Custom Home Builds, Oshawa
Custom Homes,
Built in Oshawa.
New builds, teardown rebuilds and rural acreage homes across Oshawa, from the established streets in the south end to the farmland north of Columbus. Design, permits and construction under one contract, priced before we start.
Get a Free Quote(905) 376-55851999
Building Since
$300
Starting Per Sq Ft
1,000+
Projects Completed
4.8★
Google Rating
What We Build
Two very different Oshawas.
South of Taunton you are usually building on a lot that already has a house on it. Established streets, mature trees, municipal water and sewer, and neighbours close enough that grading and tree protection matter as much as the house does. A teardown and rebuild here is a different job from a bare lot, and it almost always starts with zoning rather than drawings.
North of the city it changes completely. Columbus, Raglan, Kedron and the farmland around them mean acreage, wells, septic beds and long driveways. Bigger houses, fewer neighbours, and a servicing picture that has to be solved before a foundation is priced. We build both, with the same crew.
What It Costs
From $300 a square foot
That covers the build from foundation to finish. What moves the number is the lot, the foundation, and the level of finish you choose. Land, servicing and Oshawa and Durham development charges sit outside it, and we set them out separately rather than burying them in a square foot figure.
$540k
1,800 sq ft
A three bedroom home on a straightforward lot. The most common size we build.
$750k
2,500 sq ft
Four bedrooms with a bonus room or a finished basement. Where most custom builds land.
$1.05m
3,500 sq ft
Larger footprint, more complex roof lines, higher finish level throughout.
Lot
Varies
Demolition, slope, servicing distance, well and septic all change the number before the house starts. We look before we price.
Approvals
What an Oshawa permit actually involves.
A building permit in Oshawa is rarely one application to one office. On most custom builds it is several approvals in a particular order, and getting the order wrong is what turns a spring start into a summer one. This is the part we handle, and it is worth knowing what sits behind it.
Zoning comes before the permit
The City will not process a building permit application while the project still needs a minor variance, a rezoning, an Official Plan amendment, a site plan agreement or a subdivision agreement. On infill and teardown lots in the older parts of the city, a minor variance through the Committee of Adjustment is the normal case rather than the exception. We find that out before you are committed, not after.
The conservation authority
Building in a flood plain, or placing fill in a regulated area, needs approval from the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority alongside the City permit. CLOCA covers Oshawa and its neighbours from Ajax and Pickering through to Clarington, and north to the Oak Ridges Moraine. Oshawa Creek and its valley lands catch more lots than people expect.
Region of Durham, separately
Sanitary sewer and water connections, storm sewer connections on a regional road, and vehicle access onto a regional road are Regional approvals, not City ones, and they are the applicant’s to obtain. We obtain them.
The 401 and 407 corridors
A house within 400 metres of Highway 401 or Highway 407 needs Ministry of Transportation approval. Both run through Oshawa, so this catches lots that look nowhere near a highway on a map.
Three sets of development charges
City of Oshawa, Region of Durham and school board education development charges are all payable before the permit is issued, and depending on the lot there can also be cash in lieu of parkland, a road restoration deposit and the storm sewer connection cost. None of that is in a square foot price, which is why we quote it as its own line rather than letting it arrive as a surprise.
Unserviced lots north of the city
Where there is no municipal water, a drilled well record from a licensed well contractor forms part of the submission. Septic approval comes from a different office than the building permit, on its own timeline. Both are ours to run.
How It Works
From lot to handover
01
We Look At The Lot
Zoning, setbacks, services, grading, trees and access. On a teardown, what comes out matters as much as what goes in. A price given without seeing the land is a guess.
02
Approvals In Order
Variance or rezoning first where it is needed, then the permit, with the Region, CLOCA and the Ministry handled alongside. Running them in the wrong order is what costs a season.
03
Fixed Price, In Writing
The number we agree is the number you pay. Anything found mid-build comes to you before it is touched, with the cost attached, not after.
04
We Build It
One crew, one schedule, one person answering the phone. You see progress weekly, not when you happen to drive past.
Why Cobourg Construction
The crew on your build is our crew.
Most builders at this size are coordinators. They hold the contract and hand the work out. When something slips, it slips between two trades and nobody owns it.
Excavation, foundations, framing, roofing and finishing are done by our own crews. Mechanical, electrical and plumbing go to licensed trades we have worked with for years, on a schedule we set. One company holds the sequence, so a delay in one trade is our problem to solve rather than yours to chase. We have been building across Northumberland and Durham for twenty five years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you build custom homes in Oshawa?
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Yes. We build across Oshawa and the rest of Durham Region, including Whitby, Ajax, Pickering and Clarington, alongside Northumberland County where we are based.
What does it cost to build a custom home in Oshawa?
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Our builds start at $300 per square foot, so a 2,000 square foot home starts around $600,000 for construction. Land, servicing and the three sets of development charges are separate. On a teardown there is also demolition and disconnection to account for. We look at the lot before we price it.
We want to buy an older house on a big lot and rebuild. Can you do that?
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Yes, and it is a large part of what gets built in Oshawa. The thing worth doing first is checking what the zoning allows on that specific lot, because the house you have in mind may need a minor variance. We will look at a property with you before you buy and tell you what can go on it and what it will cost to build, which is considerably cheaper than finding out afterwards.
Will I need a minor variance?
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Often, on the older serviced lots. Lot coverage, height, and front and side yard setbacks are the usual reasons. The City will not process the building permit application until the variance is settled, so it belongs at the front of the schedule rather than partway through it.
Who deals with the conservation authority and the Region?
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We do. CLOCA approval where the lot is in a flood plain or a regulated fill area, Regional approvals for water, sewer and access onto a regional road, and Ministry of Transportation approval within 400 metres of the 401 or 407. They are separate offices with separate timelines and they are ours to run.
Do you build north of the city on well and septic?
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Yes. Columbus, Raglan, Kedron and the surrounding acreage. Rural builds bring the well, the septic bed and the driveway into the price, and septic approval comes from a different office than the building permit. We handle both.
What is not included in the per square foot price?
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The land, servicing connections, and City, Regional and education development charges. Where they apply, cash in lieu of parkland, a road restoration deposit and the storm sewer connection cost sit outside it too. Those vary by lot and can be significant, so we set them out separately.
Can you build a secondary suite or in-law unit into the house?
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Yes, and it is worth deciding early. A self-contained suite designed in from the start costs far less than one added later, and it changes the layout, the servicing and the permit application. The same crew builds custom homes, additions and ADUs and garden suites across Oshawa, Clarington, Cobourg and Port Hope.
How long does a custom home take?
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It depends on the approvals more than the construction. A lot that needs a variance, a conservation authority sign-off or a septic approval runs on those offices rather than on us. You get a schedule alongside the fixed price, built on the approvals your specific lot actually needs, rather than a number from a website.
Got a lot in Oshawa?
Tell us where it is and roughly what you want to build. We will come back with a straight answer on what is possible and what it costs.
Request a Free Quote(905) 376-5585