Demolition contractor, Pickering and Ajax

House demolition in Pickering and Ajax

Suburban knock-downs before rebuilds, and old farmhouses and barns on country lots toward Claremont and Brougham. Send the form and an owner calls you back today. Send the form and an owner calls you back today.

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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 Pickering and Ajax

House demolition in Pickering is filed with the City on the provincial application to construct or demolish, the same form a new house uses, and Ajax files with the Town. In Ajax and south Pickering the work is usually a knock-down before a rebuild; north toward Claremont, Brougham and Whitevale, a farmhouse, barn or garage on a country lot. Our own machines and one crew do it with an owner on site, after the Ontario Dig Authority (formerly Ontario One Call) locate and the permit are in.

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 Pickering and Ajax: what changes here

Who issues the permit

The City of Pickering takes demolition applications on the provincial form authorized under the Building Code Act, which also asks whether a sewage system is involved. Ahead of any contract, Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety Act calls for a designated substances list in the tender, and asbestos follows O. Reg. 278/05. Hamlet and rural lots run on private wells and septic, so a retiring well is plugged and sealed and its record filed, once power and gas are cut by their utilities. We coordinate each step.

The ground and the access

Rubble and soil piles are regulated too. Pickering's Fill and Topsoil Disturbance By-law keeps any topsoil or dirt pile over 100 cubic metres at least 10 metres from, or upslope of, a road or channel, stabilized with mulch or cover if it stays more than 60 days and fenced against erosion if less. We stage material away from ditches and creeks, backfill the hole in compacted lifts and leave the lot graded.

The rule that shapes the job

In Pickering, the Region's drop-off is a private facility: Miller Waste Durham on Squires Beach Road, where only household hazardous waste is taken free on the Region's behalf and everything else follows Miller's own rates and hours. We separate metal, wood, drywall and concrete on site so each load goes to the right place and nothing heads to a ditch.

Communities we cover from here

PickeringAjaxPickering VillageClaremontGreenwoodBroughamWhitevaleBalsamKinsaleCherrywood

How demolition in Pickering and Ajax 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 Pickering and Ajax: your questions answered

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

Yes. The City takes demolition applications on the provincial application to construct or demolish, and Ajax handles its own. We file the application and the supporting plans.

Where can we stockpile the rubble?

Away from roads and creeks. Pickering's by-law keeps any pile over 100 cubic metres at least 10 metres from, or upslope of, a road or channel, and asks for stabilization if it stays past 60 days. We plan the staging area at the site visit.

What about the well on our Claremont property?

Pickering's hamlets and rural lots run on private wells. A well that will not serve the new house is plugged and sealed under the Wells Regulation, with the well record filed. We schedule it with 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.

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 Georgina, Sutton and Keswick→Demolitionin Mount Albert and East Gwillimbury→Demolitionin Stouffville→Demolitionin Markham→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 Pickering and Ajax

Septic installationin Beaverton, Cannington and Sunderland→Excavationin Beaverton, Cannington and Sunderland→Landscapingin Beaverton, Cannington and Sunderland→Shoreline restorationon Lake Simcoe, east shore→Septic installationin Port Perry and Scugog→Excavationin Port Perry and Scugog→Landscapingin Port Perry and Scugog→Shoreline restorationon Lake Scugog→Septic installationin Bowmanville, Newcastle and Clarington→Excavationin Bowmanville, Newcastle and Clarington→Landscapingin Bowmanville, Newcastle and Clarington→Septic installationin Uxbridge→Excavationin Uxbridge→Landscapingin Uxbridge→Excavationin Oshawa, Whitby and Brooklin→Landscapingin Oshawa, Whitby and Brooklin→Septic installationin Oshawa, Whitby and Brooklin→Septic installationin Pickering and Ajax→Excavationin Pickering and Ajax→Landscapingin Pickering and Ajax→Every area we coverMap and full list→

Ready to clear the site, Pickering and Ajax?

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

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