Landscaping and hardscaping, Barrie and South Simcoe

Landscaping in Barrie and South Simcoe

Patios, walkways, retaining walls and outdoor living for homes in Barrie, Innisfil, Midhurst, Minesing and Angus. 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 Barrie and South Simcoe

Landscaping in Barrie and South Simcoe is mostly backyards on newer lots, plus larger rural properties in Springwater and Essa. Grading rules decide a lot here: Innisfil lists site preparation for landscaping among the work that takes a site alteration permit, and Springwater limits how much a yard can be raised without one. The usual asks are a patio off the back door, steps on a sloped lot, and a wall that levels part of the yard, all built on Thor's machines 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 Barrie and South Simcoe: what changes here

Permits and locates

Innisfil names importing or exporting fill, changing grades, removing topsoil and site preparation for landscaping as work that takes a site alteration permit unless exempt. Near Lake Simcoe and its streams, the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority permits site grading and any structure in its regulated areas. On the Nottawasaga side, the NVCA says a permit is always required before shoreline work in its regulated area, and its interactive property map shows whether a lot is regulated. Ontario Dig Authority (formerly Ontario One Call) locates go in first. We file every application.

The ground you are on

West of Barrie, the Nottawasaga River gathers the Boyne, the Pine and Innisfil Creek before flowing through the Minesing Wetlands, which the NVCA describes as internationally significant. The wetlands hold floodwater like a sponge and release it slowly, and floods there can come in any season, from spring melt to winter ice jams. Yards on low ground near those creeks stay wet long after the snow goes, so the patio base is built thicker and drained.

The rule that shapes the build

Springwater exempts lawn dressing and landscaping from its fill permit only when the ground rises no more than 200 millimetres, the grade within 60 centimetres of any property line stays as it is, no swale or ditch moves, and no more than 300 cubic metres of fill comes in a year. We design to those limits where we can, so most Springwater yards go ahead without a fill permit, and we file one when a build goes past them.

Communities we cover from here

BarrieInnisfilAlconaStroudCookstownSpringwaterMidhurstMinesingElmvaleAnten MillsEssaAngusThorntonUtopia

How landscaping in Barrie and South Simcoe 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 Barrie and South Simcoe: your questions answered

Is my yard in a conservation authority regulated area?

Check the map first. The NVCA's interactive property map covers the Nottawasaga side, and the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority has its own regulation map viewer for the lake side. We look up your lot before the first visit.

Do floods reach yards near Minesing?

They can. The NVCA lists spring melt, summer and fall storms, and winter snowmelt or ice jams as flood triggers, and the Minesing Wetlands spread high water across the land. We set patios and walls with that in mind on low lots.

Do I need a permit to regrade for a patio in Innisfil?

Often, yes. Innisfil lists changing grades and site preparation for landscaping among the work that takes a site alteration permit unless the by-law exempts it. We book the Town's consultation and file the permit.

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 Barrie and South Simcoe

Septic installationin Barrie→Excavationin Barrie and South Simcoe→Demolitionin Barrie and South Simcoe→Septic installationin Bradford West Gwillimbury→Excavationin Bradford West Gwillimbury→Demolitionin Bradford West Gwillimbury→Shoreline restorationon Lake Simcoe west shore→Every area we coverMap and full list→

Ready to plan your build, Barrie and South Simcoe?

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 Barrie and South Simcoe

Landscaping in Barrie and South Simcoe

Patios, walkways and walls

Outdoor living

Building yards in Barrie and South Simcoe: 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 Barrie and South Simcoe works, in four steps

Recent builds

What our customers say

Landscaping in Barrie and South Simcoe: your questions answered

Other areas and services

Landscaping in other towns

Other work near Barrie and South Simcoe

Ready to plan your build, Barrie and South Simcoe?

Services

Service areas

Ready to take the next step in your project?