Landscaping and hardscaping, Apsley and North Kawartha

Landscaping in Apsley and North Kawartha

Patios, stone steps, retaining walls and outdoor living for cottages on Chandos, Anstruther, Jack and Stony Lake. 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
  • ✓Design meeting on your property, written quote after it
  • ✓One crew, owners on site every day of the build
Get your free landscaping consult
A few quick questions. An owner calls you back today.
Prefer to talk? Call (705) 208-7121
32 reviews, most of them for yards and stone work
Owners on site
One or both owners on site every day of the build
Our own machines
Excavators and skid steers we own, so the base and the stone are one crew's work
Locates before every dig
Ontario Dig Authority locate filed before the machine arrives

Landscaping in Apsley and North Kawartha

Landscaping in Apsley and North Kawartha mostly happens at cottages, and the Township treats the land between the cottage and the water carefully. Its zoning encourages naturally vegetated shorelines, a 2023 by-law set a tree canopy and natural vegetation policy, and the County Official Plan asks for minimal disturbance of native soil within 30 metres of the water. North of Stony Lake the soil over the marble is often less than half a metre deep.

Patios, walkways and walls

The stone you walk on every day, laid on a base built to stay flat through a Kawartha winter.

  • ✓Natural stone, flagstone and interlock patios
  • ✓Walkways, front entrances and stone steps
  • ✓Armour stone and block retaining walls
  • ✓Pool surrounds
  • ✓Grading, drainage and sod to finish the yard

Outdoor living

The pieces that turn a yard into the place everyone ends up on a summer night.

  • ✓Fire pits and seating areas
  • ✓Pergolas and privacy screens
  • ✓Outdoor kitchens
  • ✓Decks and fences

We run our own excavators and skid steers, so the base under your patio is dug, graded and compacted by the same crew that lays the stone. The base is what decides whether a patio stays flat through freeze and thaw.

Walls that need them get structural drawings and a permit before we dig, and every build ends with a walk-through and a written warranty contract.

Building yards in Apsley and North Kawartha: what changes here

Permits and locates

North Kawartha requires a building permit for a detached deck or a dock over 10 square metres, and for a retaining wall over 1 metre high next to public property, next to an access to a building, or next to private property the public is admitted to. In the Chandos Ward, Crowe Valley Conservation approves shoreline alterations and in-water work. New development within 120 metres of a provincially significant wetland waits on an Environmental Impact Study. Locates go to the Ontario Dig Authority (formerly Ontario One Call).

The ground you are on

The county soil survey describes Tweed soils across the northern townships, formed in weathered marble. North of Stony Lake in Burleigh they run from almost nothing on dry knolls to 30 or 45 centimetres in shallow basins, with solid rock 30 to 50 centimetres down. On ground like that, a patio sits on a built-up granular base and steps are set on the rock itself. We plan both at the first visit.

The rule that shapes the build

Decks near the water are limited. Within the water setback, new open decks attached to the cottage can reach a total depth of 3.7 metres, none come within 9 metres of the high water mark, and the cottage front including decks stays within 40 percent of the frontage, to a maximum of 18.3 metres. We design the outdoor living space inside those lines.

Communities we cover from here

ApsleyWoodviewBurleigh FallsBig CedarGlen AldaMount JulianStoneyridgeChandos LakeAnstruther LakeJack LakeBig Cedar LakeStony LakeEel's Creek

How landscaping in Apsley and North Kawartha works, in four steps

1
First visit
We walk the property with you, talk through what you want, and give you rough numbers so you know where the project sits.
2
Design and quote
Our designer meets you on site and works through every detail. A 10% deposit locks the scope and materials, and the final quote is the exact price for the job.
3
Drawings and permits
Structural drawings where a wall needs them, permits filed, the schedule set.
4
Build and warranty
One or both owners on site every day. A final walk-through, the final invoice and a written warranty contract.

Recent builds

Stone fire pit and seating built by Thor Construction
Pergola and privacy screen built by Thor Construction
Front entrance stone work by Thor Construction

What our customers say

★★★★★

“Thor Construction company did some hardscaping for us in our backyard around the pool. Right from the start they were responsive, they worked with us on a design that was functional for the space and stayed within the agreed budget. Their work was fabulous!”

D 1072
Pool surround, hardscaping · Google review
★★★★★

“Thor construction company did a great job on my landscaping for my new home, great design idea for my garden and driveway and walkway plus patio thanks for the great job, we highly recommend them”

Jeremy Thorsen
New home, full landscaping · Google review
★★★★★

“Can't say enough about Thor Construction Company. They transformed my backyard space into a perfect little getaway; can't wait to host this summer! They were professional, hardworking bunch and I would recommend you chose this company for your backyard or landscaping needs...big or small!”

Matthew Tynkaluk
Backyard rebuild · Google review

Landscaping in Apsley and North Kawartha: your questions answered

Can I build stone steps down to the water?

Yes, within limits. North Kawartha's zoning exempts stairs and landings that give safe access to the water's edge from the yard setbacks, as long as the stairs are no wider than 1.25 metres and each landing no larger than 1.52 by 1.25 metres.

Can I clear trees to open up the view?

Carefully. The Township's tree canopy and natural vegetation policy, set by By-law 2023-0060, explains why it wants canopy and natural vegetation kept, and municipally owned shoreline or road allowances cannot be altered at all. We design views around selective pruning and planting.

Who approves work at the shore on Chandos Lake?

Crowe Valley Conservation, which requires approval in the Chandos Ward for shoreline alterations and in-water work such as docks, boathouses and retaining walls. We prepare that application with the design.

What do you build?

Patios and walkways in natural stone, flagstone and interlock, armour stone and block retaining walls, stone steps, pool surrounds, fire pits, pergolas and privacy screens, outdoor kitchens, decks and fences, plus the grading and sod that finish it.

How does pricing work?

The first visit gives you rough numbers. After the design meeting you get a detailed quote, a 10% deposit locks the scope and materials, and the final quote is the exact price for the job.

What size of project do you take on?

Most builds start around $20,000, from a patio and wall up to a full backyard at $150,000 and more.

When can you start?

One crew builds a limited number of yards each season. Designs signed over the winter are scheduled first for spring.

Do I need a permit?

Most patios and garden walls do not. A retaining wall over 1 metre of exposed height next to public property, access to a building, or private property the public is admitted to is a designated structure under the Ontario Building Code: it is designed to the Code's structural rules and takes a building permit, and we arrange the engineering. Anything close to the water needs the conservation authority's permit first. We check at the first visit.

Who is on site?

One or both of the owners, every day of the build, managing the job and keeping you and your neighbours in the loop.

Other areas and services

Every page has the local permit office, the ground and the rules for that area.

Landscaping in other towns

Landscapingin Bobcaygeon→Landscapingin Fenelon Falls→Landscapingin Lindsay→Landscapingin Buckhorn and Trent Lakes→Landscapingin Peterborough→Landscapingin Coboconk, Norland and Kinmount→Landscapingin Omemee, Bethany and Pontypool→Landscapingin Lakefield, Bridgenorth and Ennismore→Landscapingin Millbrook and Cavan Monaghan→Landscapingin Minden and Minden Hills→Landscapingin Wilberforce and Highlands East→Landscapingin Beaverton, Cannington and Sunderland→Landscapingin Port Perry and Scugog→Landscapingin Orillia, Severn and Ramara→Landscapingin Georgina, Sutton and Keswick→Landscapingin Mount Albert and East Gwillimbury→Landscapingin Oro-Medonte→Landscapingin Markham→Landscapingin Barrie and South Simcoe→Landscapingin Warsaw and Douro-Dummer→Landscapingin Keene and Otonabee-South Monaghan→Landscapingin Cobourg and Port Hope→Landscapingin Bewdley, Gores Landing and Rice Lake→Landscapingin Bowmanville, Newcastle and Clarington→Landscapingin Haliburton and Dysart et al→Landscapingin Norwood and Havelock→Landscapingin Uxbridge→Landscapingin Campbellford and Trent Hills→Landscapingin Oshawa, Whitby and Brooklin→Landscapingin Stouffville→Landscapingin Gravenhurst and Bracebridge→Landscapingin Pickering and Ajax→Landscapingin Newmarket, Aurora and King→Landscapingin Bradford West Gwillimbury→Landscapingin Huntsville and Lake of Bays→Landscaping, every areaThe service page→

Other work near Apsley and North Kawartha

Septic installationin Peterborough→Excavationin Peterborough and the Kawarthas→Shoreline restorationon Buckhorn and Chemong Lakes→Septic installationin Lakefield, Bridgenorth and Ennismore→Excavationin Lakefield, Bridgenorth and Ennismore→Shoreline restorationon Lovesick and Katchewanooka Lake→Septic installationin Millbrook and Cavan Monaghan→Excavationin Millbrook and Cavan Monaghan→Septic installationin Apsley and North Kawartha→Excavationin Apsley and North Kawartha→Shoreline restorationon Stony and Clear Lake→Septic installationin Warsaw and Douro-Dummer→Excavationin Warsaw and Douro-Dummer→Septic installationin Keene and Otonabee-South Monaghan→Excavationin Keene and Otonabee-South Monaghan→Septic installationin Norwood and Havelock→Excavationin Norwood and Havelock→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→Every area we coverMap and full list→

Ready to plan your build, Apsley and North Kawartha?

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 landscaping consult
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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