Demolition contractor, Minden and Minden Hills

House and cottage demolition in Minden Hills

Old cottages, houses, garages and outbuildings taken down and the site graded, from Minden village to Gull, Moore and Twelve Mile Lakes. Send the form and an owner calls you back today.

  • ✓Same-day callback from an owner
  • ✓Written price after the site visit
  • ✓Whole structures only: the crew that quotes it takes it down
Get your free demolition quote
A few quick questions. An owner calls you back today.
Prefer to talk? Call (705) 208-7121
32 reviews, every one five stars
Same-day callback
An owner calls you back and books the site visit
Owners on site
One crew. One of the two owners runs every job
Whole structures
Houses, cottages, barns, garages and pools. No interior tear-outs

Demolition in Minden and Minden Hills

House demolition in Minden Hills is usually the first step of a rebuild: an older cottage on Gull, Moore or Twelve Mile Lake comes down so a new one can go up. Shoreline rules decide how much of the lot can be disturbed while that happens, so the teardown gets planned around the new building. Thor brings its own machines up from Bobcaygeon, removes the structure and the foundation, backfills and grades, and keeps an owner on every job.

Houses, cottages and barns

A whole structure down and the site cleared: the house, cottage, barn or outbuilding comes down, the debris is hauled away and the lot is graded for whatever comes next.

  • ✓House and cottage demolition, single storey to multi-storey
  • ✓Barns, outbuildings, sheds and garages, including rural and cottage access
  • ✓Foundations and concrete pads broken out and removed
  • ✓Hydro, gas and water disconnections coordinated before we start
  • ✓Barn beams, barn board and brick set aside on request

Pools and site clean-up

In-ground or above-ground: the concrete or liner comes out, the hole is filled and compacted in lifts, and you get a yard ready for grass or a build.

  • ✓In-ground and above-ground pool removal
  • ✓Concrete break-out and haul-away
  • ✓Full or partial fill, compacted so the yard does not sink
  • ✓Final grade and topsoil
  • ✓Lot cleared and graded, ready for the next build

We run our own excavators and skid steers, so the teardown, the haul-away and the final grade are one crew's work, with an owner on every job.

We take whole structures down. We do not do interior tear-outs, kitchen or bathroom demo, or renovation prep. If you need a wall opened for a reno, we will point you to someone who does that work.

Demolition in Minden and Minden Hills: what changes here

Who issues the permit

The Building Code Act covers demolition as well as construction, so the teardown starts with a permit from the Township's building services. Before the work is tendered, Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety Act has the owner find out which designated substances are in the building and list them for the contractor; in older cottages that list often includes asbestos. Power and gas are cut at the source by the utilities, and a well that will no longer be used gets plugged and sealed under the Wells Regulation. We file the demolition permit and the locates.

The ground and the access

The County of Haliburton's Official Plan keeps development and site alteration, septic beds included, 30 metres back from the high water mark, with no disturbance of native soils and very limited removal of shoreline vegetation. On the Shield, an old cottage often sits on blocks or a short foundation over rock. We take the foundation out, fill the hole with clean imported material, and grade it so water sheds away from the new footprint.

The rule that shapes the job

The County's Shoreline Preservation By-law applies within 20 metres of the water in Minden Hills, and its FAQ says existing structures can be renovated or rebuilt with building permits from the local municipality. Everything around the building, the trees, the grade and the bank, still falls under the by-law, so equipment access and stockpiles stay out of the shoreline strip. We plan the route in at the site visit.

Communities we cover from here

MindenCarnarvonIrondaleGelertLochlinIngoldsbyHowlandLutterworthMoore's FallsGull LakeMoore LakeHorseshoe LakeTwelve Mile LakeMountain Lake

How demolition in Minden and Minden Hills works, in four steps

1
Tell us what needs to come down
Send the form or call. An owner calls you back the same business day and books the site visit.
2
An owner walks the site
We look at the structure, the access and what is underground, and hand you a written price after the visit.
3
Permit, utilities and the survey
We apply for the demolition permit, request the hydro, gas and water disconnections, and line up the designated substances check on older buildings.
4
Down, hauled and graded
The structure comes down, the debris is hauled away, the hole is filled and the ground is graded clean.

On the job

Thor Construction excavator loading demolition debris into a bin
Thor Construction excavator digging out a foundation
Thor Construction skid steer and excavator on a float trailer

What our customers say

★★★★★

“As a custom home builder, we love contracting Thor Construction Company for all of our demolition, excavation and septic work. They are easy to work with, have great equipment and know what they are doing. Our clients are always very happy with them.”

Ethan Bender
Custom home builder · Google review
★★★★★

“Hired Thor for complete site services including bringing utilities into my new build and digging for foundation. Once the build was complete they came back and finish landscaped the property and we couldn't be happier. Strongly recommend!”

Robert Bell
New build · Google review
★★★★★

“I had a work related project with them and I must say the guys are outstanding. Honest, reliable and straightforward. Highly Recommended!”

Peter Loudon
Local Guide · Google review

Demolition in Minden and Minden Hills: your questions answered

Can I tear down my cottage and rebuild near the water?

Rebuilding an existing structure goes through a building permit from Minden Hills, and the County says existing structures can be renovated or rebuilt that way. Clearing trees or regrading inside the 20 metre shoreline strip still follows the County by-law, so we keep the work zone tight.

What happens to the old well?

If it will not be used again, the Wells Regulation has the owner plug and seal it, following the steps in section 21.1. We time the teardown around that work.

Do I need an asbestos check first?

The owner is responsible for identifying designated substances before the job is tendered and listing them for the contractor. In an older cottage, have that survey done before demolition day.

Do you get the demolition permit?

Yes. Ontario's Building Code Act requires a permit to demolish a building, issued by your municipality's building department. We prepare the application and book the inspections.

Do I need to disconnect the utilities first?

Hydro, gas and water are disconnected and capped by the utilities before demolition starts, and many building departments ask to see that before they issue the permit. We make the requests and keep you posted.

What if the building has asbestos?

Under Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety Act, the owner of a project determines whether designated substances such as asbestos are present before work starts. On older buildings we line up that check, and anything found is removed by an abatement contractor before we demolish.

Is hauling the debris included?

Yes. Hauling the debris to proper disposal and recycling sites is part of the job and part of the written price you get after the site visit.

Do you do interior demolition?

No. We take whole structures down: houses, cottages, barns, garages and pools. For kitchen, bathroom or renovation tear-outs we will point you to someone who does that work.

Can I keep the barn beams or the brick?

Yes. Tell us at the site visit what you want saved, and we set beams, barn board or brick aside before the rest comes down.

Other areas and services

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

Ready to clear the site, Minden and Minden Hills?

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 demolition quote
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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