HOW WE WORK
OPtion 1
Are you already working with an architect or designer?
If you already have plans in place or are working with an architect or designer, we seamlessly integrate as contractors into your team to support the project from a sustainable building and construction perspective.
Greening Homes collaborates closely with design professionals to ensure that green building practices are considered at every stage, from material selection and detailing to construction and execution.
Our role is to help translate design intent into a well-built, high-performing home, aligning sustainability goals with real-world construction decisions.
For this approach, we begin with a Project Evaluation & Cost Analysis (PECA) Agreement.
Option 2
Are you looking for our team’s turnkey design ?
If you’re seeking a fully guided experience from concept to completion, Greening Homes manages every phase of your project with sustainability at its core .
We oversee design development, material selection, consultant coordination, and construction, ensuring that green building practices are integrated throughout the entire process.
Our approach provides clarity and continuity—delivering a home that is healthy, high-performing, and built to last.
For this approach, we begin with a Design & Estimate (DE) Agreement.
We specialize in the renovation of older Downtown Toronto homes and energy-efficient custom home building.
The renovation process.
1.
GETTING TO KNOW EACHOTHER
- Initial Phone Call
- Free Video Consultation
—————–
- Option 1: Project Evaluation & Cost Analysis (PECA) Agreement
OR
- Option 2: Design & Estimate (DE) Agreement
2.
DESIGN AND ESTIMATE PLANNING
- Information Compilation
- Collaborative Conceptual Design
- Preliminary Project Estimate
- Trade Day & Detailed Project Estimate (RFP)
3.
PRE-CONSTRUCTION
- Scope of Work Finalization
- Renovation Agreement
- Working Drawings and Permitting
4.
CONSTRUCTION
- Introduction to Your Project Team
- Online Project Management
- Daily Site Reports
- Weekly Financial Reporting
5.
POST-CONSTRUCTION
- Warranty Walk-Through
- Six Month Warranty Check-in
- 2-Year Comprehensive Warranty
“Greening Homes really exceeded our expectations. They made the best use of our budget and brought us peace of mind throughout the process”
Matt & Amanda
How can Greening Homes help you?
01/ Whole & Partial Home Renovations
+ Deep Energy Retrofits
That might mean taking a leaky, energy-inefficient brick home built between the 1920s and 1960s, opening it up, addressing structural issues, upgrading every major system, improving insulation and airtightness, and completely reimagining the space using sustainably sourced, low-toxicity materials.
Every whole-home renovation begins by understanding how the house works as a complete system. Rather than simply replacing finishes, we improve the home’s energy performance , indoor air quality, durability, and long-term comfort. Whenever possible, we use selective deconstruction (“unbuilding”) instead of demolition, salvaging materials and reducing construction waste.
Whether your goal is a healthier home, lower energy consumption, greater resilience, or a complete transformation, we’ll guide you through a thoughtful renovation process that balances performance, sustainability, and exceptional craftsmanship.
Removing the home to its structural shell allows us to correct hidden issues and rebuild with modern performance standards.
Air sealing, insulation, high-performance windows and durable assemblies improve comfort while dramatically reducing energy loss.
Electrical, plumbing, HVAC and ventilation are redesigned to work together as an integrated, efficient system.
Low-toxicity finishes, durable materials and thoughtful detailing create healthier indoor environments designed for decades of living.
Greening Homes truly lives up to their slogan of “Renovations Done Responsibly.” They respected our budget limitations, encouraging us to reduce the initial scope of our plan to be more realistic. They also tracked our weekly progress against expenditures, and suggested opportunities for us to save money by performing labour ourselves when it was safe and reasonable to do so. They listened to our priorities and were helpful in maintaining the big picture focus on overall environmental impact, health implications of materials used, and energy efficiency. Communication was incredibly easy, with detailed daily email reports, in addition to phone calls and in-person meetings as needed. Overall we had a feeling of partnership; transparency in the entire process gave us confidence that their motivation was doing our renovation right, not maximizing profit.
Julie & Mark
02/ Home Additions
Whether you’re expanding your living space, adding a second storey, or building an attached garage, a well-designed addition can transform your home while increasing its long-term value and functionality.
From the earliest planning stages through construction, we help homeowners determine what’s possible on their property. We navigate zoning requirements, municipal approvals, and building permits before creating an addition that integrates seamlessly with the existing home. Every project is designed to improve comfort, functionality, and energy performance while respecting the character of the original house.
Before designing your addition, we assess zoning, setbacks, lot coverage, and municipal requirements to identify the best path forward.
We guide you through the approval process, including permit applications, minor variances, and the documentation required to move your project forward.
Every addition is carefully integrated with the existing home, creating spaces that feel original rather than added on.
Our additions are built using durable, energy-efficient building practices that improve comfort, indoor air quality, and long-term performance.
Greening Homes renovated our house this year. A full gut job that we started in January 2020, just before the pandemic.
We bought a small house in the Kingsway a few years back; a small 90 year old home with tons of potential. The home had lots of the original features mixed with some dated 80s design. Our goal was to have a home with an efficient, elegant modern design, a small environmental footprint, close to amenities and easy to keep clean and organized.
We met Chris and his team at the home show a year before we started our project and really connected with him and his team at the first instance. Chris is most passionate about building materials and your homes ultimate envelop. While his passion for environmental construction is technocratic he smartly surrounds himself with a great team of professional and amazing designers, project managers and trades to make your dreams come true. With Greening Homes you don’t sacrifice design with an over the top environmental project that will blow your budget. Chris helped us achieve all our goals helping us build our dream home and ensuring that we’ve improved our carbon foot print significantly.
Greening Homes truly took ownership of our project as if they were building their own dream house. Sure there were problems that came up from time-to-time but Greening Homes always took ownership of any issue or unexpected concern we had and worked with us to a resolution that was fair and reasonable. If you think you will hire any builder and there won’t be the occasional issue, you are dreaming. You need to work with a builder that will work with you to the end, admit mistakes and provide solutions. Greening Homes owned this project to the end as they said they would and built our dream home.
But what impressed us the most about Greening Homes is that they ran our project through the start of the pandemic. Their team kept it together when it felt like the world was falling apart. Our renovation happened during an unprecedented time and Chris and his team didn’t miss a beat. They altered the schedule and our plans when we had building material supply issues, and government guidelines that demanded reduced workers on site. They managed the project to the schedule with incredible project management skills and only handed us back our keys one month past the original schedule they gave us. Which is an incredible achievement in a Pandemic when the schedule was planned well before the health crisis started.
As a side note – pre project – our homes energuide rating was 225 and post project it 105 – improving our carbon emissions from 10.2 tons per year to 4 tons. A huge improvement.And what they gave us was the home of our dreams, for a fair price and a reduced carbon footprint. Our home is beautiful, elegant and everything has a purpose just as we ask. Through the design process they even met with our kids and asked them what they hope for in their future rooms and made sure to consider their hopes in the outcome. We have worked with many builders in the past and Greening Homes is the only one I would ever recommend.
Jason Behamdouni
03/ EXTENSIVE BASEMENT RENOVATIONS
+ secondary suites
+ DUPLEX + TRIPLEX CONVERSIONS
A basement should be more than extra square footage. Whether you’re creating living space, a home office, or preparing for a future secondary suite, we transform underused basements into comfortable, healthy, and functional spaces.
Basement renovations require more than framing and drywall. We begin by addressing moisture, insulation, air sealing, and building performance before creating beautiful, durable spaces designed for everyday living. Whether your basement is unfinished or requires a complete rebuild, we ensure it meets today’s standards for comfort, health, and long-term durability.
A successful basement starts with proper moisture management. We identify and address water, humidity, and durability issues before construction begins.
Insulation, air sealing, and high-performance assemblies create warmer, drier, and more comfortable living spaces throughout the year.
From family rooms and home offices to gyms, guest suites, and entertainment areas, every basement is designed around your family’s needs.
Whether you’re planning a future secondary suite or simply increasing your home’s usable space, we design renovations that support your long-term goals.
We hired Greening Homes for a large project that included digging out our basement and renovating our main floor. They approached the job with enthusiasm and were professional from start to finish. The quality of the work done is our house was even better than what we expected. I would not think twice about hiring them again.
Liane Wansbrough
04/ Kitchen Renovations
A kitchen renovation is an opportunity to rethink one of the hardest-working spaces in your home. Whether opening up an older Toronto kitchen, improving an inefficient layout, or completely rebuilding the space, we create kitchens designed around how you cook, gather, and live.
Beyond cabinetry and finishes, we consider the kitchen as part of the home as a whole addressing lighting, ventilation, plumbing, electrical systems, material health, durability, and energy efficiency. The result is a functional, thoughtfully designed kitchen built for everyday use and long-term performance.
We rethink circulation, storage, work areas, and connections to surrounding rooms to create a kitchen that works naturally with your household and the way you use the space.
Low-VOC finishes, responsibly sourced materials, durable surfaces, and carefully selected cabinetry help reduce unnecessary pollutants while creating a kitchen made to last.
Effective ventilation helps manage cooking pollutants, moisture, heat, and odours while supporting healthier indoor air throughout the home.
Lighting, plumbing, electrical, appliances, and mechanical requirements are considered together to create an efficient kitchen that performs as beautifully as it looks.
We hired Greening Homes to renovate our kitchen and 2 bathrooms. We have an older home so it was important to us to hire a company that could deal with the problems often arising in older homes. After meeting with Chris and Bryan I felt comfortable that they were the right people for the job. They were sincere and knowledgeable and listened carefully to our concerns and ideas.
The project was meticulously planned and managed, affording us cost certainty. Our project came in on time and on budget. Sean, our project manager was responsive to our requests and considerate of our budget. Greening was very careful to protect our home, controlling the spread of dust, and covering all floors, hallways and stairways, etc. The products and supplies are high quality and environmentally friendly. The workmanship was excellent. This company really does stand behind their work. Their motto is accurate…”renovations done responsibly”. And I might also add “with integrity”. Two rare commodities! I wouldn’t hesitate to hire this company again or to recommend them to a friend.
Paul Eisen
05/ Bathroom renovations
Bathrooms may be small compared with the rest of the home, but they are some of its most demanding spaces. A successful bathroom renovation needs to manage water, humidity, ventilation, and daily wear while remaining comfortable, functional, and beautiful.
Whether renovating an existing bathroom, creating a new ensuite, or reconfiguring space to better serve your household, we address what sits behind the finishes as carefully as what you see. Proper waterproofing, ventilation, plumbing, durable materials, and thoughtful design come together to create a healthier bathroom built for long-term use.
Proper waterproofing and moisture management protect the structure of your home and help prevent mould, deterioration, and costly problems behind finished surfaces.
Effective ventilation controls humidity and removes moisture at its source, supporting healthier indoor air and protecting finishes and building assemblies.
We prioritize durable, low-toxicity materials and finishes suited to high-moisture environments, balancing longevity, maintenance, health, and design.
From storage and lighting to fixtures, accessibility, and efficient use of limited space, every detail is considered to make the bathroom more comfortable and practical for everyday life.
We hired Greening Homes after the purchase of a home in need of asbestos remediation, including the removal of stucco walls and ceilings on 2 floors to replace knob and tube wiring. Our ultimate renovation however was to expand and update a master bathroom. The carpenters Shaun, Manuel and Tomo worked tirelessly and professionally to see our project to completion. They worked with us to stay in our home during the demolition and construction and most appreciatively being sensitive to accommodate our pets as well.
Mike, our project manager, checked in every day, and was easily available at any time as needed. When a problem arose or when we wanted to add to the project Mike took care of it professionally and efficiently.
We are so thankful to Greening Homes for transitioning our home into an asbestos free, clean home with a beautiful new master bathroom addition. We would highly recommend them for the quality of their work, their attention to detail, and their “no surprises” billing process.
Sue Clayton
Integrating Your Green Building Priorities.
*Note: You may be wondering, if ALL Greening Homes projects include best practices in each of those categories, why do I need to think about what I want prioritized? You may be coming to us with specific needs that you want FULLY addressed. As an example, you may be interested in a low carbon-footprint renovation and retrofit without committing to a net-zero ready or passive home. Similarly, you may have a specific health issue that you want addressed in the material selection that may override more efficient or lower-emission materials.
By giving us your priority, we can help you navigate within your particular situation.
HEALTH CONCERNS & INDOOR AIR QUALITY
Some clients come to us with specific health concerns that directly impact material selection. For clients with asthma, allergies, chemical sensitivities, young children, or other circumstances that make material and indoor environmental choices particularly important.
Paints, adhesives, sealants, flooring, cabinetry, insulation and finishes selected with emissions and occupant health in mind.
Mechanical ventilation, kitchen and bathroom exhaust, humidity management and strategies for maintaining healthier indoor air.
In the images above, we’ve put one of the most challenging sites we’ve had to deal with in terms of remediation. There was a river flowing below the foundation slab. We had to engineer a slab foundation with this challenge, as well as some usual issues of mould in basements. Mould, moisture damage, asbestos, lead and other conditions encountered in older Toronto homes.
LOW CARBON FOOTPRINT & MATERIAL REUSE
We call the demolishing process, unbuilding rather than demolishing, as we label the parts to be kept for reuse upon rebuilding. Selective deconstruction instead of conventional demolition: carefully taking buildings and assemblies apart so materials can be salvaged rather than simply discarded.
Many heritage home owners want to keep original finishes, trims and mouldings into the new design. We protect and refurbish those pieces to ensure they are reinstalled once the retrofit is complete.
Choosing responsibly sourced, reclaimed, recycled-content, renewable and lower-impact building materials when new materials are required.
Considering the carbon associated with manufacturing, transporting and replacing building materials not simply the energy the finished home consumes.
ENERGY PERFORMANCE & RESOURCE EFFICIENCY
A Net-Zero Ready renovation dramatically reduces the amount of energy a home needs to operate while preparing it for a future where that remaining energy can be supplied through renewable sources.
Not every home needs to reach Net Zero all at once. We can help identify improvements that make sense within the current renovation while ensuring today’s decisions don’t limit future upgrades.
Passive House principles focus on creating an exceptionally comfortable and energy-efficient building through careful attention to the building envelope, insulation, airtightness, high-performance windows, thermal bridging, and ventilation.
As Passive House-trained builders, we can apply these principles to renovations even when full certification isn’t the objective, using building-science strategies to improve comfort and reduce energy demand.
Uncontrolled air leakage is a major source of heat loss, drafts, and energy consumption in older homes. A carefully designed and continuous air barrier helps control where and how air moves through the building envelope.
Improving airtightness can increase comfort and energy efficiency while helping protect building assemblies from moisture and condensation.
Walls, roofs, foundations, windows, and doors form the protective envelope between your home and the outdoors. In older Toronto homes, these assemblies often provide significant opportunities for improved thermal performance.
We look at the envelope as an interconnected system, identifying where insulation can be improved and thermal bridging reduced while carefully considering moisture management, airtightness, durability, and the realities of the existing structure.