Landscaping and hardscaping, Keene and Otonabee-South Monaghan

Landscaping in Keene and Otonabee-South Monaghan

Patios, walkways, retaining walls and outdoor living for homes in Keene and cottages on the north shore of Rice Lake. Send the form and an owner calls you back today.

Get my free quote
Call (705) 208-7121
★★★★★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
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 Keene and Otonabee-South Monaghan

Landscaping in Keene and Otonabee-South Monaghan often ends at the water, on Rice Lake or the Otonabee River, and both are Trent-Severn waters under Parks Canada. The Township's plan asks for natural shoreline vegetation and stormwater controls along Rice Lake, worked out with Otonabee Conservation. Inland, the river floodplains hold fine sand and silt that stays damp, which changes how a patio base is built.

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 Keene and Otonabee-South Monaghan: what changes here

Permits and locates

OSM's Building Department screens each project for conservation authority and wetland requirements before it issues permits. Below the Trent-Severn's upper controlled navigation limit, Parks Canada handles the permit; above it, Otonabee Conservation reviews grading and fill in its regulated area. Around Keene's natural core area, the County plan allows an Environmental Impact Study or floodplain mapping to be required site by site. Every dig starts with a request to the Ontario Dig Authority (formerly Ontario One Call).

The ground you are on

The county soil survey maps Trent soils on fine sand and silt in the floodplains of the Otonabee and Trent Rivers, including Otonabee township, imperfectly drained on very gentle slopes. Up on the drumlins the till is firmer and drains better. Damp, silty ground takes a deeper compacted base and a clear path for water, sized at the site visit.

The rule that shapes the build

Rice Lake shoreline. OSM's Official Plan says development along Rice Lake may call for setbacks, keeping natural shoreline vegetation and stormwater controls, in consultation with Otonabee Conservation. So we keep hard surfaces back from the water, leave the native edge in place and plan where the runoff goes, before the stone is picked.

Communities we cover from here

KeeneBailieboroBensfortAssumptionIndian RiverLangSouth MonaghanStewart HallVilliersColdspringsRice LakeOtonabee River

How landscaping in Keene and Otonabee-South Monaghan 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 Keene and Otonabee-South Monaghan: your questions answered

Can I clear the weeds and cattails along my Rice Lake frontage?

Not the cattails. On Trent-Severn waters, Parks Canada does not permit removing emergent plants such as cattail, bulrush, pickerel weed or pond lily, and submerged plants need its permit. We plan the access path around them.

Is Rice Lake really part of the Trent-Severn?

Yes. Parks Canada's Lock 18 at Hastings is the last lock before boats enter Rice Lake, and below Peterborough the Otonabee is open navigation down to it. That is why a Parks Canada permit applies to work at the water.

Why does the County plan mention wild rice on Rice Lake?

Its background notes that building the Trent-Severn changed Rice Lake's water levels and contributed to the decline of the wild rice beds. It is one reason the shoreline edge is treated carefully today.

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

Landscapingin Bobcaygeon→Landscapingin Fenelon Falls→Landscapingin Lindsay→Landscapingin Buckhorn and Trent Lakes→Landscapingin Peterborough→Landscapingin Coboconk, Norland and Kinmount→Landscapingin Omemee, Bethany and Pontypool→Landscapingin Lakefield, Bridgenorth and Ennismore→Landscapingin Millbrook and Cavan Monaghan→Landscapingin Apsley and North Kawartha→Landscapingin Minden and Minden Hills→Landscapingin Wilberforce and Highlands East→Landscapingin Beaverton, Cannington and Sunderland→Landscapingin Port Perry and Scugog→Landscapingin Orillia, Severn and Ramara→Landscapingin Georgina, Sutton and Keswick→Landscapingin Mount Albert and East Gwillimbury→Landscapingin Oro-Medonte→Landscapingin Markham→Landscapingin Barrie and South Simcoe→Landscapingin Warsaw and Douro-Dummer→Landscapingin Cobourg and Port Hope→Landscapingin Bewdley, Gores Landing and Rice Lake→Landscapingin Bowmanville, Newcastle and Clarington→Landscapingin Haliburton and Dysart et al→Landscapingin Norwood and Havelock→Landscapingin Uxbridge→Landscapingin Campbellford and Trent Hills→Landscapingin Oshawa, Whitby and Brooklin→Landscapingin Stouffville→Landscapingin Gravenhurst and Bracebridge→Landscapingin Pickering and Ajax→Landscapingin Newmarket, Aurora and King→Landscapingin Bradford West Gwillimbury→Landscapingin Huntsville and Lake of Bays→Landscaping, every areaThe service page→

Other work near Keene and Otonabee-South Monaghan

Septic installationin Peterborough→Excavationin Peterborough and the Kawarthas→Shoreline restorationon Buckhorn and Chemong Lakes→Septic installationin Lakefield, Bridgenorth and Ennismore→Excavationin Lakefield, Bridgenorth and Ennismore→Shoreline restorationon Lovesick and Katchewanooka Lake→Septic installationin Millbrook and Cavan Monaghan→Excavationin Millbrook and Cavan Monaghan→Septic installationin Apsley and North Kawartha→Excavationin Apsley and North Kawartha→Shoreline restorationon Stony and Clear Lake→Septic installationin Warsaw and Douro-Dummer→Excavationin Warsaw and Douro-Dummer→Septic installationin Keene and Otonabee-South Monaghan→Excavationin Keene and Otonabee-South Monaghan→Septic installationin Norwood and Havelock→Excavationin Norwood and Havelock→Demolitionin Peterborough→Demolitionin Lakefield, Bridgenorth and Ennismore→Demolitionin Millbrook and Cavan Monaghan→Demolitionin Apsley and North Kawartha→Demolitionin Warsaw and Douro-Dummer→Demolitionin Norwood and Havelock→Demolitionin Keene and Otonabee-South Monaghan→Every area we coverMap and full list→

Ready to plan your build, Keene and Otonabee-South Monaghan?

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

Call (705) 208-7121
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
  • Bobcaygeon, Ontario

Services

Septic installation

Excavation

Landscaping

Hardscaping

Shoreline restoration

Demolition

Service areas

Bobcaygeon and Fenelon Falls

Lindsay and south Kawartha Lakes

Buckhorn and Trent Lakes

Peterborough and the Kawarthas

Haliburton and Minden

Orillia, Severn and Ramara

Barrie and South Simcoe

Muskoka: Gravenhurst, Bracebridge and Huntsville

Cobourg, Port Hope and Northumberland

Durham: Oshawa, Whitby, Pickering, Ajax, Clarington, Uxbridge and Port Perry

York: Markham, Stouffville, Newmarket, Aurora, King and Georgina

All service areas

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