Demolition contractor, Wilberforce and Highlands East

Demolition in Wilberforce and Highlands East

Old houses, cottages, barns and garages taken down and cleared from Wilberforce and Gooderham to Cardiff, Highland Grove and Paudash Lake. 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 Wilberforce and Highlands East

Demolition contractor work in Highlands East covers old farmhouses and barns inland and tired cottages on Paudash, Pusey and Monmouth Lakes. The Municipality handles building permits online, and on Paudash Lake the Crowe Valley Conservation Authority's regulated area can add a second approval for the rebuild. Structure, foundation and cleanup are handled with Thor's machines and an owner on every job.

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 Wilberforce and Highlands East: what changes here

Who issues the permit

The Building Code Act governs demolition, and Highlands East runs its permits through Cloudpermit, so the demolition application goes in online. The owner's first job is a designated substance list: under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the owner determines what is present and the contractor receives the list before the contract, which in an old cottage usually means checking for asbestos. Before the walls come down, the hydro is disconnected and any gas service shut off by its supplier, and an unused well is sealed following the Wells Regulation's steps. Permit and locates: ours to file.

The ground and the access

Highlands East is Shield rock with pockets of soil, and many old cottages sit on piers or short walls set on the granite. Once those come out, the low spots are filled with clean granular and compacted, and the site is graded to shed water away from the lake. Broken concrete leaves the site rather than going into the fill.

The rule that shapes the job

The Highlands East Official Plan lets Council designate buildings under the Ontario Heritage Act, and alteration or demolition of a designated property can be postponed until Council is satisfied the heritage attributes are protected. Around Paudash Lake, the Crowe Valley Conservation Authority's permit types include constructing a new building and altering an existing one in its regulated area. We check both before the teardown date is set.

Communities we cover from here

WilberforceGooderhamCardiffHighland GroveTory HillEels LakePaudash LakePusey (Dark) LakeMonmouth LakeEsson LakeGlamor LakeMcCue LakeSilent LakeWilbermere Lake

How demolition in Wilberforce and Highlands East 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 Wilberforce and Highlands East: your questions answered

Is my old building heritage designated?

Most cottages are not, but the Official Plan allows Council to designate buildings and to postpone demolition of a designated property. We ask the Municipality before booking the job.

Does the Crowe Valley Conservation Authority care about a teardown?

For the rebuild, it can. In its regulated areas, including around Paudash Lake, its permit types cover constructing a new building and altering an existing one. Its map viewer shows the regulated limit for your lot.

Can the work happen in winter?

The teardown itself can, but septic inspections in Highlands East stop for winter, so a rebuild that needs a new septic is easier to start in spring or summer.

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, Wilberforce and Highlands East?

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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