Plumbing in Don Mills

Don Mills housing and pipes

The original Don Mills plan grouped homes into four quadrants around the town centre, with curving streets, green spaces and a mix of bungalows, split-levels and modernist homes. Many still have their low, wide profiles, flat or shallow roofs, large windows and carports. Later decades added townhouses, apartments and infill.

Plumbing in the original houses reflects early 1950s practice: cast-iron drains under slabs, clay laterals to the street, copper or galvanized supply and floor drains in basements or crawl spaces. Some homes were built on slabs or with partial basements, which affects where drains run.

Common calls here

• Slow or blocked main drains on long laterals in the deep lots.
• Replacing original copper that has pinholed after decades of service. See leak detection.
• Water heater venting changes after furnace upgrades.
• Bathroom renovations in mid-century homes with unusual layouts.

Flooding and sewers

Don Mills sits beside the East Don valley and the ravines that run through the area. Some streets slope down toward them, and older homes connected weeping tiles to the sanitary sewer.

Slab and crawl-space houses here often have no floor drain at all, so protection looks different: a sump where groundwater collects, and careful grading.

Getting to Don Mills

Don Mills is reached from the Don Valley Parkway, Lawrence Avenue East and Don Mills Road. Tell us your quadrant and nearest cross street when you call.