Why it matters
This is the most useful thing a buyer can understand before they walk a house. A refresh that keeps every pipe and wire exactly where it is needs no permit, involves no trades beyond a fitter and a finisher, and lands at the bottom of the range. The moment the sink moves, the fridge moves to where a wall was, or the range crosses the room to a new island, you are into a different job entirely: new drain runs, new vent stack work, new circuits, permits, inspections, and drywall. The numbers are precise enough to plan with. Relocating a plumbing fixture costs $2,500 to $5,000 per line. Taking out a load-bearing wall costs $2,000 to $10,000 once you include the engineer's letter, the permit, and the beam. Add two fixture moves and a wall to a mid-range kitchen and you have added the cost of a whole bathroom before you have chosen a single tile.
How to spot it
Look at the plumbing wall. In listing photos, the sink is nearly always on an exterior wall under a window, or against a wet wall shared with a bathroom above. If the kitchen you want has an island sink and this one does not, that is a fixture move. Count the doorways: a closed-off galley kitchen in a 1960s home becomes an open-plan kitchen only by removing a wall, and in a house of that era that wall is very often carrying the floor above.
What it costs
GTA, 2026: $2,500 to $5,000 per fixture relocated; $2,000 to $10,000 for a load-bearing wall, engineering and permits included.
What to do
Monitor. Ask yourself the only question that matters: does the layout work? If yes, you are pricing a refresh. If no, price the moves separately and add them, and add 15 to 20 percent contingency on top.
Education and triage, not a home inspection. Casaroo can see a layout from your photos. Only a structural engineer can tell you whether a wall is load-bearing, and only a contractor can price the drain run. We flag; we don't inspect.