Landscaping and hardscaping, Newmarket, Aurora and King

Landscaping in King, Aurora and Newmarket

Patios, walls and pool surrounds on village lots in King City, Nobleton and Schomberg, and outdoor living on larger properties across rural King, Aurora and Newmarket. Send the form and an owner calls you back today.

Get my free quote
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 Newmarket, Aurora and King

Landscaping in King, Aurora and Newmarket comes with local rules: King caps hard surfaces on village lots, and Aurora and Newmarket each have a private tree by-law. We build patios, walkways, retaining walls and pool surrounds, from village yards in King City, Nobleton and Schomberg to acreage on the moraine and the country edges of Aurora and Newmarket. An owner runs each build on machines we own, and we file the permits and the Ontario Dig Authority (formerly Ontario One Call) locate before the first cut.

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 Newmarket, Aurora and King: what changes here

Permits and locates

Retaining walls carry the most paperwork. Under the Building Code, a wall more than 1 metre high next to public property, the access to a building, or private property the public is admitted to is a designated structure, and King and Aurora both price retaining walls under designated structures in their permit fees. Newmarket's building page lists retaining walls over 1 metre among work that takes a permit. King requires a pool permit for any pool, starting with a zoning certificate; Aurora issues a pool enclosure permit. Inside an LSRCA or TRCA regulated area, hardscape and retaining walls count as development under O. Reg. 41/24. We file each one.

The ground you are on

Two kinds of ground set the design. On the moraine, the provincial plan maps landform conservation areas, and a site alteration application there keeps steep slopes, kames, kettles, ravines and ridges in their natural form, with the disturbed share of the net developable area held to 25 or 50 per cent and hard surfaces to 15 or 20 per cent, by category. In the villages, the lot grading plan approved with the house sets the drainage, and King warns that raising or lowering a yard changes how water reaches the neighbours. We build walls and patios to those grades.

The rule that shapes the build

On village lots in King City, Nobleton and Schomberg, King's site alteration by-law caps hard landscaping at 60 per cent of a single or semi-detached lot and 80 per cent of a townhouse lot, counted across the whole lot. Patio pavers, permeable pavers, artificial turf, pool decking, compacted gravel and the house itself all count; pools, sod, soil and river rock do not. No hard surface goes within 0.6 metres of a property line without the Director's approval, and walls over 1 metre are built to a design stamped by a Professional Engineer.

Communities we cover from here

NewmarketAuroraKing CityNobletonSchombergKettlebyPottagevilleAnsnorveldtLloydtownLaskaySnowball

How landscaping in Newmarket, Aurora and King 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 Newmarket, Aurora and King: your questions answered

Do I need a tree permit in Aurora or Newmarket?

In Aurora, By-law 5850-16 lets owners remove two trees over 20 centimetres in 12 months without a permit, or two per 0.25 hectares on larger lots; heritage trees always take one. Newmarket requires a permit for any tree over 20 centimetres measured 1.4 metres above ground. We plan around the trees and file any permit.

How close can a pool or patio be to my septic in Aurora?

Aurora's pool guide sets minimum clearances from septic systems for structures, decks and pools: 1.5 metres from treatment units and holding tanks, and 5.0 metres from distribution piping. On estate and rural lots a pool also sits at least 4.5 metres from the rear lot line. We locate the tank and bed before laying out the dig.

What does a pool permit in King involve?

King requires a pool permit for any pool, starting with a zoning certificate, and the Township lists a site plan, enclosure drawings, a grading and drainage plan and a security deposit. Since January 1, 2025, King charges a violation fee for non-compliance at final inspection. We excavate and build the surround to the approved grading plan.

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 Apsley and North Kawartha→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 Bradford West Gwillimbury→Landscapingin Huntsville and Lake of Bays→Landscaping, every areaThe service page→

Other work near Newmarket, Aurora and King

Septic installationin Georgina, Sutton and Keswick→Excavationin Georgina, Sutton and Keswick→Septic installationin Mount Albert and East Gwillimbury→Excavationin Mount Albert and East Gwillimbury→Excavationin Markham→Septic installationin Stouffville→Excavationin Stouffville→Septic installationin Markham→Demolitionin Georgina, Sutton and Keswick→Demolitionin Mount Albert and East Gwillimbury→Demolitionin Stouffville→Demolitionin Markham→Septic installationin Newmarket, Aurora and King→Excavationin Newmarket, Aurora and King→Demolitionin Newmarket, Aurora and King→Shoreline restorationon Lake Simcoe south shore→Every area we coverMap and full list→

Ready to plan your build, Newmarket, Aurora and King?

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

Ready to take the next step in your project?

Yes, I want a quote

About · Gallery · Blog · Careers · Contact · Privacy

Call Now