Demolition contractor, Norwood and Havelock

Demolition contractor in Norwood and Havelock

Village house, farmhouse, barn and lake cottage teardowns across Asphodel-Norwood and Havelock-Belmont-Methuen. 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 Norwood and Havelock

Work for a demolition contractor in Norwood and Havelock crosses a township line. Norwood and Westwood are in Asphodel-Norwood, while Havelock, Belmont and Methuen form their own township, and each runs its own building department and permit. In Norwood village, the Ouse River floodplain decides how the hole gets filled; up toward Belmont and Kasshabog Lake, the rock does. You get a written price after the site visit, and the permit is filed with the right township 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 Norwood and Havelock: what changes here

Who issues the permit

Asphodel-Norwood states plainly that no one constructs or demolishes a building without first getting its permit, applied for on the provincial Application for a Permit to Construct or Demolish. Havelock-Belmont-Methuen takes applications through Cloudpermit, and its building by-law has every demolition application include proof that the termination and capping of water, sewer, gas, electric, telephone and other services has been arranged with the proper authorities. Where the Building Code's engineer rule applies, the method and time schedule of the demolition go in too. On either side, section 30 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act has the owner list designated substances such as asbestos before a contract.

The ground and the access

Two landscapes meet here. Near Norwood, the Ontario Geological Survey traces the Norwood Esker, standing 10 to 25 metres above the land around it along a tunnel valley, and the county soil survey maps Long soils in Asphodel: stony till on limestone 30 to 75 centimetres down. In Methuen the same survey finds weathered granite gneiss at about 30 centimetres and hard rock at 40. Village basements in till dig out cleanly, while cottage footings on that gneiss break off the rock and the pad is levelled with imported fill.

The rule that shapes the job

Ouse River floodway. The County Official Plan puts a significant part of Norwood inside the Ouse River's regulatory floodplain, split into a floodway and a flood fringe. Inside the floodway, placing or removing fill of any kind is prohibited without Otonabee Conservation's written approval, and any redevelopment there is flood-proofed under a site plan agreement with the Township. Filling an old basement in the floodway therefore starts with that written approval, which we request before the teardown is booked.

Communities we cover from here

NorwoodWestwoodBirdsallHavelockCordova MinesBlairtonRockdaleRound LakeBelmont LakeKasshabog LakeOak LakeOuse RiverTrent River

How demolition in Norwood and Havelock 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 Norwood and Havelock: your questions answered

Where does demolition debris from Norwood go?

The Asphodel-Norwood Transfer Station at 187 County Road 40 accepts construction and demolition materials from Township residents, who show photo ID at the gate. Bigger loads from anywhere in the county can go to the Peterborough Waste Management Facility on Bensfort Road. We match each load to the right site when we price the job.

Which conservation authority covers a Havelock-area lot?

Mostly Crowe Valley Conservation, which covers most of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen. In 2022 the Township asked Lower Trent Conservation to take on about 29.55 square kilometres in the south that had no conservation authority at all, and Asphodel-Norwood sits with Otonabee Conservation. We confirm which one maps your lot first.

Will the Township want a fence around the teardown?

Only if the Chief Building Official decides the site presents a particular hazard to the public. Havelock-Belmont-Methuen's building by-law then allows an order for fencing at least 1.2 metres and at most 1.8 metres high. On a village lot beside the sidewalk, we plan for it from the start.

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, Norwood and Havelock?

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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