Demolition contractor, Oshawa, Whitby and Brooklin

House demolition in Oshawa, Whitby and Brooklin

Teardowns for rebuilds on city lots, and old houses, garages and barns on the rural edges around Raglan, Columbus and Ashburn. 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 Oshawa, Whitby and Brooklin

House demolition in Oshawa begins with a signed notice to disconnect services: the City wants the electricity, gas, phone, water and sewer agencies to sign off before it issues the permit. In Oshawa, Whitby and Brooklin the job is often a teardown before a rebuild; out toward Raglan, Columbus and Ashburn, an old house, garage or barn. An owner is on site while our machines work, and the Ontario Dig Authority (formerly Ontario One Call) locate and the paperwork are handled 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 Oshawa, Whitby and Brooklin: what changes here

Who issues the permit

Oshawa's demolition package asks for the application to construct or demolish, a site plan, a demolition information form, an environmental waiver and a notice to disconnect signed by Oshawa PUC Networks for electricity, Enbridge Gas, Bell and Durham Region Works. Durham's note on that form: the demolisher plugs the sanitary and storm sewer connections, and the water is shut at the curb stop and the meter removed. The Building Code calls for a professional engineer's review if the building is over 3 storeys or 600 square metres, or the demolition goes below a neighbour's footings. In Whitby, the Town issues the permit.

The ground and the access

Older Oshawa properties sometimes carry a buried fuel tank. The City's package requires tanks, pipelines and equipment that hold fuel to be removed under the rules of the Technical Standards and Safety Authority, and it warns that environmental site assessment reports will be needed when the lot is redeveloped. We find the tank before we dig, keep the excavation clean, and backfill and grade the hole so the next build starts on firm ground.

The rule that shapes the job

Debris has a home in Durham. The Region's Oshawa Waste Management Facility on Ritson Road North takes drywall, wood, scrap metal, porcelain fixtures and carpet, and accepts fill such as soil, brick, rubble and concrete as a separate charged material, with every vehicle weighed in and out. We sort the load on site so recyclable material and fill go where they belong.

Communities we cover from here

OshawaWhitbyBrooklinPort WhitbyRaglanColumbusKedronAshburnMyrtle

How demolition in Oshawa, Whitby and Brooklin 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 Oshawa, Whitby and Brooklin: your questions answered

Who has to sign off before Oshawa issues a demolition permit?

Oshawa's notice to disconnect lists Oshawa PUC Networks for electricity, Enbridge Gas, Bell, and Durham Region Works for water and sewer. A shed with no services may not need the form. We collect the signatures.

Does my demolition need an engineer?

Under the Building Code, yes if the building is over 3 storeys or 600 square metres, uses pre-tensioned or post-tensioned members, goes below an adjacent building's footings, or involves explosives. Most houses do not. We check at the site visit.

There is an old oil tank in the basement. What happens to it?

Oshawa requires fuel tanks and lines to be removed under the Technical Standards and Safety Authority's rules, and future development will need environmental site assessment reports. We plan the tank removal into the teardown.

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, Oshawa, Whitby and Brooklin?

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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