Interior Demolition Across the GTA — OCM Excavation

We strip houses, condos, and commercial spaces down to studs across Toronto and the GTA. Selective wall removal, full kitchen and bathroom rip-outs, basement gut jobs, full-floor strip-outs ahead of a renovation. That’s the work. Most days we’re on a site where interior demolition is just step one of a bigger job we’re already handling: excavation, underpinning, foundation, drainage. One crew, one schedule, one invoice. Call 416-317-3090 for a same-week walk-through.

What interior demolition actually covers

Buyers ask us to define the scope before we quote. Interior demolition isn’t “knock down the house.” It’s controlled removal of the inside finishes and components so the next trade can start on a clean shell. On a typical GTA job, that means:

• Drywall and plaster. Ceilings and walls down to studs, including insulation if it’s getting replaced.
• Flooring. Hardwood, laminate, tile, subfloor, underlayment, glued vinyl. Tile demo is the slow one; budget extra.
• Cabinetry and millwork. Kitchen uppers and lowers, vanities, built-ins, baseboards, trim, closet systems.
• Plumbing fixtures. Tubs, toilets, sinks, shower surrounds, tap sets. We cap the lines before the plumber returns.
• Electrical rough-in removal. Old wiring, outlets, switches, light fixtures pulled back to the panel where applicable.
• Partition walls. Non-load-bearing walls come down same day. Load-bearing walls get engineering first (more on that below).
• Ceilings. Drop ceilings, popcorn ceiling scrape, suspended T-bar grids.
• Stairs, railings, doors. Full removal or selective, depending on what’s staying.

What we don’t do on an interior demo: we don’t touch the structural shell, exterior walls, roof, or foundation as part of this scope. If your project needs the foundation lowered or a wall opened for a walk-out, that’s a separate trade we also offer. See our basement underpinning and walk-up basement conversion pages. The advantage is you book one company for both.

Selective vs full gut demolition

Two ways to approach this, and the price gap is huge.

Selective interior demolition is surgical. We take out one bathroom, one wall, one kitchen, and leave everything else intact and protected. This is the right call when you’re keeping the original hardwood, the trim, or a feature like a brick fireplace. It costs more per square foot because we work slower, hand-cut connections, and dust-seal the rest of the house. Typical selective room job: $1,500-$4,000 depending on size and what’s coming out.

Full gut demolition is faster per square foot. We strip the whole floor or whole house down to studs and subfloor. No need to protect finishes; they’re all going. A full-house gut in a typical Toronto or GTA semi or detached runs $8,000-$25,000. Drivers are square footage, number of bathrooms and kitchens, plaster vs drywall, and how much tile is glued down. We give you a firm number after a 20-minute walk-through.

One thing to flag early: load-bearing walls are not a same-day decision. If your renovation plan moves a load-bearing wall, you need a structural engineer’s stamp and likely a permit before we cut a single stud. We coordinate that. We’ve worked with engineers across the GTA and can have a stamped drawing in your hand inside a week.

Why OCM instead of a pure-demo crew

Pure-demo contractors strip the house and disappear. Then the renovation GC, the excavator, the foundation crew, and the plumber each show up cold, often weeks apart, and re-discover things the demo crew already saw. That’s where renovation schedules slip.

OCM does interior demolition as the first step of work we’re already booked for. On a typical basement reno: we demo the basement on Monday, start excavating for underpinning Wednesday, pour footings the following week. The crew that pulled the drywall is the same crew that drops the bench-footing forms. Nothing gets re-discovered. Nothing waits on a different contractor’s schedule.

The other reason owners hire us: we haul everything ourselves. No mystery dumpster company. No “the bin’s full, we’ll come back Tuesday.” We bring our own bins and trucks, swap them on our schedule, and the site is broom-clean the day demo finishes. If your project also needs site clearing or grade work after the interior is stripped, we already have that crew. See our demolition services in Toronto for the larger structural side.

Our process, assessment to broom-clean

1. On-site assessment. We walk the house with you, mark what’s coming out, flag anything that needs an engineer or permit, and quote in writing within 48 hours.
2. Utility shut-offs. Water, gas, and electrical isolated before any tool comes out. We coordinate with Enbridge and the local utility where required.
3. Permits and engineering. If the scope touches load-bearing walls, plumbing relocations, or anything reportable, we pull the permit. You don’t chase city hall.
4. Containment. Poly sheeting, zip walls, negative-air machines where dust matters. Floors that are staying get covered in Ram Board.
5. Strip-out. Cabinets and fixtures first, then drywall, then flooring, then framing if applicable. Sorted as we go: metal, wood, drywall, mixed.
6. Haul-away. Our bins, our trucks, dumped at a registered transfer facility. We supply waybills if your municipality wants them.
7. Final clean. Broom-swept, vacuumed where needed, ready for the next trade.

Most single-floor strip-outs are 2-4 working days. Full-house gut jobs run 5-10 days depending on size and how much tile and plaster is on the walls.

Asbestos and lead paint testing

Anything built before 1990 in the GTA has a real chance of containing asbestos: vermiculite insulation, drywall joint compound, vinyl floor tile, pipe wrap, popcorn ceiling. Anything before 1991 may have lead paint on the trim and walls (Canada restricted interior residential lead paint in 1976 and exterior in 1991). Ontario law requires testing before disturbing suspect materials in older homes, and we don’t cut corners on this.

Our process: if the building is pre-1990, we recommend a designated substances survey before demo starts. A certified hygienist samples the suspect materials, the lab confirms, and we get a written report. If asbestos comes back positive, we coordinate a qualified abatement contractor. That’s a separate trade under Ontario Regulation 278/05, not something a demo crew can self-perform. Once they’re done and the air clearance is signed off, our crew comes back in and finishes the strip-out.

Testing typically adds $400-$900 to the project and 3-5 days to the schedule. Abatement varies widely by what’s found. We’ll lay it out in writing before you commit.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a permit for interior demolition?

It depends on scope. Pulling cabinets, drywall, and flooring usually doesn’t need a permit. The moment you touch a load-bearing wall, relocate plumbing or gas, change the layout, or alter the building envelope, you need one. We tell you which bucket your job falls into during the walk-through, and we pull the permit ourselves if it’s required.

How long does a kitchen or bathroom strip-out take?

A standard kitchen takes 1-2 days, including cabinet removal, drywall, flooring, and fixture pull. A full bathroom is usually 1 day. Tile is the variable. Old thinset on a concrete slab can double the time. We pad estimates honestly so you can schedule the next trade with confidence.

What’s the difference between selective and full gut demolition pricing?

Selective runs $1,500-$4,000 per room because we work around finishes that are staying. Full gut is more efficient per square foot, $8,000-$25,000 for a typical GTA house, because we don’t slow down to protect things. If you’re already gutting more than two rooms, full gut usually wins on price.

Do you handle asbestos abatement?

No. Asbestos abatement is a separately regulated trade under Ontario Regulation 278/05, with its own worker certification and Notice of Project requirements filed with MLITSD (Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development). We coordinate testing through a certified hygienist, and if anything comes back positive we bring in a qualified abatement contractor. Once the air clearance is signed, we resume the interior demolition. You stay with one point of contact through the whole sequence.

Can you demo a basement and then do the underpinning?

That’s our most common job. Interior strip-out of the basement first, then we excavate, underpin, and pour. Same crew, sequential schedule, no gap between trades. It’s faster and cheaper than splitting the work between two contractors. Read more on our basement underpinning page.

How much dust should I expect in the rest of the house?

If we’re doing selective demo, we build temporary zip walls with poly sheeting and run negative-air machines that vent outside. You’ll see some dust on the perimeter but not in the lived-in zones. On a full gut in a vacant house, we don’t bother containing, since the whole interior is going anyway.

Do you work on condos and commercial spaces?

Yes. Condo strip-outs need building approval, certificate of insurance to the property manager, and elevator booking. We handle all three. Commercial unit fit-out demolition is faster than residential because there’s less protected finish; we typically run nights or weekends to avoid disrupting neighbouring tenants.

Get a quote for interior demolition anywhere in the GTA

We cover Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham, North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, Oakville, Burlington, and the rest of the GTA. Five-star reviewed, $2M liability insured-cleared. If you’re planning a renovation that starts with stripping the house, talk to us before you book a separate demo crew. We’ll save you a contractor and probably a week of schedule.

Call 416-317-3090 or request a quote through our free quote page. Most walk-throughs happen within 3-5 days; written estimates back inside 48 hours of the site visit.