City of Hamilton · Service area
General Contractor in Hamilton
Century brick in the lower city, post-war bungalows up the Jolley Cut, and permits through the Building Division at 71 Main Street West.
About 20,000 Hamilton homes built before 1955 may still have a lead water service pipe, and the City replaces the public section once you replace yours. Hamilton Water inspects the pipe for free. From its base at 120 Vineberg Drive on the Mountain, CarpentryBoys schedules that replacement before any basement drywall goes up.
Renovating in Hamilton
What’s different in Hamilton
| Permit office | City of Hamilton Building Division, Planning and Economic Development Department (official site, opens in a new tab) |
|---|---|
| Zoning | By-law 05-200. Triplexes and fourplexes as of right in R1, R1a and R2 zones since March 2024. |
| Detached ADUs | 6.0 m high, 1.2 m side and rear setbacks, 4.0 m from the house, 45% lot coverage. |
| ADU review | A dedicated Additional Dwelling Unit Team for up to two internal units and one detached unit. |
| Rental licensing | Permanent in Wards 1 and 8 and part of Ward 14 since December 2025. |
| Heritage districts | Seven, including Durand-Markland, MacNab-Charles, Cross-Melville and the two St. Clair districts. Heritage permit for exterior changes. |
| Conservation authority | Hamilton Conservation Authority for most of the city. Conservation Halton and NPCA at the edges. |
| Extra drawings | Radon mitigation details on new homes and additions. Infill notice under By-law 21-207. |
Housing stock
Century brick below the escarpment, bungalows up the Jolley Cut
The lower city went up between the 1880s and the 1920s. Kirkendall, Durand, Corktown, Crown Point, Gibson and Stinson are full of double-brick semis and detached homes with plaster on wood lath, balloon framing and fieldstone or rubble foundations. Basement ceilings of 1.8–2.0 m (6 ft–6 ft 7 in) are normal. Open a wall and expect knob-and-tube wiring, galvanized supply lines, cast-iron stacks and clay drains. Up the Jolley Cut, the Mountain filled in after the Second World War. Hill Park, Inch Park and Bruleville have 1950s and 1960s bungalows and storey-and-a-half homes on wide lots, over concrete block foundations with taller basements. Those deep rear yards and side doors are why most of Hamilton's basement apartments and detached ADUs go in above the escarpment.
Neighbourhoods we work in: Kirkendall · Durand · Crown Point · Westdale · Inch Park · Hill Park
Nearby: Burlington, Oakville, St. Catharines
Services in Hamilton
Nine services, each with its own local page
Frequently asked questions
Renovating in Hamilton: local questions
It pays single-family homeowners up to $2,000 toward a backwater valve, downspout disconnection and a sump pump installed with the valve. The house needs a basement, a City sewer connection, current property taxes and a build date before January 1, 2012. The full grant needs one of the City's pre-qualified contractors, and any other installer caps it at $500. CarpentryBoys is not on that list, and we say so up front.
Book Hamilton Water's free Check Size and Type Inspection at 905-546-2489. Homes built before 1955 are the ones at risk. You replace the pipe on your side of the property line, then the City replaces the public section to the main. A $3,000 loan is available, repaid on your water bill over up to 10 years. We schedule the replacement before basement drywall, since the pipe enters through the front wall.
Yes. Both are in Ward 1, where Hamilton's Rental Housing Licensing became permanent in December 2025, along with Ward 8 and part of Ward 14. Each rented unit in a building with 5 or fewer units needs its own licence. Build the unit under a permit and pass final inspection first, because a licence application for an unpermitted suite will stall. Staff report on expanding to Ward 2 in December 2026.
Reviews from CarpentryBoys clients near Hamilton
03 / In our clients’ words
“Very professional, hard working they know their job very well. They built our legal basement, we are totally satisfied with their work. Highly recommended.”
Rated 5.0 out of 5 across 13 customer reviews on Bark.com
Start Your Hamilton Project
Book a free site visit. You'll get a written, itemised quote and a straight answer on permits and timing.
Financing available through Financeit. See options