Maintenance and Repairs

To maintain the functionality, comfort, safety and sustainability of McMaster’s academic buildings, base maintenance services generally do not incur a cost for service. Typical maintenance items include the following: 

• Maintenance and repair of door locks and hardware 
• Routine painting of common areas and exterior of buildings 
• General building repairs such as lighting, plumbing repairs, electrical distribution issues, ceiling tiles, etc. 
• Maintenance of life safety systems such as fire extinguishers and fire detection systems 

Installing new features and refreshing spaces

Maintenance Services can install new features to spaces to make them more functional and beautiful. This can include projects like installing new doors and locks, window treatments, hanging artwork or whiteboards, adding shelving and coat hooks, installing new lighting, flooring, or painting spaces. Installing new features to existing spaces typically incurs a cost.  Costs incurred are for labour and materials only. Labour costs are charged $80 per hour for  items completed by our skilled trades staff (November 2022). 

Renovation projects

Maintenance Services can transform the function and look of interior spaces in academic buildings with complete renovation projects. Examples of our renovation projects include dividing or combining office spaces, removing walls to open spaces, developing collaboration spaces. Our team also renovates laboratories to specifications of researchers and instructors or installing specialized equipment.  

Renovation projects incur a cost. Where required, Maintenance Services will can provide an estimate for your renovation idea, however costs incurred are for actual labour and materials only.  

For high level budget planning, small projects involving dividing or combining offices, where minimal new services are required, costs are in the range of $55-$75 per square foot.

For high level budget planning, large projects involving complete renovation and/or repurposing of a space or lab where multiple service upgrades are required, costs are in the range of $110-$140 per square foot.

Depending on the scope of work a project may be redirected to Design and Construction, another team within Facility Services.