What does widening one interior doorway cost an Ottawa homeowner?

Published 2025–26 prices for widening one interior doorway run about $500 to $2,500. A doorway in a load-bearing wall costs more than that range suggests, because the structural work involved is a separate part of the job.

A few things show up in quotes and affect where a price lands: whether the wall is load-bearing, how many doors or frames are being replaced, whether permits are needed, and how much patching and finishing the wall, floor and trim require after the opening is cut.

The permit question

The City of Ottawa's permit list includes enlarging or relocating a door, so widening a doorway requires a permit. If the wall is load-bearing, that is also a structural alteration, which is on the permit list as well. Ask the contractor what the structural work involves. The permit fee for alterations is $12.75 per $1,000 of construction value, with a minimum of $117, based on the City's January 1, 2026 fee schedule. Construction value includes materials, labour, overhead and professional fees.

A few things to confirm with the contractor before work begins:

• Whether the wall is load-bearing, and what the structural work involves if it is
• What the quote includes for patching and finishing the wall, floor and trim on both sides of the opening
• Whether pulling the permit is included in the price or billed separately
• The start and completion dates in writing

Ontario's Consumer Protection Act, 2002 says that if any consumer agreement includes an estimate, the supplier cannot charge more than 10 per cent over it, so the written quote matters. For a job done somewhere other than the contractor's business premises, such as your home, the agreement must be in writing and delivered to you; you can then cancel without giving any reason within 10 days after you receive the written copy.

On a larger job, the Construction Act requires that 10 per cent of the price be held back as work is supplied; ask a lawyer about the timing for releasing that holdback.

Settle in writing with each contractor the structural work if the wall is load-bearing, what patching and finishing is covered, whether the permit is in the price, and what dates each contractor has committed to in writing.