Renovation Planning and Design Services in Ajax
Small Post-War Footprints, Large Lots — Plan the Expansion Properly
South Ajax was built quickly and built small. The wartime and post-war housing near the lake sits on lots that can comfortably take far more house than currently stands on them, which is why so many Ajax projects are additions rather than refits. The catch is that those original structures were not framed with a second storey or a rear extension in mind, and the drawings that would tell you what is holding the roof up generally do not exist.
Renovation planning and design creates that record first. 905 Reno delivers as-built drawings, structural direction, budgets and finish schedules prepared to the Ontario Building Code and Town of Ajax Building Services requirements.
Why Ajax Homeowners Design Before They Build
Putting a storey on a post-war Ajax bungalow is a foundation and load-path question before it is a layout question, and the answer decides the budget. Our designers survey the real structure across the town’s housing generations — the compact original stock through South Ajax and Pickering Beach, the 1980s and 90s subdivisions in Westney Heights and Applecroft, and the newer detached homes north of Taunton in Nottingham and Riverside.
What an Ajax homeowner gets from a 905 Reno design package:
Licensed and insured renovation design professionals serving Ajax homeowners
Structural layout and addition specialists for post-war Durham Region housing
Complete pre-construction service from structural survey to permit submission
Drawings prepared to the Ontario Building Code and Town of Ajax requirements
Scoped design fees with clear deliverables and agreed timelines
Material and finish schedules agreed before demolition begins
We run the whole pre-construction path — measure, structure, concept, permit set — so an Ajax build starts from verified conditions instead of assumptions.
What the Design Stage Saves in Ajax
On an addition, the expensive discoveries are always structural and they arrive with demolition. Investigating at design stage moves them to a point where the fix is a revised drawing.
Budget From Verified Structure, Not Guesswork
A measured structural survey means the price for a South Ajax second storey is based on what is actually holding the roof up, not on an optimistic assumption.
Document Undersized Framing Before You Build On It
Wartime-era framing, undersized joists and earlier unpermitted work are all cheaper to find during a design survey than after the ceiling is open.
Sequence Trades Around Known Conditions
A coordinated set lets your general contractor stage foundation work, structure and finishes around conditions the survey already confirmed.
Ready for Town of Ajax Submission
Every set is prepared to Ontario Building Code and Town of Ajax Building Services standards, so permits are issued without a revision cycle.
Design Directions That Suit Ajax Homes
A compact post-war bungalow near the lake, a 1990s two-storey in Westney Heights and a recent build in Nottingham each start from a different structure, so every project opens with a measure, an as-built drawing set and a conversation about how much house the lot should carry.
Where Ajax projects most often go:
Second-storey additions over compact post-war bungalows in South Ajax and Lakeside
Rear extensions and garage conversions sized to Ajax setbacks and coverage limits
Legal basement suite design with compliant ceiling height, egress and separation
Main floor reconfiguration and kitchen relocation for Westney Heights and Applecroft
Documentation and correction of previous unpermitted alterations before permit submission
Where We Work Across Ajax
905 Reno plans and designs renovations throughout Ajax — across South Ajax, Pickering Beach, and Lakeside, through Westney Heights, Applecroft, and Central Ajax, out to Nottingham, Riverside, and Discovery Bay.
Two things shape design work here. The town’s original housing was built to a wartime standard, so undersized framing and later unpermitted alterations are common and need documenting before anything is planned on top of them. And properties along the Duffins and Carruthers Creek corridors fall under TRCA regulation, which adds a review step before permits are issued.
Why the Structure Decides the Budget
Ajax homeowners regularly discover that a foundation or framing limitation found after demolition costs five to ten times the design-stage equivalent — and that a conservation review near the creek corridors can add weeks nobody scheduled.
A complete pre-construction set closes that gap and gives every trade one coordinated reference.
905 Reno Manages Every Step of Your Renovation Planning and Design, Including:
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Site measure, foundation and framing review, and accurate as-built drawings.
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Concept layouts, load-path strategy and 3D views for additions and second storeys.
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Design development, finish schedules and material selections costed before approval.
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Permit drawings assembled for Town of Ajax Building Services submission.
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Contractor handoff, trade coordination and design support through the build.
Plan Your Ajax Renovation First
Confirm the structure, the scope and the budget before demolition begins. 905 Reno’s design team can plan your Ajax renovation — whether that is a second storey over a South Ajax bungalow, a rear addition in Applecroft, or a legal basement suite in Nottingham.