Demolition contractor, Markham

House demolition in Markham and Unionville

Knock-downs for new custom homes in Unionville and Markham Village, and tired farm buildings in the hamlets toward Dickson Hill and Almira. 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
  • ✓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 Markham

House demolition in Markham starts with a heritage question: any demolition permit that affects a property on the City's Register of Property of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest is circulated to Heritage Markham. We take down houses, garages and outbuildings for rebuilds in Unionville and Markham Village and on hamlet lots, using our own machines with an owner on the job. Paperwork comes first: the permit, the utility disconnects and the Ontario Dig Authority (formerly Ontario One Call) locate, all filed for you.

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 Markham: what changes here

Who issues the permit

A demolition permit comes from the City of Markham under the Building Code, on the provincial application to construct or demolish. Before the work is tendered, Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety Act has the owner determine which designated substances are on site and give that list to the contractor, and asbestos removal follows O. Reg. 278/05. The electricity and gas utilities that serve the property disconnect first. On a hamlet lot with a private well, the well is plugged and sealed under the Wells Regulation. We line all of it up before the machine arrives.

The ground and the access

Once the house is down, the basement becomes a hole that has to be filled right. Markham's site alteration rules single out one job: on lots over one acre, simply filling a hole back to the original grade after a structure comes out is the only work exempt from a Site Alteration Permit. We break out the footings and slab, backfill with clean material in compacted lifts so the new foundation is not sitting on soft fill, and leave the lot graded for the rebuild.

The rule that shapes the job

Markham's Official Plan aims to avoid demolishing significant heritage resources on the Register. Designated properties and those in heritage conservation districts need Ontario Heritage Act approval on top of the City's permit, and the City can prosecute anyone who demolishes a listed property without first giving written notice. Where a significant building does come down, the City can require documentation, salvage advertising or relocation, including to the Markham Heritage Estates subdivision.

Communities we cover from here

Markham VillageUnionvilleThornhillCedar GroveLocust HillDickson HillAlmiraVictoria SquareButtonvilleBox Grove

How demolition in Markham 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 Markham: your questions answered

Do I need a permit to demolish a house in Markham?

Yes, a City demolition permit under the Building Code. If the property is on the heritage Register, the application also goes to Heritage Markham. We file it and keep the schedule moving.

My house is on Markham's heritage Register. Can it come down?

Sometimes, but not quickly. A listed property needs written notice of the intent to demolish, and a designated one needs Ontario Heritage Act approval. The City can ask for documentation, salvage or relocation first. We check the Register before quoting.

What happens to the well on a Locust Hill lot?

Markham's hamlets run on private wells and septic. An unused well is plugged and sealed under the Wells Regulation, by a qualified well contractor who files the well record. We schedule the teardown around it.

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.

Demolition in other towns

Demolitionin Bobcaygeon and Fenelon Falls→Demolitionin Coboconk, Norland and Kinmount→Demolitionin Lindsay and Kawartha Lakes→Demolitionin Omemee, Bethany and Pontypool→Demolitionin Buckhorn and Trent Lakes→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→Demolitionin Minden and Minden Hills→Demolitionin Haliburton and Dysart et al→Demolitionin Wilberforce and Highlands East→Demolitionin Campbellford and Trent Hills→Demolitionin Bewdley, Gores Landing and Rice Lake→Demolitionin Cobourg and Port Hope→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→Demolitionin Georgina, Sutton and Keswick→Demolitionin Mount Albert and East Gwillimbury→Demolitionin Stouffville→Demolitionin Orillia, Severn and Ramara→Demolitionin Oro-Medonte→Demolitionin Barrie and South Simcoe→Demolitionin Gravenhurst and Bracebridge→Demolitionin Newmarket, Aurora and King→Demolitionin Bradford West Gwillimbury→Demolitionin Huntsville and Lake of Bays→Demolition, every areaThe service page→

Other work near Markham

Septic installationin Georgina, Sutton and Keswick→Excavationin Georgina, Sutton and Keswick→Landscapingin Georgina, Sutton and Keswick→Septic installationin Mount Albert and East Gwillimbury→Excavationin Mount Albert and East Gwillimbury→Landscapingin Mount Albert and East Gwillimbury→Excavationin Markham→Landscapingin Markham→Septic installationin Stouffville→Excavationin Stouffville→Landscapingin Stouffville→Septic installationin Markham→Septic installationin Newmarket, Aurora and King→Excavationin Newmarket, Aurora and King→Landscapingin Newmarket, Aurora and King→Shoreline restorationon Lake Simcoe south shore→Every area we coverMap and full list→

Ready to clear the site, Markham?

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 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
  • (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