Landscaping and hardscaping, Bradford West Gwillimbury

Landscaping in Bradford, Bond Head and Newton Robinson

Patios, walkways, retaining walls, grading and planting across Bradford West Gwillimbury, from the Bradford subdivisions to the edge of the Holland Marsh. Most builds start around $20,000. Send the form and an owner calls you back today.

  • ✓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 Bradford West Gwillimbury

Landscaping in Bradford West Gwillimbury covers very different ground, from new subdivisions in Bradford to farm lots around Bond Head and Newton Robinson and homes along the Holland Marsh. Much of the old West Gwillimbury township sits on clay laid down in a glacial lake, with sandier till on some of the hilltops, and that difference sets how deep a patio base goes and where the water drains. We look at both on your lot and give you a written price after the site visit.

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 Bradford West Gwillimbury: what changes here

Permits and locates

Bradford West Gwillimbury spans two watersheds, so a regulated lot answers to the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority or the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority, and the Town asks for that approval before it takes a full permit for a deck or a pool enclosure. Ontario Regulation 41/24 excepts an unenclosed, detached deck or patio of 15 square metres or less that stays out of a wetland or watercourse. Under the Building Code, 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, designed to Part 4. We prepare and file those permits for you.

The ground you are on

The Simcoe County soil survey maps Schomberg silty clay loam over much of West Gwillimbury, laid down in the bed of a glacial lake, stone-free, roughly half clay and about 15 feet deep on average. Porous, slightly stony Bondhead loam till sits on top of some hills and ridges, and the drumlin under Bond Head has clay within a few feet of its top. In the Holland Marsh the ground is organic muck behind 28 kilometres of dykes. We size the base and the drainage to the soil we find.

The rule that shapes the build

The Town's Fill and Site Alteration By-law, 2017-33, lets landscaping fill go in without a permit only when the ground rises 200 millimetres or less, the grade within 60 centimetres of every property line stays the same, the fill totals 200 cubic metres or less, and drainage is unchanged. Past that, a site alteration permit comes first, and work stops between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weekdays and all weekend unless the Town authorizes it in writing. We design grades to the exemption where the lot allows.

Communities we cover from here

BradfordBond HeadNewton RobinsonCoulson's HillHolland MarshDeerhurstDunkerronGreen ValleyPinkerton

How landscaping in Bradford West Gwillimbury 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 Bradford West Gwillimbury: your questions answered

Can a patio go near a Town tree in Bradford?

Not within 1.5 metres of its trunk. The Public Tree Protection By-law, 2024-27, bars patios, decks, walkways, sheds and retaining walls there, along with soil, gravel, stone or paving placed in that zone. We mark any Town tree at the site visit and keep the layout clear of it.

Can I add a pool or patio on a Holland Marsh property?

Often, with LSRCA approval. The whole Marsh sits in the Regional Storm flood plain of the West Holland River. LSRCA's guidelines allow an in-ground pool where no fill goes into the riverine flood plain and the electrical is flood proofed, and keep fill for accessory structures to a minimum. We plan the grades to fit.

Does the septic bed limit where a shed or pool goes in rural Bradford West Gwillimbury?

Yes. The Building Code keeps leaching bed piping at least 5 metres from any structure and 3 metres from a property line, and Town septic permits show the tank and tile bed with clearances on the site plan. We find the tank and bed first and lay out the pool, shed or patio clear of them.

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.

Ready to plan your build, Bradford West Gwillimbury?

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
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