Markham · Commercial construction
Restaurants, retail units and offices across Markham — the Highway 7 corridor, Unionville, Markville, the Woodbine and Highway 404 business parks, and the Kennedy Road retail centres. Permits through the City, health through York Region, one contract for every trade.
Get a Build-Out EstimateWhat we build here
Markham has the densest concentration of Asian food and retail concepts in the GTA, and it changes what a build-out looks like. Hotpot, Korean barbecue and bubble tea concepts carry ventilation and electrical loads that a generic restaurant fit-out does not plan for. On the other side of the city, the Woodbine and Highway 404 business parks are steady office and flex tenant-improvement work. We build both.
| Space type | What a Markham project usually involves |
|---|---|
| Hotpot, Korean barbecue and heavy ventilation | Per-table exhaust and tempered make-up air, the electrical service to carry it, suppression, and a ceiling and finish package designed around all of it. This is where most generic quotes go wrong. |
| Bubble tea, dessert and quick service | Small units where millwork, drainage and equipment lead times decide the opening date more than construction does. |
| Retail and mall units | Markville, Kennedy Road centres and Highway 7 plazas — storefronts, fixtures, signage and landlord fit-out review. |
| Office and flex space | Woodbine and Highway 404 business parks — demising, ceilings, HVAC distribution, meeting-room glazing and barrier-free washrooms. |
Hotpot restaurant constructionRestaurant constructionRetail fit-outsOffice and commercial TI
Approvals
Markham is in York Region, so food premises approvals run through York Region Public Health while building, fire and signage stay with the City of Markham. On ventilation-heavy concepts the mechanical review is the item that decides your schedule, and it is worth starting before the design is finalized rather than after.
| Approval | Who reviews it | When to start |
|---|---|---|
| Building permit | City of Markham, Building Standards | At drawing sign-off — it gates demolition |
| Zoning confirmation and business licensing | City of Markham | Before you commit to the space |
| Food premises plan review and pre-opening inspection | York Region Public Health | Plan review with the permit set; book the pre-opening walk about three weeks out |
| Fire and life safety review | Markham Fire and Emergency Services | Once suppression is installed and equipment is set |
| Sign permit | City of Markham | At lease signing — plus landlord sign-off in malls and plazas |
| Gas connections | TSSA | With the mechanical package |
| Liquor licence | AGCO | In parallel with construction |
Commercial kitchen ventilation and the codePermit coordination
Working in Markham
If your concept puts heat at the table — hotpot, Korean barbecue, grill-your-own — the ventilation design is not a detail, it is the project. Every seat needs exhaust, and every unit of exhaust needs tempered make-up air, and the combined electrical and gas load has to be carried by a service that was sized for a retail tenant. A quote that does not spell out how it is handling that is a quote that will change later.
The same applies to smaller Markham food units. Bubble tea and dessert concepts look simple, but drainage location, water capacity and equipment lead times routinely decide the opening date. We order long-lead items during permit review rather than after it, which is usually where the four weeks people lose actually go.
Our office is fifteen minutes away in Richmond Hill, so site walks in Markham happen the same week you call. Every project carries WSIB coverage, five million dollars in commercial general liability, and a one-year workmanship warranty.
Hotpot construction guideEquipment lead times in 2026All projects
Questions
Yes, and they are their own discipline. Per-table exhaust, tempered make-up air, the electrical and gas service to carry it, and suppression all have to be designed together. We size that at the drawing stage so the number you approve is the number you pay.
York Region Public Health reviews food premises plans and does the pre-opening inspection. The City of Markham handles the building permit, fire and life safety, and the sign permit.
Our office is in Richmond Hill, about fifteen minutes away, so site walks happen the same week you call and deficiency work does not wait for a free slot. That proximity is most of what a one-year workmanship warranty is worth in practice.
A written scope of work and an estimate within one business day, plus a schedule sequenced backward from the date you want to open. Bring the lease and any drawings and the number is a real one rather than a range.
4.9 on Google
Every review from a GTA operator we built for
“BuildUp handled the full build-out of our restaurant and I honestly couldn't have asked for a smoother process. Lev understood from day one how important it was to open on schedule, and he kept everything moving — permits, inspections, the kitchen, the dining area — without me having to chase anyone.”
Kamesh Parcha · via Google
Who you'll actually be dealing with
Lev walks the unit himself and writes the scope you get back — the same person stays on the job through to handover.
A written scope and a first read on budget within one business day of the walk.
Nothing is booked or billed until you say so. The site walk is free anywhere in the GTA.
WSIB clearance · $5M commercial liability · 1-year workmanship warranty · Mon–Fri 8am–6pm
Send one email with your property list or your next unit — we'll come back with certificates of insurance and a written quote.
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