Is $1,800 a fair price to widen one door in Westboro?

Published 2025-26 prices for widening a doorway in a non-load-bearing wall run about $500 to $2,500 per door, so the figure you were quoted sits within that range. Whether it is fair depends on a few things specific to your door.

The wall type matters. A doorway in a load-bearing wall is a structural alteration, which is on the City of Ottawa's permit list, and the structural work involved is a question to put directly to the contractor. Ask them which type of wall this is and what the structural work, if any, involves.

A fair quote for this job should show the work broken into parts you can read: the rough carpentry, the new door and frame, any patching and finishing on both sides of the wall, and whether a permit is included. The City's permit fee for alterations is $12.75 per $1,000 of construction value, with a minimum of $117. Widening a doorway is on the City's list of work that requires a permit, so confirm with the contractor whether their price includes pulling one, or whether that falls to you.

A few things to check before you accept or reject the figure you were quoted: get the quote in writing, and note that under the Consumer Protection Act, 2002, if the contract was signed somewhere other than the contractor's place of business, you can cancel within 10 days after you receive the written copy. Also, if the quote is an estimate, the contractor cannot charge more than 10 per cent above it.

Before you sign, ask the contractor to confirm in writing whether the wall is load-bearing and whether a City of Ottawa building permit is included in the price.