You’ve finally decided to renovate the kitchen. Or maybe this is the year you replace the windows, finish the basement, or tackle that bathroom that has looked dated for the past decade.
But wait – what about this so-called trade war going on with the US? Every day there’s another news story about tariffs being applied back and forth between Canada and the United States.
Steel. Aluminum. Lumber. Appliances. Flooring.
And suddenly you’re wondering: Is my renovation about to get a lot more expensive?
The short answer is that tariffs are affecting some renovation costs in Canada, but not all. So, before you put your renovation plans on hold, it’s important to understand a little more about how tariffs affect consumer prices, and the overall potential effect on your reno.
A 25% tariff on a particular product does not mean the cost of your entire renovation suddenly goes up 25%. Calculating the impact is a bit more complicated than that.
Canada and the United States buy an enormous amount from each other, and building materials are no exception.
Even products that appear to be Canadian may contain American-made components, while other materials may cross the border more than once during manufacturing and distribution.
That means tariffs can work their way into everything from steel and aluminum products to appliances, fasteners, and mechanical equipment.
Some of the largest increases we’ve seen at All Canadian Renovations include things like some types of flooring (depending on the manufacturer’s shipping location), windows, and doors. But these increases don’t affect every project the same way. The majority of the windows and doors that ACR utilizes in our projects are made right here in Winnipeg. However, some of the components of these products are imported from the US. – certain metals, and other building components may be imported. But this only affects a small portion of the finished product!
In other words, your $40,000 renovation isn’t suddenly a $50,000 renovation!
Imagine you’re planning a $40,000 main-floor renovation. That budget will likely include demolition, carpentry, electrical work, plumbing, drywall, painting, cabinetry, flooring, fixtures, permits, disposal, and project management.
Now let’s say you’ve fallen in love with a vinyl tile floor that would normally have cost $2,500, but it happens to be one of the products hit by 25% tariffs – unfortunately, that’s going to add $625 to the price, bringing it to $3,125.
But that brings your entire renovation cost from $40,000 to $40,625 – an overall increase of only 1.6%!
Great news? No. Worthy of cancelling your entire renovation project? We also think ‘no’.
You might not even see the full 25% added to the retail price.
All Canadian Renovations has a number of high-quality professional suppliers for the building materials we use. Many of these suppliers keep a strong inventory of their supplies, often purchased before the tariffs took effect. So, tariffs can’t be applied retroactively once they’re already here in Winnipeg.
Also, some manufacturers and retailers might absorb part of the additional costs from the tariffs as a way to retain loyal customers.
Our Design Team at ACR will work with you to find Canadian alternatives to some of the materials and design elements you want; or to source comparable products that might be available from countries unaffected by tariffs.
Which Renovations Could Feel It Most?
The more manufactured and imported products your renovation requires, the more opportunities there are for tariffs to affect the final price.
Think about a kitchen. It might include new appliances, cabinet hardware, sinks, faucets, lighting, flooring, and other manufactured products.
A bathroom can involve imported tile, plumbing fixtures, shower components, hardware, and lighting.
A major addition might require structural steel, roofing, fasteners, windows, doors, and considerably more material overall.
That doesn’t mean all of these products are suddenly more expensive. It means where a product comes from matters more than it did before, and the more manufactured and processed it is (vs. things like framing lumber), the more likely the product could be affected.
Can Buying Canadian Help?
Possibly — and this may become one of the more interesting changes to come out of the trade dispute.
Canadian contractors and suppliers have been looking for alternative sources for products affected by tariffs, including Canadian manufacturers.
That doesn’t necessarily mean Canadian-made products will always be cheaper. Price, availability and quality still vary considerably.
But it does mean homeowners may have more reason to ask a simple question: ‘Is there a Canadian-made alternative?’
And sometimes the Canadian product may actually be the better choice regardless of tariffs, keeping in mind that ACR will never recommend a product that we don’t believe is up to our quality standards.
Back to the Burning Question: Should You Renovate Now or Wait?
Our professional opinion? There’s never going to be a ‘perfect’ time to renovate – prices can go up, prices can come down; one material can become more expensive while another becomes cheaper.
In fact, recent data shows exactly that. While metal-related construction materials have been increasing in price, some wood, plastic, and composite construction costs have actually declined.
So, our advice is to plan carefully and move forward with the best information you can gather, with our promise that that All Canadian Renovations will always offer honest and genuine guidance with your best interests in mind.
We’ll give you a written estimate, help you to make major product selections early, and research comparable alternatives if a particular product suddenly increases in price or becomes difficult to obtain.
Renovating Has Always Involved Making Choices.
Do you spend more on the countertop or the cabinets? Replace the flooring or refinish it? Choose the super fancy showerhead, or go with a more standard option? Open up the entire main floor or work within the existing layout?
Tariffs have simply added another variable.
The good news is that homeowners don’t have to become international trade experts to renovate their homes. That’s what we’re here for.
At All Canadian Renovations, we help Winnipeg homeowners look at the whole project — not just today’s price of lumber, steel or flooring. That means choosing materials appropriate for Manitoba homes, identifying practical alternatives where they make sense, and developing a renovation plan that balances budget, appearance, performance, and long-term value.
Tariffs may change the price of some of the materials going into your home, but they don’t change the fundamentals of a good renovation.
Plan carefully. Choose wisely. And build something you’ll be happy with long after today’s tariff headlines are gone.
Give us a call.