Vanier is one of Ottawa's oldest urban neighbourhoods: small homes packed onto small lots, narrow lanes, and a wave of multiplex conversions reshaping the area. Turning a single-family home into two or three units means independent entrances, egress windows and new service penetrations — precision work in foundations that are often over 80 years old.

Our services in Vanier

Openings for unit conversions — independent entrance doors and egress windows cut into old foundations
Coring for building mechanicals — plumbing, electrical and ventilation passages for each unit
Tight-access demolition — removing slabs, walls and concrete stairs where an excavator can't fit
Wall and slab sawing — precise cuts in old concrete, block and brick

Working in Vanier means accepting constraints: no room for heavy machinery, neighbours on both sides, and often a stone foundation beneath a poured-concrete addition. We carry compact electric equipment for exactly these jobs, and we know how to cut old foundations without disturbing the rest of the house.

Vanier specifics

Mixed foundations: stone, brick and poured concrete coexist in older homes — each material takes a different blade and technique
City of Ottawa permits: a multiplex conversion requires permits, drawings and egress compliant with the Ontario Building Code
Difficult access: lanes, narrow lots, limited parking — we plan logistics before we arrive on site

Working in an old house

Cutting into an 80- or 100-year-old foundation is nothing like a new build. Old concrete is often weaker, blocks are hollow, stone is irregular — and above it sits an entire house resting on that wall. Before every cut in Vanier, we assess the wall: its condition, its thickness, what it carries. Where needed, we install temporary support before cutting, and we work in sections rather than a single pass. It takes a little longer, but it protects the structure — and on a multiplex conversion, it's the kind of detail that goes over well at inspection.