Sump pump
A pump that collects weeping tile water and sends it up to the surface. It sits in a pit in the slab, so its spot goes on the floor plan early.
Basement renovation contractor for Mississauga
Mississauga basement finishing contractors
A basement renovation in Mississauga often comes down to inches, because every room has to clear the beams and ducts. We measure the headroom on the first visit, before anyone picks a floor.
What is the minimum ceiling height for a finished basement in Ontario?
In a house over five years old, Ontario lets a basement second unit have a 1.95 metre ceiling, just under 6 feet 5 inches. Under beams and ducts, the code lets it dip to 1.85 metres. Rooms used only by your own family fall under other parts of the Building Code, so we check those against your drawings. Every height counts from the finished floor to the finished ceiling.
Where the inches go
Find headroom in a Mississauga basement
Drywall, a subfloor and the new flooring each take a little height. On a low basement, those layers can push a room under the line.
Ducts and a centre beam usually hang lowest. Sometimes a duct can move into a bulkhead along a wall instead of crossing the middle of the room.
When that still falls short, the floor can be dug down. Mississauga lists excavating to gain headroom as work that needs a building permit.
Each layer we add goes on a section sketch, so you see the finished height before any material is ordered. A sump pit or valve gets a clear spot with an access panel too.
City permit list
Basement work Mississauga wants a permit for
The first four come straight from the City's own list. The last one is filed with a different office.
- Finishing a basement to create rooms or living space
- Digging the floor lower for more headroom
- A below grade entrance or a basement walkout
- A second unit, which the City also calls a basement apartment
- New circuits, which our electrician reports to the ESA rather than the City
Renting the space
Register a second unit in Mississauga
The City keeps a public record of basement units that meet the rules.
| What counts | A self-contained home with its own cooking, sleeping and bathroom space, inside a detached, semi-detached or town house. |
|---|---|
| Before you register | A building permit for the unit, signed off by every City inspector involved. |
| Registration fee | None. Permits, fire inspections and design work still have their own costs. |
| Public record | Registered units go on the Second Units Registry List, refreshed in the second week of each month. |
| Who can claim the rebate | Individual owners only, not companies. A home that got a sump pump rebate in the last 10 years is left out. |
| Our drive | Our Oakville office sits about 12 km west of the Civic Centre on a map. Most days the crew comes over on Highway 403. |
Flood protection rebate
What Mississauga's flooding rebate pays toward under a basement
The City runs a basement flooding prevention rebate for detached, semi-detached, duplex and town houses. It pays back part of four kinds of work, and each one is easier before the room is finished.
Cap the foundation drain
This cuts the old foundation drain off from the pipe it used to feed. The City says this work needs a building permit.
Storm backwater valve
A valve on the storm lateral stops water running back toward the house. It needs a building permit as well.
Downspouts
The City says disconnected downspouts should drain at least 4 to 6 feet from the foundation. That outside work can be done before the inside starts.
How to apply
You send quotes and a diagram for pre-approval first. Final papers, with any permit sign-off, go in within six months of that approval.
Across the city
Meadowvale, Erin Mills and Streetsville basements
All three send their permits to the same Building Division, yet the houses above the basements differ.
Erin Mills
Building in this planned community started in the early seventies. In a basement that age, we test the drains and look for old leak marks before framing.
Meadowvale
Another planned community from those same years. We measure every room under the ducts, because that number decides where a bedroom can go.
Streetsville
The old village on the Credit River holds some of the city's oldest houses. A short basement here may need its floor lowered to be livable.
Measure the ceiling before you fall for a floor.
Basements next door
Basement pages around Mississauga
These basement photos are samples to spark ideas. None of them is a Mississauga room we finished.
Sources we checked for this page
- Government of Ontario, add second unit your house
- Town of Collingwood, updated2024obcpart11aautables 002pdf 0
- City of Mississauga, when a building permit is required
- City of Mississauga, registering a second unit
- City of Mississauga, second unit basement apartment
- City of Mississauga, a 22 Meadowvale
- Electrical Safety Authority website
- City of Mississauga, apply for a basement flooding prevention rebate