About ATD Renovation Guide
What this site is, its connection to the domain's past, and the rules every guide follows on accuracy, safety and independence.
ATD Renovation Guide is an independent guide to home renovation for homeowners in Ontario, Canada. From about 2012 to 2020 the domain atdcontractors.com belonged to ATD Contracting Services Inc., a home renovation company in the Oakville, Mississauga and Toronto area. The company's website is no longer at this address, and this site is a new and independent guide with no connection to it: it is not ATD Contracting Services Inc., it is not a contractor, it does not quote, sell or carry out any work, and it cannot answer questions about projects the former company did.
What the guides are for
The guides explain how renovations in Ontario homes are planned and carried out: the order of decisions, what the Building Code and the municipality expect in general terms, when a permit and a licensed trade are needed, how to choose a contractor and read a contract, and the mistakes that cost homeowners time and money. They are written for homeowners, not for the trades.
Where the rules and figures come from
Every code figure, percentage and date on this site comes from a single fact sheet checked against the published sources: the Building Code Act, 1992 and the Ontario Building Code, the Planning Act, the Ontario Fire Code, the Construction Act, the Consumer Protection Act, 2002 and the province's consumer guidance, the Electrical Safety Authority, the Technical Standards and Safety Authority, Tarion and the Home Construction Regulatory Authority, Ontario Dig Authority (formerly Ontario One Call) and Health Canada. Each guide is checked against that sheet before it is published, and a figure that is not on it does not appear. Where the sheet has no figure, the guides say it in words.
What the guides do not do
They quote no prices, because renovation prices change too quickly to state honestly. They name materials and product types, never manufacturers, retailers or contractors. They do not replace your municipality's building department, a licensed tradesperson, an engineer or a lawyer: rules differ between municipalities, and electrical, gas, plumbing and structural work each come with their own licensing and permit rules.