A single-detached house in Toronto takes 13.4 months to build, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation Starts and Completions Survey for July 2026. That figure measures construction only. CMHC counts a start when concrete is poured for the footing, so design, approvals, and permits sit entirely outside the number. Pre-construction adds four to twelve months on a custom project.
How long does a custom home build take in Ontario?
When estimating a custom home build timeline, Ontario homeowners can expect actual construction runs 13.4 months for a single-detached house in Toronto and 9.2 months nationally. Those figures come from CMHC survey data rather than builder estimates, and Toronto runs 46% longer than the Canadian average.
| Dwelling type | Toronto | Canada |
|---|---|---|
| Single-detached | 13.4 months | 9.2 months |
| Semi-detached | 8.0 months | Not reported here |
| Apartment | 26.2 months | 20.5 months |
| All dwelling types | 19.1 months | 17.8 months |
What does the 13.4 month figure measure?
The figure measures footing pour to completion, and nothing before the footing pour. CMHC defines a housing start as the stage when concrete has been poured for the whole of the footing around the structure, or an equivalent stage where a basement forms no part of the structure.
Five activities therefore fall outside the measurement: design, engineering, municipal approvals, demolition on a teardown lot, and excavation. A homeowner reading 13.4 months as a groundbreaking-to-keys figure underestimates the project by the entire approvals phase.
How long does the pre-construction phase take?
Pre-construction runs four to twelve months depending on whether the design needs a variance. Each stage carries a published or statutory duration.
| Stage | Duration | Source of the timing |
|---|---|---|
| Design and working drawings | 2 to 4 months | Scope and revision cycles |
| Building permit, statutory period | 10 business days | Ontario Building Code, Division C, Table 1.3.1.3 |
| Building permit, actual review | 6 to 12 weeks | Greater Toronto Area municipal practice |
| Committee of Adjustment variance | Additional 3 to 4 months | Hearing schedule plus appeal period |
| Appeal period after a variance decision | 20 calendar days | Planning Act, section 45 |
| Conservation authority permission | Varies by authority | Required where the lot sits in a regulated area |
Why does a minor variance add a third of a year?
A variance adds three separate waits. The application queues for a hearing date, the Committee issues a decision, and a 20 calendar day appeal period runs under section 45 of the Planning Act before the decision becomes final. Those 20 days are calendar days rather than business days.
A design that stays inside every zoning provision skips all three waits. Checking setbacks, height, lot coverage, and floor space index against the by-law during schematic design, rather than after working drawings are complete, is the single largest schedule lever on a custom build.
What starts the permit clock?
A complete application starts the clock. Table 1.3.1.3 of Division C of the Ontario Building Code gives a chief building official 10 business days to issue or refuse a permit for a house, and that period never begins on an incomplete submission.
The gap between 10 business days and the 6 to 12 weeks municipalities actually take is the gap between a submitted application and a complete one. Missing drawings, an absent zoning certificate, and unsigned designer schedules each reset the review rather than pausing the review.
Which factors stretch the construction schedule most?
Four conditions move the 13.4 month figure:
- Ground conditions, covering rock, high water table, poor bearing capacity, and required shoring.
- Servicing distance, covering the run from the house to municipal water and sewer, or septic and well installation on rural land.
- Design complexity, covering long spans, structural steel, extensive glazing, and complex roof geometry.
- Selection timing, covering how early the owner finalises cabinetry, tile, stone, windows, and fixtures.
Selection timing sits entirely inside the owner’s control and causes more delay than the other three combined on many projects. A cabinetry order placed during framing arrives on schedule, and the same order placed at drywall stage stalls the trim carpenter for weeks.
How does an Ontario winter affect the schedule?
Winter affects the foundation stage most. The Insulating Concrete Forms Manufacturers Association specifies a 10°C minimum ambient temperature across three days, or until concrete reaches 40% of design strength, and notes that concrete freezes at -5°C.
Two consequences follow. A footing pour scheduled for January carries heating, hoarding, and admixture costs that the same pour avoids in September. Once a house reaches lock-up, interior work proceeds through winter unaffected, so the schedule penalty attaches to the calendar position of the foundation rather than to the build as a whole.
What does a realistic total look like?
A realistic total runs 17 to 25 months from first design meeting to occupancy on a Toronto-area custom home: four to twelve months of pre-construction, plus the 13.4 months CMHC measures for construction.
Two scenarios bracket the range. A compliant design on a serviced lot with an early complete permit application reaches occupancy near the 17 month mark. A design requiring a minor variance, on a teardown lot with a conservation authority review, reaches occupancy nearer 25 months.
Modinno Dwellings builds custom homes across Oakville, Burlington, Mississauga, Milton, Hamilton, Vaughan, Markham, and Richmond Hill under Tarion licence B64778. The design, approval, and construction sequence is set out on the custom home construction page.
Frequently asked questions about Ontario custom home timelines
Does a teardown take longer than a vacant lot?
Yes, by roughly one to three months. A teardown adds a demolition permit application, an owner obligation under Ontario Regulation 278/05 to identify asbestos-containing material before contracting the work, service disconnections with the utility, and the demolition itself. None of that activity appears inside the CMHC construction measurement, because none of that work happens after the footing pour.
Does the wall system change the build schedule?
Wall system choice shifts where time is spent rather than the total. An insulated concrete form envelope combines six trade steps into one pour, which compresses the envelope phase, and adds ready-mix scheduling plus cure time before backfill. Those trade-offs are set out on the ICF home construction page.
Can a family move in before final inspection?
Sometimes, with a permission. Oakville charges $700 for authority to occupy an unfinished building, a fee that exists precisely because families move in before every item on the final inspection list closes. Occupancy permission covers life safety items rather than finishes, so incomplete trim and landscaping sit outside the question.
Why do builders quote 12 to 18 months?
That quote describes construction rather than the whole project, and lands close to the 13.4 month CMHC figure for Toronto. Confirming whether a quoted timeline starts at the first design meeting, at permit issuance, or at the footing pour removes most of the disagreement between a builder’s estimate and an owner’s expectation.