Landscaping and hardscaping, Markham

Landscaping in Markham and Unionville

Ravine-lot walls in Unionville, compact patios in Cornell and Cathedraltown, and full outdoor living spaces in Angus Glen. Send the form and an owner calls you back today.

★★★★★5.0from 32 Google reviews

✓Same-day callback from an owner
✓Design meeting on your property, written quote after it
✓One crew, owners on site every day of the build

Get your free landscaping consult

A few quick questions. An owner calls you back today.

Prefer to talk? Call (705) 208-7121

5.0 on Google

32 reviews, most of them for yards and stone work

Owners on site

One or both owners on site every day of the build

Our own machines

Excavators and skid steers we own, so the base and the stone are one crew's work

Locates before every dig

Ontario Dig Authority locate filed before the machine arrives

Landscaping in Markham

Landscaping in Markham starts with the swale: the City designs each lot with a shallow two-foot swale to carry water off, and a new patio or wall keeps it working. Ravine lots in Unionville, compact yards in Cornell and Cathedraltown and larger lots in Angus Glen each ask for something different, from walls set back from a slope to full outdoor living. Our own machines compact the base, an owner runs the build, and we file the Ontario Dig Authority (formerly Ontario One Call) locate.

Patios, walkways and walls

The stone you walk on every day, laid on a base built to stay flat through a Kawartha winter.

✓Natural stone, flagstone and interlock patios
✓Walkways, front entrances and stone steps
✓Armour stone and block retaining walls
✓Pool surrounds
✓Grading, drainage and sod to finish the yard

Outdoor living

The pieces that turn a yard into the place everyone ends up on a summer night.

✓Fire pits and seating areas
✓Pergolas and privacy screens
✓Outdoor kitchens
✓Decks and fences

We run our own excavators and skid steers, so the base under your patio is dug, graded and compacted by the same crew that lays the stone. The base is what decides whether a patio stays flat through freeze and thaw.

Walls that need them get structural drawings and a permit before we dig, and every build ends with a walk-through and a written warranty contract.

Building yards in Markham: what changes here

Permits and locates

Markham's Site Alteration By-law 2011-232 generally does not apply to lots under one acre, but gardening on those lots cannot change the location, direction or elevation of a watercourse, swale or drainage ditch, and sediment runoff is to be controlled. Lots by water, on hazard lands or on the Oak Ridges Moraine go to the City first. Trees are the other permit. Under By-law 2023-164, any private tree 20 centimetres or more across at 1.37 metres takes a permit, whatever its health, and the City reviews within 45 days of payment. We file both.

The ground you are on

Under Markham's yards sit the sands, silts and till that the retreating ice sheet left behind, according to Parks Canada's notes on the Rouge. Silt holds water and lifts in a freeze, and TRCA puts impervious cover across the Rouge watershed at 29 percent, with more frequent and intense storms expected. So the patio gets a deeper compacted granular base, the joints and edges are set to shed water, and the grading sends runoff to the swale, away from the house and the neighbours.

The rule that shapes the build

Backing onto a ravine in Unionville or along the Rouge? TRCA counts filling, regrading, hardscape and retaining walls as development activity under Ontario Regulation 41/24, so landscaping inside its regulated area takes a TRCA permit. The application includes a grading and landscaping plan on the lot survey showing the top of slope, which TRCA confirms on a site visit; some lots need a study to set the stable top of slope. We prepare the plan and book the pre-consultation.

Communities we cover from here

Markham VillageUnionvilleCedar GroveLocust HillCornellBox GroveVictoria SquareButtonvilleMillikenAngus GlenBerczy VillageCathedraltown

How landscaping in Markham works, in four steps

First visit

We walk the property with you, talk through what you want, and give you rough numbers so you know where the project sits.

Design and quote

Our designer meets you on site and works through every detail. A 10% deposit locks the scope and materials, and the final quote is the exact price for the job.

Drawings and permits

Structural drawings where a wall needs them, permits filed, the schedule set.

Build and warranty

One or both owners on site every day. A final walk-through, the final invoice and a written warranty contract.

Recent builds

Stone fire pit and seating built by Thor Construction

Pergola and privacy screen built by Thor Construction

Front entrance stone work by Thor Construction

What our customers say

★★★★★5.0from 32 Google reviews

★★★★★

“Thor Construction company did some hardscaping for us in our backyard around the pool. Right from the start they were responsive, they worked with us on a design that was functional for the space and stayed within the agreed budget. Their work was fabulous!”

D 1072

Pool surround, hardscaping · Google review

★★★★★

“Thor construction company did a great job on my landscaping for my new home, great design idea for my garden and driveway and walkway plus patio thanks for the great job, we highly recommend them”

Jeremy Thorsen

New home, full landscaping · Google review

★★★★★

“Can't say enough about Thor Construction Company. They transformed my backyard space into a perfect little getaway; can't wait to host this summer! They were professional, hardworking bunch and I would recommend you chose this company for your backyard or landscaping needs...big or small!”

Matthew Tynkaluk

Backyard rebuild · Google review

Landscaping in Markham: your questions answered

Do I need a permit to take out a tree for a patio in Markham?

If its trunk is 20 centimetres or more across at 1.37 metres above the ground, yes, whatever its condition. Markham reviews tree permits within 45 days of payment and can require replacement planting or cash-in-lieu. A tree on the lot line needs your neighbour's consent too.

Can I regrade my backyard in Markham?

On a lot under one acre, generally without a site alteration permit, as long as the swale and any drainage ditch keep their location, direction and elevation and sediment stays on your lot. The City can make an owner restore a swale that was filled in. We grade to keep it working.

My lot backs onto a ravine. What changes?

TRCA's permit, before any fill, regrading, hardscape or retaining wall. It confirms the top of slope on a site visit, and some lots need a study to set the stable top of slope. We draw the patio and walls back from that line and file the application.

What do you build?

Patios and walkways in natural stone, flagstone and interlock, armour stone and block retaining walls, stone steps, pool surrounds, fire pits, pergolas and privacy screens, outdoor kitchens, decks and fences, plus the grading and sod that finish it.

How does pricing work?

The first visit gives you rough numbers. After the design meeting you get a detailed quote, a 10% deposit locks the scope and materials, and the final quote is the exact price for the job.

What size of project do you take on?

Most builds start around $20,000, from a patio and wall up to a full backyard at $150,000 and more.

When can you start?

One crew builds a limited number of yards each season. Designs signed over the winter are scheduled first for spring.

Do I need a permit?

Most patios and garden walls do not. A retaining wall over 1 metre of exposed height next to public property, access to a building, or private property the public is admitted to is a designated structure under the Ontario Building Code: it is designed to the Code's structural rules and takes a building permit, and we arrange the engineering. Anything close to the water needs the conservation authority's permit first. We check at the first visit.

Who is on site?

One or both of the owners, every day of the build, managing the job and keeping you and your neighbours in the loop.

Other areas and services

Every page has the local permit office, the ground and the rules for that area.

Landscaping in other towns

Other work near Markham

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Ready to plan your build, Markham?

Send the form and an owner calls you back today. Or call now and talk to the person who will dig the job.

Get your free landscaping consult

A few quick questions. An owner calls you back today.

Prefer to talk? Call (705) 208-7121

Thor Construction Company
Bobcaygeon, Ontario · Serving Central Ontario, north of the GTA

(705) 208-7121
jp@thorconstruction.ca

Call Now

Landscaping in Markham and Unionville

Landscaping in Markham

Patios, walkways and walls

Outdoor living

Building yards in Markham: what changes here

Permits and locates

The ground you are on

The rule that shapes the build

Communities we cover from here

How landscaping in Markham works, in four steps

Recent builds

What our customers say

Landscaping in Markham: your questions answered

Other areas and services

Landscaping in other towns

Other work near Markham

Ready to plan your build, Markham?

Services

Service areas

Ready to take the next step in your project?