Are you wondering how much it costs to build a house for yourself in Toronto? Here you can find your answer. This home construction cost guide covers the total cost of building a house in GTA 2024, as well as the major steps of home building. Also, you can use our Simple Home Building Cost Calculator to obtain a sense of the total cost of building a new house.

First things first: where does the data we give you in this article come from?

Before we tell you how much it costs to build a house in GTA, you need to understand where this data is coming from. Chances are you have done a lot of research online, have been to many different websites, have read tons of articles and ended up here. For us, it’s important to give you the right data. Anyone can make a website, write an article and just throw a number that they think will bring them customers. But what you should ask is where are they getting these data from? Experience is a great thing and you should definitely choose a builder that is seasoned and experienced. But projects vary, locations are different and people have different expectations. A price per Square Foot just based on experience is not enough. You have to align your expectations, understand the market and also have a basic idea of what to expect. Sadly, we have seen a lot of people tell us, “My builder said it’s going to cost X dollars, and by the time we finished the project it cost me twice as much!”. It’s important to have a clear understanding from the beginning and have a builder that gives you trust and prepares you for the road ahead.

Now that you have an understanding of where all these numbers come from, let’s give you some idea of what to expect.

Typically, excluding land cost, any construction project includes 2 types of costs:

  • Hard Costs
  • Soft Costs

On This Article:

1- Hard Cost of Building a House in Toronto / GTA

2- Soft Cost of Building a House in Toronto / GTA

3- Major Steps in Home Building

4- Try our Simple Online Home Building Cost Estimator

So lets go:

1- Hard cost of building a house in Toronto /GTA

The cost to build a house includes a large number of components and variables depending on site location and condition, project size, design style and construction materials. Any costs associated with the physical construction of the building like framing, roofing, finishing and etc. as well as any fixed equipment like HVAC systems, are considered Hard costs. The technically hard cost of building a house, from initial site work on a vacant lot to the finished product includes:

  1. Land development
  2. Foundation
  3. Framing
  4. Exterior finish (like siding and roofing)
  5. Interior rough-ins (like plumbing and electrical)
  6. Interior finish (like drywall, flooring and cabinets)
  7. Landscaping (like driveway and deck)

The listed costs above cover all labor, machinery and materials necessary to finish the project. As the most common dwelling type in Canada is the Single-Detached Wood Framed House, our focus for this article will be on this type of dwelling.

Now with that being said, the Hard Cost of building a house in GTA starts at around $215 per square foot. However, the average Hard Cost that is being built is around $260 per square foot in most of the neighbourhoods in GTA. This price difference is usually due to the premiums on materials, finishes and appliances that have become the standard in those neighbourhoods.

This means the average Hard cost of building a 2000 square feet detached home in GTA will be around $520,000.

cost of building a detached home in GTA – Toronto

For a Custom Built Home, it starts from $300 per square foot and can go well beyond that. The average cost of building a Premium Custom Home in Toronto is around $360 per square foot.

Thus, the average cost of building a 2000 square feet Custom Built Premium detached home in GTA will be nearly $720,000.

2- Soft cost of building a house in Toronto/GTA

The costs outlined above cover construction costs only. The project budget must also include other surrounding costs. In short, soft costs are costs associated with indirect construction fees and charges. These would include the following items:

  1. Legal Fees
  2. Agent Fees
  3. Building Permit and development charges
  4. Architectural Design
  5. Engineering
  6. Site Survey
  7. Taxes
  8. Management Fees
  9. Insurance
Soft and hard cost of building a house in Toronto

The soft cost to build a single-family house in GTA Ranges from $40 to $80 per square foot depending on the area and the scope of work.

To be specific, the cost of building permits based on City of Toronto Development Charges is around $27,000 for a single-family detached. However, you should know, most of the houses in Toronto being built go to the Committee of Adjustment in Toronto for minor variances, which allows the owners to build bigger or higher buildings. Or in the case of investors, make the highest return on their investment. This will result in a much higher price for the building permit due to the extra documents needed which we can help you with!

To sum up, the average total cost to build a house in GTA is nearly $300 per square foot, which would put a 2,000-square-foot house costing about $600000. This will obviously vary greatly with all the costly variables involved. There are other costs like special equipment and furnishings, gardening, Marketing and advertising and etc. that may add to your overall costs if you are looking to go above and beyond the norm.

you can also read: Minimalist home design: 7 Tips to achieve a minimalist look

3- Major Steps in Home Building

The following checklist will help you navigate the house-building process. If you have a land of your own, you are one step ahead.

  1. Figure out your Budget
  2. Purchase Property (make sure you do proper due diligence)
  3. Choose Construction Method
  4. Develop Plans and Designs
  5. Obtain Building Permits
  6. Purchase Insurance
  7. Begin Construction
  8. Follow up with Inspections
  9. Finalize Landscaping
  10.  Obtain Occupancy Permit and Close Building Permit

Building a house is a complex process. You put your heart and soul into it and you have the right to expect it to be perfect. Starting your project with a group of seasoned and experienced experts who know this process will result in the best outcome. Contact us as a professional Custom Home Builder in Toronto with years of home building experience in the GTA.

4- Try our Simple Home Building Cost Estimator

The above estimated cost is a preliminary estimation and the cost to build a house includes a large number of components and variables depending on site location and condition, project size, design style and construction materials. If you want to start a project or build a house Contact us and we will reach you soon.

you can also read Buying Land and Building a House Costs in Toronto

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Custom home builder in Toronto