Questions people ask on the first call

Industry ranges quoted by GTA firms in 2026 run from $12 to $30 or more per sq ft for an installed interlock patio at the low end of the market to $35 to $55 for premium pavers. One Toronto firm puts a 300 sq ft premium paver patio at about $10,000 to $14,000. We give you a written number after we have measured the yard.

How much clay comes out, access for the machine, the depth of base, the stone, cuts and curves, walls and steps, drainage work and the size of the plants. The base is the one line we never trim.

Calls start when the snow goes, at the end of March or early April. We do not publish a wait time because it changes every year. We build one job at a time, so we tell you honestly on the call, and the start week goes in the contract.

Ontario's Ministry guidance recommends that deposits be no more than 10 percent of the total project cost. It is guidance, not law, and we follow it.

5 years on hardscape workmanship from final payment, a one-time plant replacement in the first year and 30 days on sod. Like most GTA firms, we exclude settling under 3/8 inch, salt damage and efflorescence. Paver makers carry their own product warranties on top.

Before any dig, the Ontario Dig Authority marks the buried public utilities. It is free and required, with 5 business days' notice for a single address. Private lines such as irrigation, pool wiring and barbecue gas are not covered and need a private locate. We book both.

Not for landscaping in Mississauga, including fences and retaining walls under 1 m. Decks, larger sheds and pool enclosures may need one, and the thresholds differ in Oakville and Milton. We check for your address.

Mississauga and Oakville require a permit to remove a private tree 15 cm or more across, and in Mississauga to injure one. Milton has no permit for an individual lot. Brampton's threshold is 30 cm. We check every tree at the first visit.

Snow contracts are a normal second season for many Ontario landscape firms. We do not take them. Winter is when we draw and quote the spring builds.

Every line priced: excavation, base depth, geotextile, bedding, stone, walls, planting, sod, lighting, haul-away and the locate. The quote also states the start week, the warranty and the deposit. Ontario requires a written contract for home renovation work over $50.

Usually, by regrading so the ground falls about 2 to 3 percent in the first 2 metres, opening swales and moving downspouts. GTA cost guides put drainage systems at $2,000 to $8,000 and regrading at $1,500 to $5,000.

Yes, since 2014. Members carry appropriate insurance, abide by a published Statement of Conduct, Principles and Ethics and pass an application review, and Landscape Ontario runs a consumer complaint process. It means vetting and recourse. It is not a warranty, which is why we write our own.