Renovation Guides & Insights
Expert Renovation Guides for Toronto & the GTA
Contractor-tested advice on bathrooms, kitchens, basements, drywall and more — straight from the GMC Construction team.
- M.Shambayati
- 4 min read
10 Common Bathroom Remodel Mistakes to Avoid A bathroom remodel adds real value and improves daily life — but the same avoidable mistakes cost…
- M.Shambayati
- 8 min read
Solid hardwood and engineered hardwood can look nearly identical after installation, but they respond differently to moisture, subfloors, seasonal humidity, and refinishing. Solid hardwood…
- M.Shambayati
- 8 min read
“Wood cabinets” can describe a solid-wood door on an MDF centre panel, a plywood cabinet box, a particleboard shelf, or a mix of all…
- M.Shambayati
- 7 min read
If you are repairing a drain, renovating a basement, or opening walls in an older Toronto-area home, you may find black ABS pipe, white…
- M.Shambayati
- 8 min read
A custom TV wall can range from a relatively simple framed and painted feature to a complete media centre with cabinetry, lighting, stone, concealed…
- M.Shambayati
- 7 min read
IKEA systems can make a laundry room easier to plan because cabinets, wall storage, bins, rails, and accessories can be combined around a repeatable…
- M.Shambayati
- 9 min read
A TV wall can do much more than provide a place to mount a screen. When it is planned as part of the room,…
- M.Shambayati
- 7 min read
Yes. A wall framed with 2×4 studs can be load-bearing. Stud size alone does not reveal the wall’s structural role, and a narrow interior…
- M.Shambayati
- 7 min read
A basement renovation succeeds when the decisions are made in the right order. Finishes come late. Moisture, structure, intended use, permits, mechanical systems, and…
- M.Shambayati
- 9 min read
Basement flooring sits directly over one of the coldest and most moisture-sensitive surfaces in a home. The right finish must suit the slab, the…
- M.Shambayati
- 8 min read
Underpinning and bench footing can both support a lower basement floor, but they change the foundation in different ways. Underpinning extends the existing foundation…
- M.Shambayati
- 9 min read
Soundproofing a basement ceiling can reduce voices, television noise, footsteps, chair movement, and mechanical vibration between floors. It cannot make two rooms completely silent,…
- M.Shambayati
- 8 min read
A finished basement is not automatically a legal apartment. New flooring, a kitchen, and a separate door may make a space look rentable, but…