House demolition · Centretown
House demolition in Centretown
Full teardowns are rare in Centretown and heavily regulated. More often it is a rear addition, a coach house or a building outside the heritage districts being replaced. We sort out which approvals apply before we quote.
- The promise Ready for the next trade Debris hauled away, site cleared for the next crew.
- Demolition quotes Book a site visit We walk the job with you, then price it in writing.
- Junk removal Text us photos Send a few pictures, get a price back.
- Service area Ottawa & area Kanata to Orléans, Barrhaven to Vanier. Outside Ottawa? Ask us.
In Centretown
What the work looks like in Centretown
Centretown’s residential streets are dominated by brick houses and row houses built between 1890 and 1914, and much of the area between Elgin and Kent streets is in the Centretown Heritage Conservation District. Demolishing a building in a heritage district needs heritage approval, and the 2026 permit fee for a heritage-protected building is $3,510. Some addresses also fall under the Demolition Control By-law.
Where a demolition is approved, the work is tight: shared or close walls, no side yards and no room for a bin. We plan protection for the neighbours’ walls, take the structure down in a controlled sequence and load out daily, under a City temporary encroachment permit where the street is needed.
Centretown’s residential streets are dominated by red-brick houses, row houses and low-rise apartments built between 1890 and 1914, many later divided into apartments. More about Centretown
Typical projects
- Rear additions and sunrooms removed before a rebuild
- Coach houses and outbuildings at the back of the lot
- Buildings outside the heritage districts replaced with infill
- Fire-damaged structures, once approvals are in place
Quoted on site
Demolition in Centretown is priced in person. We walk the job, check access and the building’s age, then send a written quote.
Book a site visitPermits & paperwork
Before work starts in Centretown
A City of Ottawa demolition permit is required, with utility clearances confirming services are disconnected or capped. The 2026 fee schedule sets the permit at $117 for the first 5,000 sq ft of floor area, $1,170 where the Demolition Control By-law applies and $3,510 for properties under the Ontario Heritage Act.
Much of Centretown is in the Centretown Heritage Conservation District. Interior work usually proceeds normally, but anything visible from outside needs heritage review. Commercial debris cannot go to the City’s Trail Road landfill (City memo).
Any building from before 1990 gets a hazardous materials survey first. If it finds asbestos or other designated substances, abatement is referred to licensed specialists, and our crew starts after the clearance letter.
Disposal
Torn out. Hauled out.
Every job ends ready for the next trade. Here is where the debris goes.
Teardowns are sorted as they come down: metal to scrap, clean concrete and brick to aggregate recycling, and mixed debris to a licensed sorting facility. Weigh tickets are available on request.
On larger jobs, a roll-off bin from a licensed bin company sits on your property, and the bin company hauls it away and handles the tipping at its own facility.
On smaller jobs our crew loads our own trucks and hauls to the Tomlinson Waste Recovery Centre at 106 Westhunt Drive in Carp, which sorts mixed construction and demolition debris for recycling and accepts commercial loads.
Downtown loading is planned around docks, freight elevators and permitted hours. Where a truck or bin has to use the street, the City requires a temporary encroachment permit.
What’s included
- Readiness review: permit, utilities, hazardous materials survey and access, with realistic lead times
- Ontario One Call locates before any ground work
- House and attached structures taken down and sorted for recycling
- Foundation removal and backfill to the scope in your quote, lot left raked and the road swept
Full scope and exclusions: House Demolition
Asbestos & permits
We don’t touch asbestos. That’s the point.
Some demolition companies will tell you they do it all. We do the demolition, and we make sure the steps before it happen in the right order, by the right people: survey first, licensed abatement, then us.
Read the asbestos and permit FAQ- Built before 1990? Ontario law puts the onus on the owner to identify designated substances before a contract is signed. That means a designated-substances survey.
- Survey finds asbestos? A licensed abatement contractor removes it, and you get a clearance letter.
- Utilities and permit. Gas, hydro, water and sewer disconnected where needed. Enbridge alone takes about 44 days, so it gets requested first.
- Then we demolish. No change orders for surprise asbestos, no stop-work orders, no crew exposed.
FAQ
House demolition in Centretown: questions
Can my Centretown house be demolished?
It depends on the address. In a heritage conservation district, demolition needs heritage approval, and Demolition Control can also apply. Check with the City first; we can help you see which rules apply.
What about the attached neighbour?
Shared and close walls are assessed before work starts, and an engineer may be needed. We protect the neighbour’s wall and take our building down away from it.
How long do approvals take?
Longer than the demolition. Plan for several months where heritage approval is needed; the work itself is days.
Do you work after hours downtown?
Yes. Occupied office buildings usually require noisy work in the evening or on weekends, and we schedule to the building’s rules.
Request a quote
Torn out. Hauled out. Ready for the next trade.
Demolition in Centretown is quoted on site: book a visit and we walk the job with you. Junk removal? Text us photos.