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RENOCO.CA

Updated for Q3 2026

What changed in 2026 Canadian renovation costs

2026 has not been a year of uniform inflation. Metals and imported cabinetry moved sharply on tariffs while framing lumber barely moved at all. Which project you are planning now matters more than when you are planning it.

Get a current estimateSee our sources
The one-line version. 2026 material pricing is moving unevenly. Metals and imported cabinetry are the main cost pressures, while framing lumber has stayed close to where it was a year ago. A single blanket inflation percentage would overstate deck and framing work and understate kitchen and metal-heavy work.

Where prices actually moved

Ordered by how much price risk each category carries over the next couple of quarters.

  • Cabinets and vanities

    ↑ Moving fast

    30-40% of a typical kitchen budget

    Canada applied a provisional 25% safeguard surtax on imported wood cabinets and vanities in July 2026 while a trade tribunal inquiry runs. Imported cabinet packages have moved up the most of any renovation line item. Canadian-made or in-stock cabinets are less exposed, so ask your supplier where the boxes are built.

    Source

  • Steel and aluminum

    ↑ Moving fast

    Varies; concentrated in structural, HVAC, and railing work

    Canada's counter-tariffs on U.S. steel and aluminum doubled from 25% to 50% effective September 8, 2026. This reaches further into a renovation than most people expect: fasteners, joist hangers, railings, metal studs, ductwork, window and door frames, and flashing.

    Source

  • Copper wiring and plumbing

    ↑ Moving fast

    Concentrated in electrical and plumbing rough-in

    Copper wire and cable prices have risen sharply year over year. Any scope that adds circuits, a panel upgrade, or new supply lines carries more price risk than the rest of the job. High copper prices have also driven jobsite theft, so ask how materials are secured overnight.

    Source

  • Appliances

    ↑ Some movement

    10-15% of a typical kitchen budget

    Kitchen appliances appear on Canada's September 2026 counter-tariff list. If an appliance package is part of your budget, price it early and confirm whether the quote is held.

    Source

  • Trade labour

    ↑ Some movement

    35-55% of most renovation budgets

    Contractor wage rates continue to rise steadily and are now a larger share of renovation price increases than materials in several provinces. Labour is also the least substitutable part of a quote.

    Source

  • Framing lumber

    → Steady

    Largest single material line on deck and framing work

    Framing lumber has been trading around $530 per thousand board feet, close to where it sat a year ago and far below the pandemic peaks. Framing-heavy work such as decks and fences has not seen the increases that metal and cabinet work have. Fasteners and hardware are the exception, because those are steel.

    Source

  • Asphalt shingles

    → Steady

    Roughly half of an asphalt roof budget

    Asphalt shingle roofing is mostly labour plus an asphalt product with low metal content, so it has been one of the steadier renovation categories. Metal roofing and extensive new flashing are a different story.

    Source

  • Tile, drywall, and paint

    → Steady

    10-20% of most interior budgets

    Tile, drywall, and paint have moved roughly in line with general inflation. These are rarely the reason a quote comes back higher than expected.

    Source

What this means for your project

The same year produced very different outcomes depending on what you are building.

Kitchen renovationLargest adjustment

Cabinets are typically 30 to 40 percent of a kitchen budget and are the most tariff-exposed line item in the whole project. Price cabinets separately and early, and ask your supplier whether the boxes are built in Canada. Appliances are also on the counter-tariff list.

Bathroom renovationModerate adjustment

Vanities are cabinet-adjacent and carry the same exposure. Copper supply lines and fittings are up. Tile, drywall, and labour behave normally, so the increase is concentrated in a couple of line items rather than spread across the job.

Basement finishingMixed

Framing lumber is flat, which helps. But HVAC ductwork, any steel framing components, and the electrical rough-in are all up. A basement with a new bathroom and a panel upgrade moves more than a basement that is mostly drywall.

Deck constructionBarely moved

Decks are the clearest example of why a blanket inflation figure is wrong. Framing lumber has been close to flat year over year, so the dominant material has not run away. Fasteners, joist hangers, and railings are steel, so do not assume zero.

Roof replacementBarely moved

Asphalt shingle roofing is mostly labour plus a low-metal asphalt product, making it one of the steadier categories. Metal roofing, and jobs with extensive new flashing or eavestrough, are a different calculation.

Windows and doorsModerate adjustment

Frames, hardware, and cladding carry metal exposure. Worth pairing with a rebate check, since windows and doors are one of the few renovation categories with a direct per-opening rebate in Ontario.

Flooring replacementBarely moved

Mostly labour plus tile or plank product, neither of which has moved unusually. Rising trade wage rates are the main upward pressure here.

Whole-home refreshLargest adjustment

A whole-home renovation touches every exposed category at once: cabinetry, metals, copper, and appliances. This is the project type where a stale cost table goes wrong by the largest dollar amount.

How to protect your budget

  • Get the exposed items quoted first. Cabinets, appliances, railings, and mechanical rough-in are where a quote is most likely to come back above a planning estimate.
  • Ask how long a quote is held. A price valid for 30 days on a project starting in four months is not a price.
  • Ask where cabinets are manufactured. Canadian-made and in-stock product avoids the import surtax entirely.
  • Carry a larger contingency on cabinet-heavy and mechanical-heavy work. Fifteen percent is a floor, not a target, when a third of your budget sits in a tariff-exposed category.
  • Do not delay a framing-heavy project waiting for prices to fall. Lumber is already close to where it was a year ago.
  • Check rebates before you buy equipment, because eligibility often dictates which model qualifies.
Size your contingencyCheck rebates

Common questions

Did renovation costs go up in 2026?
Unevenly, which is the important part. Metals and imported cabinetry rose sharply because of tariffs, copper wiring is up significantly year over year, and trade labour rates continued their steady climb. Framing lumber, asphalt shingles, tile, drywall, and paint stayed roughly flat. A calculator applying one blanket inflation percentage to every project overstates deck and roof work while understating kitchen work.
Why did kitchen cabinets get more expensive in Canada?
Canada applied a provisional 25 percent safeguard surtax on imports of certain wood cabinets and vanities in July 2026, while a Canadian International Trade Tribunal safeguard inquiry runs. This is a Canadian measure affecting what Canadian homeowners pay for imported cabinetry. It is often confused with a separate United States tariff on cabinets, which does not apply to purchases in Canada. Canadian-made and in-stock cabinets are less exposed, so it is worth asking your supplier where the boxes are manufactured.
How do steel tariffs affect a home renovation?
Further than most people expect. Canada's counter-tariffs on steel and aluminum doubled from 25 to 50 percent effective September 8, 2026. In a renovation that reaches fasteners, joist hangers, metal studs, railings, HVAC ductwork, window and door frames, flashing, and eavestrough. None of those are headline items, but together they add up on structural and mechanical work.
Is now a bad time to renovate?
It depends entirely on what you are renovating. Framing-heavy outdoor work such as decks and fences is priced close to where it was a year ago. Cabinet-heavy and mechanical-heavy work is not. If your project is exposed, the practical response is to get the exposed items quoted early, ask whether the price is held and for how long, and carry a larger contingency rather than to postpone indefinitely.
How often do you update these numbers?
Quarterly, because tariff policy is actively shifting and an annual review would be stale within months. The current tables are based on Q3 2026 pricing, were last reviewed August 28, 2026, and the next review is due October 1, 2026. Every estimate on this site carries the pricing quarter it was based on.