Landscaping Across Hamilton, Neighbourhood by Neighbourhood

The ground is. The Mountain subdivisions sit on clay that holds water and heaves, so patios get a deeper base and lawns get real topsoil. The lower city has older, narrower lots with no side access and more stone and brick to tie into, so the quote plans the haul route and matches the house. We work both every week and the quote says what your street needs.

Usually, yes. Many older Hamilton homes have no side access, so we use smaller machines or wheelbarrows and agree the haul-away route with you first. It can add a little time, and the quote shows it.

Clay and water. Much of Hamilton sits on clay, which holds water and heaves in a freeze. A patio on a shallow or poorly compacted base settles within a few winters. We build on a deep compacted base, and we fix patios that were not. Read about sinking interlock patios.

Usually, yes. We rarely cut the roots; the walk is relaid in interlock or slabs on a compacted base shaped over the root, so it can flex as the root grows and be lifted again one day if it has to. Concrete over a live root will crack again sooner or later, which is why we steer root zones toward pavers. Read about tree roots lifting a walkway.

Yes. Alongside homes, we take on commercial work across the city: interlock walkways and patios, retaining walls, concrete, new sod and garden beds for businesses and property managers. The quote works the same way as a residential one, written and free, with materials billed at what they cost us and no markup.

Every other day. Hamilton's Water Works By-law 23-235 lets even-numbered addresses water on even dates and odd-numbered addresses on odd dates, with no set hours unless the City announces them, though early morning or late evening works best. Spring and fall sod needs the least help from the hose, so we time new lawns for those seasons where we can and leave you a watering plan that fits the by-law. See sod installation.

No. A rear yard catch basin sits at a low point on the lot line and carries stormwater to the City's sewer, and the City asks owners not to block it, just as it asks them not to fill in the swales between lots. We set patios, sheds and beds so the water still reaches the basin and its grate stays clear.

We reply fast, usually within the hour. A lot of the time we can quote over the phone, by text or by email from a few photos and measurements; when the job needs a look at the grade or the access, we set a visit at a time that suits you. The written quote follows quickly, and start dates are booked in the order quotes are accepted.

No. Every quote is free and written, with the scope of work spelled out, and materials are billed at what they cost us with no markup.

There is no minimum. A hedge trimmed, a few sunken pavers re-levelled, a single bed cleaned up or a side gate replaced are all welcome, and they get the same written quote and the same crew as a whole backyard. Tell us what you need and we will tell you when we can fit it in.

In stages. There is a first payment when the agreement is signed, then payments as each stage of the work is finished, and the last one on completion. The written agreement lists every payment before work starts, so you always know what is due and when.

Not in the former City of Hamilton: the City says no private tree by-law currently applies there. Ancaster, Dundas and Stoney Creek have their own, and woodlots have rules as well, so work that affects a private tree in those areas may need a permit first. City trees are protected everywhere, and taking any tree down is an arborist's job, not ours.

Only with a public tree permit. Under Hamilton's Public Tree By-law 15-125, digging, storing materials or changing the grade within the dripline of a City-owned tree needs one, and a driveway approval does not cover it. A tree with more than half its trunk on your side of the property line is yours; for one near the boulevard, the City's tree inventory or a Forestry visit settles who owns it.

Sometimes. In the former City of Hamilton, the boulevard parking program can approve a space that runs onto the City boulevard for a single-unit home that cannot fit a legal driveway, as long as at least half of the front yard on your own property stays lawn or garden and no City tree is affected; it is not allowed in some historic areas, such as Markland, Gladstone and St. Clair. Once the City approves it, we can build the pad in interlock or concrete.

The City does. Widening a driveway across the boulevard needs a Residential Driveway Access Permit, and the City's guide says the approach ramp must be built by the City, not by the owner's contractor, and across the boulevard a single approach runs 2.7 to 3.6 metres wide and a double 5.4 to 6.1 metres. We build the driveway on your side of the line to meet it, and the City notes that you cannot pave the whole front yard.

Often, yes. The Hamilton Conservation Authority regulates sections of the Niagara Escarpment and other steep slopes, plus the land next to them, and on a regulated lot its written approval comes before grading, fill, a deck or a retaining wall. Its online Regulated Area Map Tool shows the line, and we check it before we quote.

No building permit is needed unless the fence encloses a pool. Hamilton's Fence By-law 10-142 caps a fence at 2.0 metres, and at 0.9 metres within 3 metres of the front lot line or inside a corner or driveway visibility triangle, and the fence has to stand on your own land unless you and your neighbour agree to put it on the shared line. See fences and gates.

Not for ordinary landscaping, as long as no more than 15 centimetres of fill goes down anywhere, drainage onto the neighbours does not change and no swale is changed or blocked; that is the exemption in Hamilton's Site Alteration By-law 19-286. Past those limits a site alteration permit is needed, which the City says takes about four to six weeks. Read about grading.

Some do. Taller retaining walls, most decks and some fences can need a building permit from the City of Hamilton. We tell you before we quote whether yours does and how it affects the plan. Underground locates through Ontario One Call are arranged before every dig.