Demolition contractor, Newmarket, Aurora and King

Demolition in King, Aurora and Newmarket

Old farmhouses, barns and garages on rural King properties, and whole-house teardowns before a rebuild in King City, Aurora and Newmarket. 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 Newmarket, Aurora and King

Demolition in King, Aurora and Newmarket means a building permit, a heritage register check and utility disconnects before any machine moves. We take down whole structures: farmhouses, barns and garages on rural King properties, houses and cottages ahead of a rebuild in King City, Aurora and Newmarket, and old pools. An owner runs each job on excavators we own. Debris is hauled away, the site is graded, and salvage is set aside on request, with the Ontario Dig Authority (formerly Ontario One Call) locate filed first.

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 Newmarket, Aurora and King: what changes here

Who issues the permit

Ontario's Building Code Act bars anyone from demolishing a building without a permit from the chief building official, which here means King's Building Division, Aurora's Building Division or Newmarket's Building Services. Newmarket charges a flat demolition fee per building, with a higher tier past 600 square metres; Aurora prices singles, semis, row houses and accessory structures as one class. Before work starts, section 30 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act has the owner determine which designated substances, such as asbestos, lead or mercury, are on site and give that list to the contractor. We file the permit and work to the list.

The ground and the access

Rural King lots often sit close to protected water. The moraine plan sets a minimum vegetation protection zone of 30 metres around wetlands, streams, seepage areas and kettle lakes, and 30 metres from the drip line of significant woodlands. Township mapping shows the Eaton Hall lakes wetland complex at King City, the largest and most diverse wetlands on the moraine, and the 35 wetlands of the Nobleton complex. On those lots we keep machines, debris piles and fill on the yard side of the old building.

The rule that shapes the job

Heritage listing changes the schedule. Under section 27 of the Ontario Heritage Act, the owner of a listed but undesignated property gives council at least 60 days' written notice before demolishing a building on it, if the listing came before the demolition permit application. King uses those 60 days to assess the loss, Council decides, and 41 King properties are designated. Newmarket has 93 designated properties plus 72 in the Lower Main Street South district, where demolition takes a heritage permit. Aurora takes a security deposit before issuing a demolition permit for a listed building.

Communities we cover from here

NewmarketAuroraKing CityNobletonSchombergKettlebyPottagevilleAnsnorveldtLloydtownLaskaySnowball

How demolition in Newmarket, Aurora and King 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 Newmarket, Aurora and King: your questions answered

Do I need a permit to demolish a barn in King?

Yes. The Building Code Act requires a demolition permit from the chief building official, and King lists demolition in its 2026 building fees. Filling the hole back to existing grade after a permitted demolition needs no separate site alteration permit in King or Aurora. We file the permit, haul the debris and backfill to grade.

Is my Aurora house on the heritage register?

Check before you plan a teardown. Aurora keeps a Register of Properties of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest, and a listed building's demolition permit carries a security deposit under the Town's fee by-law. Listed owners give Council 60 days' written notice under the Ontario Heritage Act. We check the register at the site visit.

Who disconnects hydro and gas before a demolition in Newmarket?

NT Power supplies electricity in Newmarket and Enbridge Gas supplies gas, so both disconnects go through them. Aurora is served by Alectra Utilities and Enbridge Gas, and King lists Hydro One and Enbridge as its utility contacts. We file the disconnect requests before the machine arrives.

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, Newmarket, Aurora and King?

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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