Condo Renovation Demolition in Toronto: Elevator Bookings, Hours, and Debris Plans

A condo renovation demolition is a planning job before it is a tear-out. The board and the property manager set the freight elevator, the hours, the protection, and the debris path. A contractor who treats the suite like a house can lose the booking and push the next trade. A property manager with the plan in writing can keep the corridors clear. The owner follows the same rules as the crew.

We do the tear-out and the haul so your trades walk into a ready site, on schedule. The work is interior and non-structural. What that service includes is on the selective demolition page at junkofurs.com/services/selective-demolition. Debris that is already down is hauled at junkofurs.com/services/demolition-debris-removal. Leftovers that are already out are at junkofurs.com/services/renovation-debris-removal. A leased office or retail hand-back is at junkofurs.com/blog/commercial-strip-out-gta. A short definition of the tear-out is at junkofurs.com/blog/what-is-selective-demolition. Why the haul belongs in the same visit is at junkofurs.com/blog/great-projects-start-with-a-clean-slate. Read this corporation's declaration, by-laws, and rules before you set a date. This guide does not replace them, and it is not legal advice.

What the board and the property manager need first

Ask the property manager for the document the corporation wants before work starts. Many buildings use a renovation agreement, an alteration request, or both. The form is the corporation's, not a City of Toronto form. Send it with a scope of what comes out, what stays, and which rooms are in the job.

The declaration, the by-laws, and the rules say what may change, what needs approval, and what may not enter the corridors, the elevators, or the disposal rooms. Check this corporation's documents. Do not copy hours or a debris rule from another building.

A finish tear-out inside the unit is not the same request as a change to the common elements. The declaration defines the common elements, and the property manager can say whether the scope touches them. Where the work is an addition, alteration, or improvement to the common elements, Ontario Regulation 48/01 under the Condominium Act, 1998 says the agreement has to state who will own that change. The board has to be satisfied it will not break the by-laws or rules, and will not harm the rest of the common elements. The regulation is at ontario.ca/laws/regulation/r01048. Confirm which process applies before you promise a start date. This is general information, not legal advice.

We do not decide what is structural, and we do not remove load-bearing walls, slabs, roofs, or foundations. A wall stays in place until the corporation, the general contractor, or a structural engineer confirms in writing that it is non-structural.

Freight elevator bookings, padding, and the common areas

Corporations commonly move construction material on a freight elevator, sometimes called a service elevator, not on the passenger cars. The property manager or superintendent books the car. Padding is the protection hung inside it so carts do not scar the walls. Ask who supplies the padding, and whether it must be up before the first load.

Book that window before you book the crew. The car is shared with moves and deliveries. If the tear-out and the haul do not finish inside the window, the debris waits and the next trade slips. Send the date, the start, the end, and the car name. We work inside the window you already have. We do not set it.

Book the loading dock for the same visit. Debris leaves by the dock, not the lobby, unless the property manager allows another path in writing. Ask what floor protection the building wants in the corridor and at the suite door, and who supplies it. Carts stay out of the hall. We follow those protection rules. We do not write them.

Hours, noise, and the debris plan

Hours and noise rules come from the corporation. Write down the span they give you, including quiet hours and any weekend or holiday ban. A city noise rule may also apply, and the building's hours can be tighter. Read the city rule on toronto.ca if you need it. Do not borrow a clock time from another corporation.

Do not put renovation debris down the garbage chute, or into the building bins, the recycling room, or a bulky-item room, unless the property manager allows it in writing. Bagged or carted debris goes out on the freight elevator and through the loading dock. If the window is short, stage bags inside the suite and move them when the car is yours. Clear any dock holding spot before the window ends. If the building does not allow a bin in a shared space, the haul is by truck at the dock. Say that with the photos.

Sequence the work so the trades start on time

Confirm two things before the date. First, designated substances, especially in an older building. Ask whether a survey or report already covers this suite. Ontario's guide to the Occupational Health and Safety Act describes section 30 this way: before a project begins, the owner determines whether designated substances are present and prepares a list. The owner gives that list to the constructor before a binding contract, and the constructor gives it to prospective contractors and subcontractors before they sign. The guide is at ontario.ca/document/guide-occupational-health-and-safety-act/part-iii-duties-employers-and-other-persons. We do not test for, handle, or remove asbestos or any hazardous material. If suspect material turns up, work stops until a qualified assessor and, if needed, an abatement contractor deal with it. This is general information, not legal advice.

Second, disconnects. Qualified trades, or the building's own contractors, disconnect electrical, plumbing, gas, and anything on the fire alarm or sprinkler system before a fixture comes out. We do no mechanical, electrical, plumbing, or fire-system work.

On the day, protection goes down, the agreed non-structural finishes come out, and the debris leaves in that same visit. Leave the suite broom-swept. The next trade starts on a clear floor, and the common areas go back to the condition the building asked for. A unit returned to a landlord at lease end uses a base-building spec instead. That plan is the commercial strip-out guide linked above.

How the tear-out and the haul are priced

Every figure below is before HST. HST is extra. There is no single fee for a condo renovation demolition. The price is confirmed in writing from photos, the building rules, and the elevator window before anything is removed.

Light mixed debris is hauled by volume. A small pile is $99 to $150. An eighth of a load is $150 to $220. A quarter load is $250 to $400. A half load is $400 to $550. A three-quarter load is $550 to $700. A full load of about 15 cubic yards is $650 to $850. Each full load includes 60 to 90 minutes of crew time.

Demo labour after that included time is $100 to $150 per hour for a two-person crew. That rate is demo labour only. Haul pricing stays on the volume ranges above.

Heavy material, such as tile on a mortar bed, uses a heavy call-out of $300 to $450, then about $100 to $160 per tonne after the allowance. The heavy price can be re-quoted on site or from a scale ticket if that is needed. Stairs, a long carry, or a basement path add $50 to $150 or more. A rush is 10 to 20 percent, or $50 to $100. A curbside-ready pile can be 5 to 15 percent less when that discount applies. A condo dock is not a curb, so do not assume the discount.

Send photos of the suite, the path to the freight elevator, and what should stay. Note where the renovation agreement or alteration request stands, the elevator and dock windows, the permitted hours, and whether a designated substances list is already in hand. The quote form is at https://junkofurs.com/quote. Great projects start with a clean slate.

Frequently asked questions

What should I send the condo board before the tear-out starts?

Send the form your corporation uses, often a renovation agreement or an alteration request, plus a scope of what comes out and what stays. Read the declaration, the by-laws, and the rules for this building. If the work might touch common elements, ask the property manager which approval applies before you set a date. This is general information, not legal advice.

Can renovation debris go down the garbage chute or into the building bins?

No, unless the property manager has allowed it in writing. Chutes and building bins are for household garbage. Bagged or carted debris goes out on the freight elevator and through the loading dock. Do not leave a pile in the corridor.

Who books the freight elevator, and what is the padding for?

The property manager or the superintendent books the freight elevator, sometimes called the service elevator. Padding is the protection hung in that car so carts and debris do not scar the walls. Send the elevator window and the loading dock window with the scope. We schedule the tear-out and the haul inside the window you already have.

What should be confirmed before tear-out in an older condo?

Ask for any designated substances survey the corporation already has. Ontario's guide to the Occupational Health and Safety Act describes section 30 as the project owner's duty to determine whether designated substances are present and to list them before the project begins. Disconnects for electrical, plumbing, gas, and fire systems are done by qualified trades first. We do not test for, handle, or remove asbestos or other hazardous material, and we do no mechanical, electrical, plumbing, or fire-system work. This is general information, not legal advice.

How is a condo renovation demolition priced?

All figures are before HST. A small pile is $99 to $150, an eighth of a load is $150 to $220, a quarter load is $250 to $400, a half load is $400 to $550, a three-quarter load is $550 to $700, and a full load of about 15 cubic yards is $650 to $850. Each full load includes 60 to 90 minutes of crew time. Demo labour after that is $100 to $150 per hour for a two-person crew. Heavy material starts at $300 to $450, then about $100 to $160 per tonne. Stairs, a long carry, or a basement path add $50 to $150 or more. Rush is 10 to 20 percent, or $50 to $100. A curbside-ready pile can be 5 to 15 percent less when that discount applies. The written price comes before anything is removed.