Landscaping and Hardscaping in Stoney Creek

Builder's sod usually sits on a thin layer of soil over ground packed hard by construction. The roots cannot get down, so the lawn burns in summer and thins every year. The fix is to strip it, add real topsoil, grade it to drain and lay fresh bluegrass sod. The full method is on our sod installation page.

Start with the grade and the water, then the hard surfaces, and lay the lawn last. We check where the swale runs and where the water leaves the lot, build the patio, walkways and fence on a proper base, and put the new sod down once the digging is done, so it is not torn up again. Read about a new build lawn that is failing.

Usually the grading. In a newer subdivision the lot was graded to send water to a swale, and a few years of settling, a fence post or a filled swale can undo it. We regrade, open the swale, extend the downspouts and, where the soil will not drain, add a French drain. Read about yard drainage.

Yes. A sunken pool patio is a base problem, not a paver problem. We lift the affected area, correct and compact the base, reset the pavers flush, then wash and re-sand the joints. The stones are reused, so the patio looks like it did on day one. Read about patio restoration.

It depends on what is underneath. If the steps are sound and only the surface has worn or flaked, resurfacing can give them a new face; if they have heaved, cracked through or pulled away from the house, they are replaced on a proper base. A few photos usually tell us which, and the quote says why. See concrete steps and porches.

No. The quote is free and written. Many Stoney Creek jobs are quoted by phone, text or email from a few photos, and we visit when the grade or the access needs checking. You pay our cost for the materials, and the work carries a 1-year craftsmanship warranty.

Yes: a 1-year craftsmanship warranty on every job, whether you are up on the mountain or down in the Old Town. If something we built settles or shifts within that year because of our workmanship, we put it right, and we are fully insured while we work.

From us, ahead of time. We try to give a heads-up on any delays and let you know when we are coming, with as much notice as possible. In a wet spring the mountain subdivisions can stay soft for days after rain, and we would rather wait than build a base on mud.

Two metres is the residential limit under Hamilton's Fence By-law 10-142, with 0.9 metres the most inside a corner or driveway visibility triangle. We build to the by-law and talk to you about the shared line with your neighbour before we start. See fences and gates.

Yes, within limits. Hamilton's Fence By-law allows a section up to 2.4 metres tall if it stands at least 1.2 metres from a side lot line and 3 metres from the rear lot line and runs no more than 4.5 metres, which suits a screen beside a patio; on a deck, with the same setbacks, a screen can be 2.0 metres measured from the deck surface. Read about a backyard with no privacy.

The Hamilton Conservation Authority regulates land along the lake shoreline and near Stoney, Battlefield and Fifty creeks, and it has an online map that shows the line. Escarpment lots can also fall under the Niagara Escarpment Commission. We check for you before quoting a wall or a grade change.

Yes, with the right permit. The City says that if a lot's final grading has not been certified, a site alteration permit is needed, with no exceptions, before landscaping such as regrading, retaining walls or new hard surfaces. We find out where your lot stands first and plan the job, and the timing, around it.

Possibly. The City says Stoney Creek, like Ancaster and Dundas, has its own by-law for privately owned trees, so a permit may be needed before work that affects one, and digging within the dripline of a City tree on the boulevard always needs a public tree permit. We plan patios and walks around the trees you keep; removals are an arborist's job.

Yes. The City of Hamilton requires a building permit to replace or install guards, the code's word for deck railings, and any deck attached to the house needs a permit whatever its size. A low, small freestanding deck may not, and we tell you which applies before we quote. See decks and fences.

Yes. In Hamilton a deck or porch used with a pool needs a building permit, as does any deck attached to the house. A small freestanding deck close to the ground may not. We tell you before we quote, and the permit time goes into the schedule.