Single-detached dwellings
4,940 of 9,620 occupied private dwellings in the structural-type group.
Birchcliffe-Cliffside / Toronto
Custom Home Builders in Birchcliffe-Cliffside
Architectural design, permits and construction.
Home renovations, additions and custom homes planned around your Cliffside property.
Tell us how you want your home to work. We can review the property, design priorities and construction scope before you decide how to move forward.
From design to warranty
One team from your first plans to warranty support.
Fixed price, agreed upfront
Your agreed scope, allowances and exclusions clearly set out.
Custom design around your life
Designed for your family, your property and your lifestyle.
Follow your project from anywhere
See progress, schedules and updates in your client portal.
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Review our HCRA record and ask for insurance details relevant to your project. View our HCRA record.
250+ completed projects
Renovations, additions and custom homes across Toronto.
Renovations, additions and custom homes
Make room for the way you want to live in Cliffside
A better kitchen and living area, another bedroom or a stronger connection to the garden may lead to different building options. Grand Design Build can help you compare a major home renovation, an addition and a custom home using the same priorities for space, daily routines and budget.
Start with the house and the land together. The existing structure, changes in level, access beside the house and trees around the proposed work all belong in the first design conversation. A larger floor plan is only useful when its rooms, stairs and outdoor connections work well together.
This guide includes Cliffside within the wider City statistical area of Birchcliffe-Cliffside. The housing figures below describe that full area. They do not describe Cliffside alone or establish what can be built on your lot.
Our Toronto portfolio
Spaces to help shape your plans.
Browse exterior and interior details from our wider project collection. These images illustrate the work; they are not presented as completed projects in this neighbourhood.
Contemporary home with stone cladding and a broad paved entrance
Double-height living room with tall windows and a fireplace
Rear exterior with a glazed balcony, dark cladding and brick walls
Small white kitchen with a timber range hood
Stone front elevation with tall black-framed windows
Brick house with tall black-framed windows and a raised front terrace
Long kitchen island under a coffered ceiling
Living room with a carved fireplace and dark wood flooring
Local housing context / 2021
Birchcliffe-Cliffside housing, in the 2021 Census
The City’s Birchcliffe-Cliffside profile records single-detached homes as its largest structural category, at 51.4%. The largest construction-period category covers dwellings originally completed in 1960 or earlier. These are separate measures of the area’s housing.
Originally built in 1960 or earlier
5,495 of 9,615 occupied private dwellings in the construction-period group.
Bring the current survey, measured plans and records of later alterations. Use them to identify which parts of the existing home the proposed work would retain or change.
Source: City of Toronto Neighbourhood Profiles, 2021, Birchcliffe-Cliffside (122). Each measure uses its own published total; rounded counts may differ. These area figures do not establish what can be built at an individual address. View the source workbook.
Cliffside is discussed here within the wider official Birchcliffe-Cliffside statistical neighbourhood (122). Statistical, community and planning-policy boundaries serve different purposes.
Before the scope is fixed
What to review before a Cliffside renovation or new build
Locate the property within the right planning area
The City’s Cliffside Avenue Study concerns Kingston Road between the Danforth Avenue intersection and Chine Drive. A home on a nearby residential street needs its own zoning review. Check the address before borrowing a building size or form from the corridor.
Understand what the existing house can retain
Collect the survey, floor plans and records of previous changes. Identify which rooms, foundations and structural elements the proposal would keep, then assess what needs further investigation before pricing the work.
Compare an addition with a reorganized layout
Put the same room list into both options. Review stairs, storage, daylight and the connection to the garden, along with the extra floor area. A rear addition and an upper-storey addition affect the existing home in different ways.
Check trees, slopes and protected land
If the property is beside a slope, ravine or natural feature, check the City’s protection map early. Mark trees, retaining walls and proposed excavation on the site plan. Address-specific review determines which protections and approvals apply.
Treat a separate suite as a separate site exercise
For a laneway or garden suite, establish whether the lot abuts a public lane and review access, trees and the space between buildings. A large-looking rear yard does not by itself confirm that a suite will fit.
Bring the choices into one written scope
Set out what is included, what remains unresolved and who will manage each part of the work. Review design decisions, permit work, site access and living arrangements before construction begins.
For the property and proposal, the City’s preliminary zoning review information explains the available review routes.
Sources: Cliffside Avenue Study · City report describing the Cliffside study boundary · Tree and ravine protection · Garden and laneway suite distinctions · Find your official neighbourhood
What we do
Design and construction services for your Cliffside home
1
Architectural Design & Permits
Develop the site plan, house design and application drawings around the existing property and proposed work. Identify the zoning questions before the design is fixed.
Explore architectural design & permits
2
Home Renovations
Plan a major home renovation that brings the layout, structure, building systems and finishes together. Consider how the rooms connect throughout the home.
Explore home renovations
3
Home Additions
Compare rear, side or second-storey additions with the house you intend to retain, including stairs, structure and the outdoor space left around it.
Explore home additions
4
Custom Homes
Develop a new home from the site and household brief, with the rooms, exterior and construction scope considered as one project.
Explore custom homes
5
Laneway / Garden Suites
Explore a separate dwelling where the lot, access and applicable requirements support it. Review laneway and garden suite options on their own merits.
Explore laneway / garden suites
6
Project Management
Coordinate the agreed construction work, decisions and updates. Keep responsibilities, selections and changes documented through the project.
Explore project managementHow the work moves forward
From the first conversation to handover.
Work through the property, scope and decisions before construction. Keep responsibilities and changes recorded as the project progresses.
Discuss your project
Discuss how you want to live
Start with what works, what does not and the changes that matter most to your household.
Review the existing house
Assess the layout, structure and relevant site conditions before developing the renovation approach.
Develop the design and scope
Coordinate the rooms, structural approach, services and finishes. Review inclusions, exclusions and responsibilities before construction.
Prepare the approval work
Coordinate the drawings and applications required within the agreed scope, including a Committee of Adjustment application where needed. Allow for review comments and further information. The proposal identifies how City fees, Committee fees and survey costs are handled.
Manage the construction
Sequence the work and trades around the project plan. Keep decisions and changes documented, with updates through the project coordinator.
Review and hand over
Walk through the finished work, record outstanding items and agree the follow-up. Confirm the applicable closeout and warranty documents.
Planning questions
Birchcliffe-Cliffside project questions
Is Cliffside the same area as Birchcliffe-Cliffside?
Cliffside is a familiar community name. The City’s Birchcliffe-Cliffside profile is a wider statistical area, numbered 122. Use the address lookup to confirm the applicable official profile; the statistics here should not be read as Cliffside-only figures.
Should I renovate, add space or build a custom home?
Compare each option against the same room needs and site information. Review the existing building, the work retained, the additional space and the decisions that remain. The best starting point is a measured understanding of your property, rather than choosing from exterior photographs alone.
Can I copy the size of a new building on Kingston Road?
A nearby building can be a useful design reference, but its planning context may differ from yours. The Cliffside corridor study has a defined area. Review the zoning and proposal for your address before using a corridor project as a guide.
What if there are trees or a slope near the proposed addition?
Include them in the first site review. The City provides an address-based ravine protection map and information about tree permits. Establish the relevant conditions before deciding where excavation, a new structure or construction access will go.
What should I send to discuss a Cliffside project?
Send the address, a few existing photographs, the rooms or problems you want to address, and any survey or plans you already have. Tell us whether you are comparing a renovation, an addition, a replacement home or a separate suite.
Toronto
Explore nearby Toronto home guides
Start with your home
Talk through your Cliffside home project
Share your address and the changes you have in mind. We can discuss the design options, information needed and whether the proposed work is a fit for Grand Design Build.