Bungalow Kitchen Renovation in Scarborough

Drive through Birch Cliff, Cliffside, Guildwood, Bendale or Agincourt and the housing stock tells one story: postwar bungalows, built between the 1950s and the 1980s, designed for a way of living nobody wants anymore. Small, closed-off galley kitchens. Walls between every room. Windows sized for 1962. Owners love the lots and the neighbourhoods — and then they open up a wall and discover what seventy years of “good enough” construction actually looks like.

The classic Scarborough project is the closed-off galley kitchen becoming an open-concept kitchen. It’s also the project with the most hidden complexity, because in these houses the wall you want gone is almost never just a wall.

Why the wall is (almost) never just a wall

In a 1950s–70s Scarborough bungalow, the wall between the kitchen and the living or dining room is very often load-bearing — it’s carrying the ceiling joists or the roof structure above it. Removing it means a structural engineer designs the replacement: typically a beam with posts at each end, or a flush beam hidden in the ceiling if the height allows. Either way, this is structural work under the Ontario Building Code, which means structural drawings and a City of Toronto building permit before anyone swings a hammer.

The surprises don’t stop at structure. These houses come with small windows and low ceilings that fight the open, bright feeling owners are after. Basement stairs often land right where the new open plan wants to flow. And in bungalows that have never been properly renovated, you can still find knob-and-tube wiring or original 60-amp electrical panels — both of which mean the electrical scope grows the moment the walls open up. None of this is a reason not to renovate; it is a reason to budget and permit for the house you actually have, not the one in the inspiration photos.

Plumbing: the decision that shapes the layout

Here’s the second thing that catches bungalow owners: in these houses the kitchen plumbing often runs on an exterior wall, which carries freeze risk in a Toronto winter, and moving a sink means reworking drain slope through floors that weren’t designed to be opened. Relocating plumbing is absolutely doable — it just costs real money and needs to be part of the permit drawings, not decided mid-demolition.

The rule we work to: layout first, plumbing second. Design the kitchen that actually works for how you cook and live, then price the plumbing to serve it. Keeping the sink where it is to save a few thousand dollars, and living with a compromised layout for twenty years, is the most expensive “saving” in renovation. Decide what the room should be, then engineer the services to make it happen.

The permit and engineering path

For the full open-concept version of this project, expect the paperwork phase to run ahead of construction by several weeks. A structural engineer visits, confirms which walls carry load, and produces the beam design; those drawings go into the City of Toronto building permit application along with the plumbing and electrical scope. The permit review itself takes as long as it takes — it varies — which is why the design and engineering should start well before you want demolition to begin.

One thing worth getting straight at the start: the electrical. If your panel is still 60-amp or the house still has knob-and-tube in places, the renovation is the moment to deal with it — a new kitchen’s appliance loads don’t belong on 1960s service, and ESA requirements apply to the new work regardless. Fold the panel upgrade and any rewiring into the permit drawings from day one rather than discovering them when the electrician opens the walls.

What it costs, honestly

Ranges below are for budgeting — the structure of your house and the finishes you choose move these numbers in both directions, and a real number only comes from a walkthrough.

The permit, engineering and any electrical panel upgrade are real line items — make sure any quote you compare includes them, or you’re comparing a price that isn’t the project.

What pays: layout first, finishes second

If there’s one principle that separates bungalow kitchens that feel transformed from ones that feel merely updated, it’s this: money spent on the layout outperforms money spent on finishes, every time. Opening the wall, fixing the work triangle, getting light into the room — that’s what you feel every day. The difference between mid-range and premium cabinetry is something you notice; the difference between a closed galley and an open kitchen is something you live in.

So sequence the project that way. Confirm structure and permit requirements first. Lock a layout that works with the house’s bones. Then choose finishes to suit the budget that’s left. A well-planned bungalow kitchen with honest mid-range finishes will always beat a poorly planned one with stone counters — and it’ll cost less, too.

If you’re planning one of these projects, start with a walkthrough — we’ll look at which walls are structural, where your plumbing actually runs, and what the permit path looks like, before you spend a dollar on design. Our kitchen renovation work is fixed-price and fixed-date, in writing.

Quick answers

Can I remove the wall between my kitchen and living room?

Usually yes — but in a Scarborough bungalow that wall is very often load-bearing, which means it can’t just come down. A structural engineer designs the replacement (typically a beam with posts or a flush header), and the work needs a City of Toronto building permit. Budget for the engineering and the permit as part of the project, not as a surprise on top of it.

Do I need a permit for a bungalow kitchen renovation in Scarborough?

Scarborough is part of the City of Toronto, so the Ontario Building Code applies. You need a permit if the work touches structure (removing or altering load-bearing walls), plumbing (moving or adding drains and supply lines) or electrical beyond like-for-like replacement. A cosmetic refresh — cabinets, counters, paint, same-location fixtures — typically doesn’t. When in doubt, assume the open-concept version of your project needs one.

How long does a bungalow kitchen renovation take?

A cosmetic refresh typically runs 3–5 weeks on site. A full open-concept renovation — wall removal, structural beam, relocated plumbing and electrical, new kitchen — more typically runs 8–12 weeks, plus the time for drawings, engineering and the permit before work starts. Permit timelines vary, so the design and paperwork phase should start well before you want demolition to begin.

What does a bungalow kitchen renovation cost in Scarborough?

As a rough guide, local projects tend to fall around $15,000–$40,000 for a refresh (new cabinets, counters and finishes in the existing layout) and roughly $30,000–$90,000 for a full open-concept renovation involving structural work, moved plumbing and upgraded electrical. Structure and finishes are what move the number — a load-bearing wall with a long-span beam and stone counters costs very differently from a partition wall and laminate.

Should I keep the plumbing where it is or move it?

Keeping the sink and dishwasher on the existing plumbing wall is always cheaper — moving drains in a bungalow means opening floors and reworking slope, and plumbing on exterior walls carries freeze risk in winter. But layout beats plumbing costs in the long run: if keeping the sink where it is forces a bad kitchen for the next twenty years, moving it is usually the right call. Decide the layout first, then price the plumbing to serve it — not the other way around.

Related reading: Do I Need a Permit to Renovate in Etobicoke? — the same City of Toronto permit logic applies in Scarborough Our kitchen renovation service — fixed price, fixed date