Retail Storefront Renovations for GTA and Hamilton Businesses

Tenant design criteria are the landlord's rules for how your store looks and is built, and the lease usually makes them binding. They cover storefront height and materials, sign zones, lighting colour temperature, ceilings, and which contractors can touch the sprinkler, fire alarm or roof. The tenant coordinator approves your drawings before construction, and breaking the criteria can mean rework at your cost. Ask for the criteria manual before you sign the lease.

In most cases, yes. The Ontario Building Code requires a first-storey store with its own exterior entrance to have at least one barrier-free entrance, and its doors generally need a power operator. The entrance also needs a level landing, a threshold of no more than 13 mm (1/2 in) in most cases, and enough clear width. A sidewalk higher or lower than the floor may need a ramp. These rules mainly apply to new storefronts and extensive renovations, so we confirm the scope with the building official.

Storefront doors and the glazed panels beside them must be safety glass, usually tempered or laminated, under the Ontario Building Code, and large panes low to the ground often need it too. Exterior storefronts must also meet energy-efficiency rules, so most new systems use thermally broken aluminum framing and insulated glass units. Laminated glass adds protection against smash-and-grab break-ins. Expect 6 to 10 weeks for fabrication.

Usually yes, if the new sign differs in size, location or illumination, and often even for a like-for-like face change on a lit sign. Each municipality's sign by-law sets the rules, and the landlord must approve the sign as well. A sign permit commonly takes 2 to 4 weeks once complete, and a sign installed without one can be ordered removed. We place blocking and power during construction so your sign company can install the day the permit is issued.

The tenant usually pays, and most enclosed malls require hoarding before any work starts. A typical wall is framed, drywalled or panelled, painted and often wrapped in a landlord-approved graphic, with a lockable crew door. Budget roughly $2,500 to $8,000 depending on frontage and graphics. A mall may set its own security-deposit requirements, separate from our payment schedule. We provide the required insurance and WSIB documentation. CarpentryBoys does not take a construction deposit; permit-drawing charges are separate, and work is paid for after each agreed milestone is completed.

It depends on the occupant load and the lease. The Ontario Building Code sets washroom counts by occupant load, and first-storey mercantile space is typically calculated at about 3.7 m² (40 sq ft) per person, so small stores often need only one or two washrooms in total. Staff and customers can share them in many cases, and some plazas provide common washrooms. In an extensive renovation, a new washroom will generally need to be universal and barrier-free.