{"id":8230,"date":"2026-10-28T09:42:42","date_gmt":"2026-10-28T13:42:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grpcartier.com\/blogue\/renover-duplex-montreal-decisions-avant-de-commencer\/"},"modified":"2026-10-28T09:48:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T13:48:08","slug":"renovating-a-duplex-in-montreal-decisions-before-you-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grpcartier.com\/en\/blog\/renovating-a-duplex-in-montreal-decisions-before-you-start\/","title":{"rendered":"Renovating a Duplex in Montr\u00e9al: 5 Decisions to Make Before You Start"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"8230\" class=\"elementor elementor-8230\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8e64a2f e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"8e64a2f\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b3f720d elementor-widget 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!important;}\n<\/style>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n \"@graph\": [\n  {\n   \"@type\": \"Article\",\n   \"@id\": \"https:\/\/grpcartier.com\/en\/blog\/renovating-a-duplex-in-montreal-decisions-before-you-start\/#article\",\n   \"headline\": \"Renovating a Duplex in Montr\u00e9al: 5 Decisions to Make Before You Start\",\n   \"description\": \"Renovating a duplex in Montr\u00e9al: the 5 decisions to make before you start (scope, structure, units, permits and budget).\",\n   \"inLanguage\": \"en-CA\",\n   \"datePublished\": \"2026-10-28\",\n   \"dateModified\": \"2026-10-28\",\n   \"author\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Person\",\n    \"name\": \"Fran\u00e7ois Guida\",\n    \"jobTitle\": \"President, CEO and Partner\",\n    \"url\": \"https:\/\/grpcartier.com\/en\/blog\/author\/francois-guida\/\"\n   },\n   \"publisher\": {\n    \"@id\": \"https:\/\/grpcartier.com\/#organization\"\n   },\n   \"mainEntityOfPage\": 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Making them in the right order avoids going back mid-project. At Groupe Cartier, everything starts with a free discovery call, followed by a visit to your home.<\/p>\n\n  <h2>1. Define the scope of the work<\/h2>\n  <p>Renovating one unit, both units, reconfiguring a full floor, combining units or adding a floor are not the same project. The scope drives almost everything else, and it is the first factor the price depends on. See our <a href=\"https:\/\/grpcartier.com\/en\/duplex-renovation-in-montreal\/\">duplex renovation in Montr\u00e9al<\/a> page.<\/p>\n\n  <h2>2. Check the structure before you draw<\/h2>\n  <p>Opening a closed-off kitchen is one of the most common projects in a plex. Before designing an open space, we first check the load-bearing walls, then draw a plan that respects the structure and the character of the unit. This is one reason the visit to the building comes before the plans.<\/p>\n\n  <h2>3. Decide how the units will be used<\/h2>\n  <p>Do you want to keep two separate units or combine them into one larger home? The answer affects the plans, the plumbing and electrical work and the order of the construction.<\/p>\n\n  <h2>4. Know which permits you need<\/h2>\n  <p>Work that affects the structure, the facades, the plumbing or the electrical system requires a permit from the borough. We tell you what applies to your project during the first visit, and checking the regulations is part of planning the work.<\/p>\n\n  <h2>5. Set a realistic budget<\/h2>\n  <p>The price of a duplex renovation depends on the scope of the work, the materials chosen and your aesthetic preferences. A precise estimate is provided after the visit to the building. We also recommend setting aside a reserve of about 15% for unexpected issues, especially in older buildings.<\/p>\n\n  <h2>Why a single point of contact changes everything<\/h2>\n  <p>A duplex means coordinating several trades, plans and permits. At Groupe Cartier, our interior designers and our general contractor team work together, with a single point of contact from the first sketch to delivery. You do not have to coordinate a designer and a contractor separately. See our <a href=\"https:\/\/grpcartier.com\/en\/turnkey-service\/\">turnkey service<\/a> and our <a href=\"https:\/\/grpcartier.com\/en\/general-contractor\/\">general contractor<\/a> page. To understand how a project unfolds, also read <a href=\"https:\/\/grpcartier.com\/en\/blog\/major-renovation-steps-cost-control\/\">6 steps to keep major renovation costs under control<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n  <h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n  <div class=\"gc-faq\">\n    <details><summary>Can a closed-off kitchen be opened up in a plex?<\/summary><div class=\"gc-faq-a\"><p>Yes, it is one of the most common projects. We first check the load-bearing walls, then design an open space that respects the structure and the character of the unit.<\/p><\/div><\/details>\n    <details><summary>Do I need a permit to renovate a duplex?<\/summary><div class=\"gc-faq-a\"><p>Work that affects the structure, the facades, the plumbing or the electrical system requires a permit from the borough. We tell you what applies to your project during the first visit.<\/p><\/div><\/details>\n    <details><summary>How long does a major renovation take?<\/summary><div class=\"gc-faq-a\"><p>A major renovation usually takes 12 to 16 weeks of construction at Groupe Cartier, starting from the final plans.<\/p><\/div><\/details>\n    <details><summary>Which areas do you serve?<\/summary><div class=\"gc-faq-a\"><p>We serve Montr\u00e9al and its boroughs, Laval, the South Shore (Longueuil, Brossard, Boucherville, Saint-Lambert) and the North Shore (Blainville, Terrebonne, Mirabel).<\/p><\/div><\/details>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"gc-cta\">\n    <h2>Let's talk about your duplex<\/h2>\n    <p>A free, no-obligation discovery call to understand your project and explain how Groupe Cartier can bring it to life.<\/p>\n    <a class=\"gc-btn\" href=\"https:\/\/grpcartier.com\/en\/contact-us\/\">Schedule my discovery call<\/a>\n    <span class=\"gc-tel\">Or call us: <a href=\"tel:+15146296029\">514-629-6029<\/a><\/span>\n  <\/div>\n<\/article>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Renovating a duplex in Montr\u00e9al: the 5 decisions to make before you start (scope, structure, units, permits and budget).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-major-renovation"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grpcartier.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grpcartier.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grpcartier.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grpcartier.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grpcartier.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8230"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/grpcartier.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8230\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8247,"href":"https:\/\/grpcartier.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8230\/revisions\/8247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grpcartier.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grpcartier.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grpcartier.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}