Orléans is Ottawa's francophone suburb — family homes from the 80s and 90s stretching from Fallingbrook to Chapel Hill, and more and more owners looking to make their basements pay. The most common project we see here? The basement apartment. And a legal secondary suite almost always starts with an enlarged egress window and, often, a separate entrance cut into the foundation.

Our services in Orléans

Egress windows — enlargements that make a basement bedroom code-compliant, including the foundation cut and window well
Separate entrances — door openings in the foundation wall for private suite access
Slab sawing — trenches to add a full bathroom in the basement
Coring — passages for the plumbing, ventilation and electrical of the new unit
Patio door openings — direct backyard access from the basement

A code-compliant secondary suite is solid income in Orléans, where rental demand stays strong. The concrete cutting is often the step owners worry about most — in reality, with a hydraulic wall saw and dust extraction, it's clean, fast and accurate to the centimetre.

Orléans specifics

Clay and sandy soils: ground conditions vary by pocket, and near the Ottawa River the water table can run high — that affects window well depth
City of Ottawa permits: a secondary suite requires permits, inspections and Ontario Building Code compliance — egress dimensions are strict
Varied construction: 80s detached homes, newer semi-detached — we always confirm the foundation type before cutting

A compliant suite, start to finish

Creating a secondary suite is a sequence: plan, permit, cut, installation, inspection. Our part comes early in the process — and a mistake at this stage costs dearly later. We cut the opening to the exact dimensions on the plan, make sure the sill height meets the Code maximum for easy escape, and coordinate with your carpenter or contractor for what follows. If you don't have drawings yet, we can tell you what's feasible in your foundation before you even hire a designer. That saves bad surprises at inspection time.