Landscaping and hardscaping, Peterborough

Landscaping and hardscaping in Peterborough, Lakefield and Bridgenorth

Interlock and natural stone patios, retaining walls, outdoor kitchens and pergolas for homes in Peterborough and cottages around Chemong Lake, Ennismore and Lakefield. Send the form and an owner calls you back today.

★★★★★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

5.0 on Google

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 Peterborough

We build landscaping in Peterborough for year-round homes in the city and waterfront cottages around Chemong Lake, Bridgenorth, Ennismore and Lakefield, with Millbrook to the south. Patios, walkways, retaining walls, outdoor kitchens, pergolas, fire pits, grading and sod, built by one crew with the owners on site every day. The city sits at the centre of a drumlin field, long glacial hills running north-northeast. Most builds start around $20,000.

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 Peterborough: what changes here

Permits and locates

Inside the city, a retaining wall over 1,000 mm of exposed height next to public property or access to a building is a designated structure under the Building Code, designed to Part 4 and permitted. The City's Site Alteration By-law 25-108 covers grading, excavation and fill, with permits starting at the minor tier: 10 to 30 m³ moved, a grade change over 150 mm, or work within 0.60 m of a drainage swale. Applications go through the City's Online Permit System. Near water and wetlands, Otonabee Conservation regulates its mapped areas. Ontario Dig Authority locates come first.

The ground you are on

Peterborough sits at the centre of a drumlin field, long hills of glacial till running north-northeast. Kawartha Conservation describes drumlins in this field as typically under 1.5 km long, 400 metres or less wide and 25 metres high, made of calcareous till with sand and gravel, with low, poorly drained ground between them. In the northern part of Otonabee Conservation's watershed, Shield granite shows at the surface. Frost sits on the 1.6 metre line on the provincial map. On a drumlin slope we cut and fill to level the patio, retain the high side and drain the low side.

The rule that shapes the build

Inside the city, trees decide where a patio goes. Peterborough's Tree Removal By-law 21-074 calls for a permit to remove a private tree measuring at least 7.5 cm across at breast height, 137 cm off the ground. Each healthy tree removed is replaced on the same property with a tree at least 2 cm in diameter, or the City charges a $550 replacement fee. A building or pool enclosure permit brings a separate tree permit when the work removes a regulated tree. We map trees at the first visit and design around them.

Communities we cover from here

PeterboroughLakefieldBridgenorthEnnismoreChemong LakeSelwynYoung's PointMillbrookCavan MonaghanDouro-Dummer

How landscaping in Peterborough works, in four steps

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.

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.

Drawings and permits

Structural drawings where a wall needs them, permits filed, the schedule set.

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

★★★★★5.0from 32 Google reviews

★★★★★

“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 Peterborough: your questions answered

Do I need a permit for a retaining wall in Peterborough?

Yes, when it is over 1,000 mm of exposed height next to public property, access to a building, or private property the public is admitted to; the Building Code makes it a designated structure. Moving over 10 m³ of soil or changing grade over 150 mm can add a site alteration permit. We handle both applications.

Is a patio exempt from Peterborough's site alteration by-law?

It can be. The City lists fences, sheds, patios and walkways as exempt when they do not significantly change grades, block drainage or harm the natural environment, and it asks for a 0.60 m offset from drainage swales and ditches. A patio that takes real cut and fill can trigger a permit. We check the grades before we design.

Which conservation authority covers Bridgenorth, Ennismore and Lakefield?

Otonabee Conservation. Selwyn Township, home to Bridgenorth, Ennismore and Lakefield, is one of its eight member municipalities, with the City of Peterborough and Cavan Monaghan. Inside its regulated area, development including site grading takes its permit, and wetlands carry a 30 metre setback. We check its regulated-area mapping for your lot first.

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

Other work near Peterborough

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, Peterborough?

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 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

Call Now

Landscaping and hardscaping in Peterborough, Lakefield and Bridgenorth

Landscaping in Peterborough

Patios, walkways and walls

Outdoor living

Building yards in Peterborough: what changes here

Permits and locates

The ground you are on

The rule that shapes the build

Communities we cover from here

How landscaping in Peterborough works, in four steps

Recent builds

What our customers say

Landscaping in Peterborough: your questions answered

Other areas and services

Landscaping in other towns

Other work near Peterborough

Ready to plan your build, Peterborough?

Services

Service areas

Ready to take the next step in your project?