Toronto · Toronto Hydro service area
Electrical contractor for Toronto general contractors
Toronto building has changed. Laneway and garden suites, multiplex conversions and tight-lot rebuilds all bring electrical questions that need answers before the drawings are final. We work with GCs to answer them, then do the work.
New kinds of housing
Suites, multiplexes and tight-lot rebuilds
Over the last several years the City of Toronto has opened the door to more homes on existing lots: laneway suites first, then garden suites, and then multiplexes of up to four units across residential neighbourhoods. General contractors are now building all three, often alongside renovations of the main house.
Each one raises electrical questions early. How much service capacity does the lot have? Will the new unit be fed from the main house or get its own service and meter? Where will meters and panels go on a narrow lot with no side yard? How does the cable reach a suite at the back of the property? Answers to those questions affect excavation, the foundation, fire separations and the budget, so they belong in design, not on site.
Planning
Electrical decisions by project type
| Project | Main electrical decisions | Who's involved |
|---|---|---|
| Laneway suite | Feed from the house or separate service, trench route, suite panel | Designer, Toronto Hydro, ESA |
| Garden suite | Distance from the main panel, cable sizing, yard restoration | Designer, Toronto Hydro, ESA |
| Multiplex conversion | Service capacity, one meter or several, a panel per unit, common area lighting and alarms | Owner, designer, Toronto Hydro, ESA, building and fire requirements |
| Tight-lot rebuild | Meter and service location without a side yard, temporary power on a constrained site | Builder, Toronto Hydro, ESA |
On site
Working on tight Toronto sites
Downtown sites rarely have room for anything extra. Temporary power has to fit beside the neighbour's fence, material deliveries come down the lane, and inspections need to happen exactly when the schedule says. We plan temporary power for the constraints of the lot, keep our materials contained, and book ESA inspections at each stage so drywall isn't held up.
In older houses being renovated rather than rebuilt, we work around what's staying: plaster, trim, stairs and floors. The goal is that once the walls are patched, nobody can tell where the new cable went. That's the standard we hold for renovation work.
- Load calculations and service planningIncluding multi-unit and suite feeds
- Temporary powerSized and placed for a tight site
- Rough-in and inspectionsBooked to keep the schedule
- Panels per unitWith clear labelling and common area circuits
- Final and Certificate of AcceptanceFor each permit on the job
Why GCs work with us
One point of contact, a Master Electrician on site
Netsayi handles scheduling, so your superintendent knows when we're coming and when inspections are booked. Shaldin, our Master Electrician, leads the work on site. Two crews let us keep pace on larger projects. For the full picture of what we do for builders, see new construction and renovations, or our page for contractors in North York.
Permits
ESA handled, every stage
We file the notification of work, book rough-in and final inspections, and hand over the Certificate of Acceptance.
Permits and load calculationsQuestions
Electrician for contractors in Toronto: questions
Does a laneway or garden suite need its own hydro service?
Not always. Some suites are fed from the main house through a sub-panel, others get a separate service and meter. It depends on the loads, the distance, what the owner wants for billing, and Toronto Hydro's requirements for the site. We work it out with the designer early, because it affects trenching and the main house panel.
We're converting a house into a fourplex. How is the electrical usually handled?
Each unit typically needs its own panel, and the building needs enough service capacity for all of them, plus common areas. Whether units are separately metered is a decision to make with the owner and Toronto Hydro at design stage. We do the load calculation, plan the meter and panel locations, and coordinate with your fire and building requirements.
Do you work with general contractors and builders?
Yes. A large share of our work is for general contractors and custom home builders, from temporary power and rough-in through to final connections and ESA sign-off. Two crews mean we can keep to your schedule on larger projects.
Are you licensed and insured?
Yes. Marrast Contracting is a Licensed Electrical Contractor, licence ECRA/ESA 7016430, and every job is led by Shaldin Marrast, a Master Electrician. You can check our licence on the Electrical Safety Authority's contractor lookup at esasafe.com.
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