Landscaping and hardscaping, Wilberforce and Highlands East

Landscaping in Wilberforce and Highlands East

Patios, walkways, retaining walls and stone steps for homes and cottages in Wilberforce, Gooderham, Cardiff and Highland Grove, and on Paudash and Pusey Lakes. 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 Wilberforce and Highlands East

Landscaping in Highlands East is mostly waterfront work, with more than 70 lakes in the Municipality and Wilberforce itself on the shore of Pusey Lake. Two sets of shoreline rules shape a yard here: the County of Haliburton's Shoreline Preservation By-law and the Municipality's own Official Plan setback. Cottage owners here mostly ask for stone steps to the water, a fire pit terrace, or a wall that stops a sloped yard washing toward the lake, each set by Thor's machines 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 Wilberforce and Highlands East: what changes here

Permits and locates

County of Haliburton By-law 4169 covers the 20 metres back from the high water mark in Highlands East. Pruning a diseased tree, a new perennial bed, replacing an existing path, a fire pit and minor fixes to an existing retaining wall go ahead without a permit. On a sparsely treed shore the 25 per cent rule still counts trees: with four on the shoreline, one can come out without a permit. In Crowe Valley Conservation Authority regulated areas, around Paudash Lake for one, a retaining wall, erosion control or a shoreline change takes its permit. Both permits and the locate with Ontario Dig Authority (formerly Ontario One Call) are filed for you.

The ground you are on

Wilberforce sits on Pusey Lake, which most people call Dark Lake, and the Burnt River runs through Gooderham. Around them the ground is Shield rock with thin soil, steep in places, so a yard that steps down to the water often takes a wall or stone steps to hold the grade. A patio here sits on a granular base cut into or built up over rock. Our machines set that base in lifts, so the stone stays level after frost heave.

The rule that shapes the build

On a waterfront lot created after December 7, 2004, the Highlands East Official Plan sets development 30 metres back from the high water mark. Inside that 30 metres, site alteration and vegetation removal are limited to minor work for access trails, docks, equipment to draw lake water, or restoration. The patio, the fire pit and the larger walls go behind that line, and an access path to the dock can run through it. We lay the design out that way from the first visit.

Communities we cover from here

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

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

Can one wall need two permits?

On Paudash Lake, yes. A shoreline wall can take a County shoreline permit for the land within 20 metres of the water and a Crowe Valley Conservation Authority permit for its regulated area. We check both at the first visit and file them together.

Can I clear trees for a view of the lake?

Some. Inside the County's 20 metre shoreline area, pruning is exempt and you can remove up to 25 per cent of the native vegetation on a residential lot without a permit. More than that goes to the County first. We plan the view and the stone work around what stays.

How long is a Crowe Valley permit good for?

Typically two years from the date it is issued, and it does not transfer to a new owner. We file early, so the permit is in hand before the stone is ordered.

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 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 Wilberforce and Highlands East

Excavationin Haliburton and Minden→Septic installationin Minden and Minden Hills→Shoreline restorationon Gull Lake and the Minden lakes→Septic installationin Wilberforce and Highlands East→Excavationin Wilberforce and Highlands East→Septic installationin Haliburton and Dysart et al→Shoreline restorationon Kashagawigamog and the Haliburton lakes→Demolitionin Minden and Minden Hills→Demolitionin Haliburton and Dysart et al→Demolitionin Wilberforce and Highlands East→Every area we coverMap and full list→

Ready to plan your build, 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.

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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