Questions We Get Asked

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VEST – Value Engineering Solutions and Technology Corp. is a multi-discipline engineering consultancy that takes commercial spaces from first sketch to opening day. We provide building assessments, conceptual design, complete structural, mechanical and electrical design packages, building permit applications, project management, and value engineering and procurement for restaurants, franchise brands and retailers across Canada. Hire us for one piece of the project or the whole cycle.

No. Quick-service restaurants are where we have the deepest track record, since our founder has led the design and construction of more than 200 restaurant locations across Canada since 2019, but the same disciplines apply to any commercial tenant fit-out: cafés and full-service restaurants, retail stores, clinics, offices and franchise concepts of every kind. If the project has a lease, a landlord and a permit, we can help.

A building assessment is a site review done before you commit to a space. We check the things "restaurant-ready" listings tend to leave out: electrical service size, gas capacity, existing HVAC and where a kitchen exhaust can actually run, plumbing and grease interceptor, roof structure for new rooftop units, barrier-free access, and whether the change of use will trigger upgrades. You get a short report with a realistic scope and budget, so you negotiate the lease and the landlord's work with facts instead of assumptions. A few hours of engineering here routinely saves tens of thousands of dollars later.

Value engineering is a structured review of a design to deliver the same function, quality and code compliance at a lower total cost, not simply "cheaper." In a restaurant that can mean sizing the exhaust hood and make-up air to the actual cooking line rather than a generic number, choosing HVAC equipment on lifecycle cost, reusing existing services instead of replacing them, or standardising a specification across a multi-site program so every location is quoted the same way. It is the "VE" in VEST, and it is built into every design we produce.

For most interior fit-outs in an existing building, the municipality requires permit drawings prepared by a qualified designer, and the structural, mechanical and electrical work must be designed and sealed by a licensed professional engineer. Whether a licensed architect must also be involved depends on the building's size, occupancy and scope under the Architects Act. VEST is a P.Eng.-led firm; where an architect's seal is required, we bring a partner architect onto the team and stay your single point of contact.

A complete application typically includes a key plan, existing and proposed floor plans, a demolition plan, a code data matrix and life-safety plan, reflected ceiling plan, sections and details, barrier-free washroom layout, fire-separation details, mechanical drawings (HVAC, kitchen exhaust and make-up air, plumbing and grease interceptor), electrical drawings, an equipment schedule, and the completed application forms with designer information. Incomplete sets are the most common reason a first submission is returned.

The Ontario Building Code sets review targets for complete applications: 10 business days for houses, 15 for small buildings, 20 for large buildings and 30 for complex buildings. A restaurant is an assembly occupancy, so it is reviewed in the large-building stream. In practice, plan for 6 to 12 weeks from submission to permit once comments and resubmissions are counted, and longer where zoning, change of use or landlord approvals are involved. A complete, coordinated drawing set on day one is the biggest lever you have on that timeline.

Usually, yes. Any change to the layout, exits, fire separations, plumbing, HVAC, kitchen exhaust or electrical service requires a building permit. A new or relocated hood is shown on the mechanical drawings and reviewed as part of that permit, not as a separate application; the fire department signs off the hood and its suppression system before opening. Purely cosmetic work, such as paint, flooring or millwork with no change to services, generally does not need a permit. Converting a space that was not previously a restaurant is a change of use and always does.

Landlord design approval, a sign permit, ESA electrical and TSSA gas inspections, the public health pre-opening inspection, fire department sign-off on the hood suppression and alarm, and, where they apply, site plan or zoning approval, an AGCO liquor licence and a municipal business licence. We map these at the start of the project and file the slow ones early so they finish while construction is under way.

It means we sit on your side of the table. VEST does not build, does not sell equipment and does not take a margin on the contractor's work, so our advice on scope, budget and bids carries no conflict of interest. Our founder spent years as Director of Construction for a national franchisor, reviewing consultants' drawings, tendering to contractors and answering to franchisees on opening dates, and VEST is built around that perspective.

Fixed fees per scope, quoted before we start. Each service is priced separately, so you can hire us for a building assessment only, a permit package only, or the full cycle, and you know the number before you commit. Our proposals state what is included, what is excluded and the fixed price of common additional services, so there are no surprises mid-project. For multi-site programs we offer a per-location rate.

As the coordinator. We issue drawings your contractor can price and build from without a stack of RFIs, we answer municipal comments directly, we deal with your landlord's consultants on base-building conditions, and where an architect leads the project we act as their structural, mechanical and electrical engineer. One accountable contact for the whole team.

With a sound space and a responsive landlord, a typical quick-service restaurant runs about four to six months: three to five weeks for design and drawings, six to twelve weeks for the permit, and eight to twelve weeks of construction, with equipment procurement running in parallel. Change of use, structural work, undersized services or a slow landlord approval can add a month or more. The building assessment is where most of those risks get identified.

Across Canada. VEST is based in Halton Hills, Ontario, and is led by a licensed Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) with licenses in multiple provinces, with more added as clients expand. We carry professional liability (errors and omissions) insurance, and every drawing we issue is sealed by the responsible engineer. Most of the work is delivered remotely, since drawings, permit submissions and municipal correspondence are electronic in nearly every jurisdiction, with site visits at the assessment and at key construction milestones.

Send us the address, the landlord's drawings or lease outline if you have them, and your equipment list or concept. We come back within two business days with a scope and fixed fee, or a recommendation to start with a building assessment. Email info@vestengineering.ca.