Home › Home additions
Home additions in Ottawa
When a house runs out of room, an addition lets you stay on the street you chose.
- Liability insurance and WSIB coverage
- 5-year warranty on construction
- 2-year warranty on painting
- Free in-home consultation
Home additions
It starts with what your lot allows
When a house runs out of room, an addition lets you stay on the street you chose. Carleton Prime builds additions across Ottawa and the Ottawa Valley, from a single-room bump-out to a second storey, and builds the garages that often go with them.
Every addition begins with the property. Zoning sets how close you can build to the lot lines, how much of the lot can be covered, and how tall the new part can be. We check those limits early. It is painful to fall in love with a plan the zoning will not allow. If a plan needs a variance, that is a separate approval, and it adds time to the schedule.
“Indiana and his crew renovated a bathroom for me and the process was seamless, respectful and completed with extreme care and quality. I consider Carleton Prime the best construction company in Ottawa. I will use them for all future projects. Very pleased, would highly recommend.”
Making it look like it was always there
The hardest part of an addition is the seam: where the new roof meets the old one, where new siding meets siding that has weathered for decades, where the floor steps from the old house into the new room. We plan those transitions from the start, so the finished addition looks like it was built with the house and not bolted on thirty years later.
Below the ground
Additions and garages need footings deep enough that frost cannot heave them, and the Ontario Building Code sets that. It is also where an addition meets the existing foundation. We look closely at what is already there before anything is designed, because an old foundation sets the limits for everything that sits on it.
Adding a garage too
Plenty of additions come with a garage beside or under the new space. We build attached and detached garages as well, with the separation the Building Code requires between a garage and the house. Garages have their own page: garage builds in Ottawa.
Because Carleton Prime does its own framing, drywall, flooring and painting, the addition is built and finished by one company. You can also hire us for just one part of it, such as the framing, if you already have a builder.
Whole job or one part
The whole project, or any part of it
Carleton Prime can take on the whole project, turnkey, or just the part you need: one phase, or one trade such as the framing, drywall, tile, flooring or painting. Builders, general contractors, architects, designers and engineers can also bring us in as a subcontractor and an extra, experienced member of the team.
Frequently asked questions
Is a permit needed for an addition?
Yes. Additions need a building permit, and the design has to meet zoning. The City of Ottawa explains the permit rules, and we confirm what your project needs and apply for the permits.
Can you build a second storey on my house?
Often, yes, but it depends on whether the existing walls and foundation can carry the extra weight. A structural engineer confirms that before anything is designed.
Do you build garages as well?
Yes, attached and detached. Our garage builds page covers them in detail.
What warranty do additions carry?
A five-year warranty on the construction. Painting is covered for two years.
Related services
Related service
Garage builds
Attached and detached garages and workshops, built for frost and exhaust.
Learn more
Related service
Framing
New homes, additions, garages and basements, framed to the drawings.
Learn more
Related service
Custom homes
New homes on city and rural lots, framed and finished by one company.
Learn moreSources
The permit, Building Code and bylaw points on this page come from these authorities. Rules change, so check the current version before relying on any of it.
Ottawa renovation and construction
Start your project with Carleton Prime
Every project starts with a free in-home consultation. Tell us about your home and what you want to do.