Service areaEast Markham
Cornell: Neighbourhood Notes
Cornell was planned as a walkable community with laneway garages, front porches and a mix of houses and townhomes. Built mostly since the late 1990s, its plumbing is newer but has its own quirks.
Snow-covered suburban neighborhood with houses and trees in a scenic winter landscape.
- Plumbers who know the pipes under Cornell homes
- Drains, leaks, water heaters and sump pumps handled
- Talked to the shut-off on the phone if water is running
- Call-only: no forms, no call-back queue
- Licensing details confirmed when you call
- Residential
- Commercial
- Markham & York Region
Typical plumbing faults in local homes
- Coach house units over garages with plumbing in cold spaces.
- Shared walls in townhouses, where leaks can come from next door.
- PEX supply systems with manifold valves in the basement.
- Sump pumps working hard in clay soil after storms.
- Power-vented water heaters, often rentals.
A different kind of suburb
Cornell follows new urbanist planning: rear lanes, narrow lots, coach houses over garages, and homes close to the sidewalk. The Markham Stouffville Hospital sits at its edge. Housing ranges from detached homes to stacked townhouses and condos, with many built in the 2000s and 2010s.
Coach houses and laneway units
Many lots include a second unit above the garage. The water and drain lines to that unit run through or under the garage, which is unheated in winter. If insulation is thin or a garage door is left open on a cold night, those lines can freeze. Heat tape, better insulation and a dedicated shut-off for the unit help.
Townhouse leaks
In stacked and row townhomes, a stain on your ceiling may be from your own bathroom or from the unit beside you. We trace the source with moisture meters before opening walls, and we can talk to the condo corporation or neighbour if the leak is not yours.
From the van: Locate your PEX manifold. It lets you shut off one fixture without turning off the whole house.
Local note. Coach houses over garages have pipes in cold spaces, and those freeze first in a deep cold snap.
Service area
We cover Cornell from Highway 7 north to 16th Avenue and from Ninth Line east to Donald Cousens Parkway, including the newer streets on the eastern edge.