThe house sets it: its size, the finishes, the systems chosen and the site work the lot needs. Design and engineering are priced as separate lines from construction. Fine Engineering prices from drawings, so the quote comes after the free consultation, once there is a design to measure.
They can be. A builder repeating one plan across a subdivision can spread the design, engineering and approvals over many lots. A custom home carries those costs alone, and the owner’s choices of layout and structure add to them. Fine Engineering points out which design choices add cost as the first layout is drawn.
It depends on the lot and the house. Design and the permit come before construction, and once a complete application meets the Building Code’s criteria, the Code sets a statutory review period for a house permit. Fine Engineering gives a schedule with the quote and updates it as the municipality responds.
A heat- or energy-recovery ventilator swaps stale indoor air for fresh outdoor air and passes heat between the two airstreams on the way. A new house, or a permit with HVAC work, usually needs a mechanical ventilation design, and Toronto Building asks for one with every HVAC permit application. An HRV or ERV is the usual way to meet it. Fine Engineering sizes them in its HVAC designs.
Usually because the heat reaching the room does not match the heat it loses. A room over a garage, or one with more glass and outside wall, loses heat faster, and a long or undersized duct delivers less air than the room needs. A room-by-room heat-loss calculation and a duct design show where the gap is. Fine Engineering does both for existing houses as well as new ones.
Yes. A new bathroom means new drains, vents and water supply, and installing or changing plumbing is building permit work with its own inspections. Replacing a fixture in the same spot usually is not. The drawing shows the drain, waste and vent layout the inspector will check. Plumbing drawings for bathrooms, kitchens and second units are part of Fine Engineering’s mechanical work.
Good to know
Checking a custom home builder’s licence in Ontario
Before you sign a construction contract, check that whoever will build the house holds a licence. In Ontario, every new home builder must be licensed by the Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA). After licensing, the builder must enroll the home with Tarion before construction begins. The Building Code Act also lists an unlicensed builder or vendor among its exceptions to the duty to issue a permit.
Neither the HCRA nor Tarion enforces the Building Code. The municipality does that, through the permit and its inspections. An owner building a house for their own use is not a builder under the licensing Act, so the licence rule applies to whoever you hire to build it.
Building a custom home on your own lot: the warranty
Ontario’s new home warranty law reaches a house built under contract on land the owner already holds, where one builder undertakes all the work and supplies all the materials to complete it. That builder may not sign the construction contract until it is licensed and the home is enrolled in the warranty plan. An owner who splits the work among trades, or builds as an owner-builder, may fall outside it.
New homes in Ontario carry 1-year, 2-year and 7-year warranties, administered by Tarion, that cover issues such as bad workmanship, water penetration and major structural defects. Ontario notes that homes built on existing footings or foundations may not be covered. On a teardown lot, that is a reason to settle whether the old foundation stays before the design depends on it.
Lot grading for a new custom home in Ontario
A new house’s grading follows its footprint. On an open rural lot that mostly means where the house sits, while an infill lot also has to meet the neighbours’ grades at the lot lines, which can fix the foundation height before the elevations are drawn.
Our P.Eng sets the grades together with the foundation design, so the top of the foundation, the window wells and the swales are drawn as one. The grading and servicing drawings then go to the municipality with the rest of the permit set.
Contact us
Lot walked. House drawn. Built to the drawings we made.
Send us the lot address and your sketch and we’ll tell you what it takes, on a free first call.
First consultation free(416) 990-9179