Why The Building Permit Guy?

The Building Permit Guy is a family owned and operated architectural design firm who specialize in creating professional building permit drawings quickly and affordably. Our network of professionals includes: Municipal Building Officials, Professional Engineers, Architects, Technologists and Qualified Designers in all disciplines. Our firm is registered with the Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and we carry all operating insurance required by law.

We service all areas of the Province and in most cases are able to complete permit ready drawings in less than 1 week and without invasive site visits that only add to your already hectic schedule.

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Who is The Building Permit Guy?

John Barnhart Dipl.Arch.T.

Founder and Lead Designer

John is an award winning designer who founded The Building Permit Guy part time in 2017 while working as a Municipal Building Inspector for the City of St. Catharines. He brings a complete understanding of the municipal approval process and the Ontario Building Code as well as a keen design sense. John graduated with an honours diploma in Architectural Technology from Mohawk College. Prior to working as a Municipal building official, John was the lead designer for one of the countries top residential design firms, as well as teaching architectural design software part time at Mohawk College. When he's not assisting clients with their projects, you can find John enjoying quiet country life at home with his wife Jen and 4 kids or buzzing around overhead as a newly minted private pilot!

Did you know:

- Most Municipalities in Ontario have steep fines in place for construction undertaken without a permit. Worse, it's easy to add considerable cost and complexity if your project doesn't comply with applicable zoning by-laws and local Conservation regulations where applicable.

-Building Officials have the authority to prosecute in a Provincial Court of Law for offences under the Building Code Act. This could very quickly add thousands of dollars to your project and in some cases, mean jail time.

Building permits are required for:

Pools, Decks, Sheds (including pre-fabricated), detached garages, car ports, outdoor structures (including pergolas/gazebos), disaster restoration, demolition, finishing basements, renovations, additions, foundation repairs (including waterproofing), change of use, conversions (basement apartments, accessory dwelling, boarding/lodging/rooming house), fire code violations (illegal apartments, fire separations) and more...

Protect your investment. Contact us to ensure your project starts off right, or get it back on track quickly and easily!