Landscaping and hardscaping, Oro-Medonte

Landscaping in Oro-Medonte

Patios, walkways, retaining walls and outdoor living for homes and cottages from the Lake Simcoe shore at Shanty Bay and Hawkestone to Bass Lake and Horseshoe Valley. Send the form and an owner calls you back today.

  • ✓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
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 Oro-Medonte

Landscaping in Oro-Medonte ranges from Lake Simcoe and Bass Lake waterfront to large lots on the Oro Moraine. Its Official Plan prizes an open, natural, rural character over built-up landscaped yards, and the rules near water follow. Lakefront yards at Shanty Bay and Hawkestone usually call for a patio and steps set back from the shore, while moraine lots near Horseshoe Valley want walls and terraces that work with the slope. Thor sets the base under all of it, with an owner on every job.

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 Oro-Medonte: what changes here

Permits and locates

Oro-Medonte sits in two conservation authorities. In the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority's regulated areas, site grading, placing fill, building any structure and altering a shoreline take its permit. The Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority regulates land near rivers, streams, wetlands and valleylands, and its applications go through its online portal, with email applications no longer accepted from September 1, 2026. A locate request to Ontario Dig Authority (formerly Ontario One Call) comes before any digging. We handle both.

The ground you are on

At the foot of the Oro Moraine, groundwater discharges into provincially significant wetlands and gives Bass Lake its base flow. Along Lake Simcoe at Shanty Bay and Hawkestone, the Shoreline designation covers lots built up for permanent and seasonal homes close to the water. Both mean wet ground low on the lot and a slope up to the house. The base under a patio here is built to drain, so meltwater from the slope passes through instead of lifting the stone.

The rule that shapes the build

The Official Plan calls tree cover on the shoreline important to the integrity of the shoreline. The Zoning By-law carries a setback from the high water mark for all new development on Lake Simcoe and Bass Lake, additions and renovations included, with boathouses the exception. That setback decides where a patio, an outdoor kitchen or a pergola can sit. We check the zoning for your lot before the first sketch and design around the trees that hold the bank.

Communities we cover from here

Shanty BayHawkestoneOro StationHorseshoe ValleyCraighurstWarminsterSugarbushMoonstoneJarrattRugbyEdgarGuthrieForest HomePrices Corners

How landscaping in Oro-Medonte works, in four steps

1
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.
2
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.
3
Drawings and permits
Structural drawings where a wall needs them, permits filed, the schedule set.
4
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

★★★★★

“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 Oro-Medonte: your questions answered

How long does a conservation authority permit take?

The Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority checks that an application is complete within 21 days, then targets a decision within 30 days for a minor permit and 90 days for a major one. We file early so the build date holds.

Is my yard inside the Oro Moraine Planning Area?

Possibly, even if you are off the moraine itself. The Official Plan draws the planning area generally 500 metres out from the edge of the moraine, and all development inside it falls under Site Plan Control. We check Schedule A for your lot at the first visit.

Can you build next to Lake Simcoe at Shanty Bay?

Yes, behind the Zoning By-law's setback from the high water mark, and with the conservation authority's permit where the yard sits in its regulated area. We measure both on site and lay the stone work out to fit.

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.

Ready to plan your build, Oro-Medonte?

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
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