Landscaping and hardscaping, Orillia, Severn and Ramara

Landscaping in Orillia, Severn and Ramara

Patios, walkways, retaining walls and outdoor living for homes and cottages on Lake Couchiching, Lake Simcoe and the Severn River. 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 Orillia, Severn and Ramara

Landscaping in Orillia and the townships around it is mostly waterfront yards on Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. Which permits apply depends on the side of the city line you are on: the City of Orillia sits outside the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority, which covers the rest of the Lake Simcoe watershed. Yards on these lakes tend to want a terrace close to the water and steps that cope with a moving waterline. Thor's crew builds them with an owner on every job.

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 Orillia, Severn and Ramara: what changes here

Permits and locates

In the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority's regulated areas, near lakes, rivers, steep slopes and wetlands, site grading, placing fill, building a structure of any kind and changing a shoreline all take its permit first. Inside the City, the Tree Conservation By-law asks for a permit and an arborist report to remove any tree over 5 centimetres in diameter on a property larger than 0.5 hectares. In Ramara, landscaping and lawn dressing are exempt from the fill permit when no more than 30 centimetres of soil goes down. Each application, and the locate request to Ontario Dig Authority (formerly Ontario One Call), is prepared and filed for you.

The ground you are on

Parks Canada manages Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching to a rule curve as part of the Severn River system, so the waterline at the bottom of the yard moves through the year. Ramara's Official Plan puts most of the township's seasonal homes on Lake Simcoe, Lake Couchiching, Lake St. John, Lake Dalrymple and the Green, Talbot and Black Rivers. On those lots a patio often sits a few steps above the water, on ground that stays wet into spring. Wet ground like that takes a deeper, well-drained granular base, which is where a patio either holds or heaves.

The rule that shapes the build

Ramara's Official Plan sets new buildings and structures 30 metres back from the high-water mark wherever possible, with boathouses, docks and other permitted shoreline structures as the exception. A lesser setback than the Zoning By-law allows takes a zoning amendment or a minor variance, and may need an environmental impact study. That line decides where a pergola, an outdoor kitchen or a raised seating wall can go, so we check your zoning before the first sketch.

Communities we cover from here

OrilliaWashagoColdwaterMarchmontBass LakeSevern FallsArdtreaFessertonAtherleyUptergroveBrechinLagoon CityLongford MillsSebright

How landscaping in Orillia, Severn and Ramara 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 Orillia, Severn and Ramara: your questions answered

Is there a conservation authority permit inside Orillia?

The Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority covers the Lake Simcoe watershed with the exception of the City of Orillia, so a yard inside the City does not go to it. Ramara and the townships around Orillia sit inside it. City by-laws still apply, starting with the tree and site alteration rules.

Can I take trees out for a patio in Orillia?

On a property over 0.5 hectares, removing any tree over 5 centimetres in diameter at breast height takes a City permit and an arborist report, with exemptions listed in the by-law. We check the by-law against your lot at the first visit.

How much can I build up a garden in Ramara without a fill permit?

Up to 30 centimetres of soil for lawn dressing or landscaping, flower beds and vegetable gardens included, when the by-law's conditions are met. Past that, Ramara asks for a fill permit with a site alteration plan and certification of where the fill came from. We prepare both.

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 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 Orillia, Severn and Ramara

Septic installationin Orillia→Excavationin Orillia, Severn and Ramara→Septic installationin Oro-Medonte→Excavationin Oro-Medonte→Demolitionin Orillia, Severn and Ramara→Demolitionin Oro-Medonte→Shoreline restorationon Lake Couchiching→Every area we coverMap and full list→

Ready to plan your build, Orillia, Severn and Ramara?

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