Landscaping and hardscaping, Pickering and Ajax

Landscaping in Pickering and Ajax

Suburban patios and pool decks in Ajax and south Pickering, and terraced stone on estate and hamlet lots up north. Send the form and an owner calls you back today. 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 Pickering and Ajax

Landscaping in Pickering is exempt from the City's fill permit when it is minor gardening, landscaping or a pool for a home, except within 30 metres of a creek, pond or the lake. In Ajax and south Pickering that usually means a patio, walkway or pool surround; in Claremont, Whitevale and the estate streets, terraced stone and outdoor living on a bigger site. Our machines build the base, an owner is on the job, and the Ontario Dig Authority (formerly Ontario One Call) locate is filed.

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 Pickering and Ajax: what changes here

Permits and locates

Pickering's Fill and Topsoil Disturbance By-law exempts minor gardening, landscaping and residential pools, except within 30 metres of any body of water, where removing topsoil or placing fill takes a permit regardless. The City's Property Standards By-law 7887/21 has downspouts and sump discharge drain onto the property they come from, and the City advises keeping gardens off the fence-line channels that carry water between houses. We design the grading to fit both.

The ground you are on

In south Pickering and Ajax, TRCA describes the old Lake Iroquois shoreline as a band of sandy soil where coarse sand and gravel settled, with the plain to the south made mostly of clay, sloping gently to Lake Ontario. On the sand a patio base drains well. On the clay, water sits and the ground heaves, so the base goes deeper with compacted granular and the grade carries water away from the house.

The rule that shapes the build

On Oak Ridges Moraine lots mapped Landform Category 1, Pickering's by-law caps impervious surfaces at 15 percent of the site's net developable area, and at 20 percent in Category 2. Patios, walkways and pool decks count against that limit, along with the house and driveway. On a Claremont-area lot we total the hard surfaces first and use permeable or planted areas where the cap is tight.

Communities we cover from here

PickeringAjaxPickering VillageClaremontGreenwoodBroughamWhitevaleBalsamKinsaleCherrywoodGreen River

How landscaping in Pickering and Ajax 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 Pickering and Ajax: your questions answered

Do I need a permit for a patio in Pickering?

Usually not from the fill by-law, since minor landscaping is exempt. Within 30 metres of a creek, pond or the lake, the City's permit applies regardless, and conservation authority rules may too. We check the distance at the first visit.

Does a patio count against the moraine limits near Claremont?

Yes. On Landform Category 1 lands, impervious surfaces can cover no more than 15 percent of the net developable area, and 20 percent in Category 2. A patio, a pool deck and a walkway all count. We plan around the number.

Where can my downspouts and sump discharge go in Pickering?

Onto your own property, under the City's Property Standards By-law. The City also advises keeping gardens away from the fence-line channels between houses. We grade the yard and set the outlets to suit.

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 Keene and Otonabee-South Monaghan→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 Newmarket, Aurora and King→Landscapingin Bradford West Gwillimbury→Landscapingin Huntsville and Lake of Bays→Landscaping, every areaThe service page→

Other work near Pickering and Ajax

Septic installationin Beaverton, Cannington and Sunderland→Excavationin Beaverton, Cannington and Sunderland→Shoreline restorationon Lake Simcoe, east shore→Septic installationin Port Perry and Scugog→Excavationin Port Perry and Scugog→Shoreline restorationon Lake Scugog→Septic installationin Bowmanville, Newcastle and Clarington→Excavationin Bowmanville, Newcastle and Clarington→Septic installationin Uxbridge→Excavationin Uxbridge→Excavationin Oshawa, Whitby and Brooklin→Septic installationin Oshawa, Whitby and Brooklin→Septic installationin Pickering and Ajax→Excavationin Pickering and Ajax→Demolitionin Port Perry and Scugog→Demolitionin Beaverton, Cannington and Sunderland→Demolitionin Uxbridge→Demolitionin Bowmanville, Newcastle and Clarington→Demolitionin Oshawa, Whitby and Brooklin→Demolitionin Pickering and Ajax→Every area we coverMap and full list→

Ready to plan your build, Pickering and Ajax?

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

Ready to take the next step in your project?

Yes, I want a quote

About · Gallery · Blog · Careers · Contact · Privacy

Call Now