Armour Stone Wall Installation in Bradford, ON | OCM Excavation

OCM Excavation & Construction installs Armour stone retaining walls, entrance gateways, and drainage-conscious landscape walls across Bradford and the broader Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury. We work the rural-residential lots on the concession roads, the older village core, and the newer developments south of Holland Street. Properties at the edge of the Holland Marsh come with unique drainage considerations that we factor into every design. Most Bradford projects run 50 to 300 linear feet, $300 to $450 per foot installed. Call 416-317-3090 for a free quote.

What Armour Stone Is

Armour stone is large-format dimensional limestone. Face heights typically run 12 to 36 inches, depths 18 to 36 inches, and lengths up to six feet, with individual blocks weighing 200 to 1,000 pounds. We dry-stack (no mortar) on a compacted Granular A base for walls up to four to six feet tall. Taller builds, or walls retaining a driveway or near a foundation, get an engineered concrete footing. The lifespan is 50-plus years compared to roughly 20 to 25 for timber and segmental retaining wall units, which is part of why armour stone has become the default upgrade on Bradford rural-residential properties.

Where We Build in Bradford

• Long entrance gateway walls on rural concession-road properties
• Driveway grade-separation walls on lots that fall off toward the road
• Terraced rear-yard walls for sloped properties
• Replacement of failing pressure-treated timber retaining walls
• Decorative front-yard feature walls integrated with planting beds
• Drainage-aware walls on properties bordering the Holland Marsh, where high water table requires extra clear-stone backfill and weeping tile

Our Process

We start with a site visit so we can measure, check existing drainage patterns, and confirm telehandler access. On Holland Marsh-edge properties we pay extra attention to seasonal water levels. Walls over 1.2 metres or anything supporting a structure get engineered drawings. We excavate to stable subsoil — never on topsoil — then place and compact six to eight inches of Granular A. The first course goes in level using laser, then we dry-stack each subsequent course with a slight back-batter into the slope. Behind the wall we install 19mm clear stone and non-woven filter fabric, plus weeping tile tying out to daylight on high-water-table sites. Final topsoil restoration and seeding close out the job. Permits are typically handled through the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury Building Division when engineering triggers them.

What It Costs

Bradford projects typically land in the $300 to $450 per linear foot installed range. Drivers: stone face size, site access (telehandler vs. boom truck), engineering and permits, and drainage complexity. Holland Marsh-edge properties usually run mid-to-high range because of the additional drainage work. Long rural runs over 200 feet often land near the low end because of efficient mobilization. We give you a fixed written price after the site visit.

Why OCM in Bradford

We self-perform every stage of the build, run our own Yanmar SV40 for base prep, and bring in telehandlers or boom trucks sized to the access. Fully insured, comfortable working with engineers when sealed drawings are required, and familiar with the rural-residential reality of Bradford — long driveways, gravel approaches, well and septic systems we need to locate before excavation. We also work neighbouring [Innisfil](/armour-stone-wall-innisfil/) and [Newmarket](/armour-stone-wall-newmarket/), and the broader GTA listed on our service areas page. Call 416-317-3090 to book.

Materials and Equipment We Use on Bradford Armour Stone Projects

Our standard armour stone for Bradford projects is dolomitic limestone from Owen Sound, Wiarton, and Cambridge quarries — Mid-Ordovician flat-bedded blocks that weather to a soft grey tone. The 18 to 24 inch face is our workhorse for residential walls, and 30 to 36 inch face stone is used for visual statement walls and longer entrance gateways on the concession-road frontages. Under every wall we lay 6 to 8 inches of compacted Granular A, and behind the wall we run 3/4 inch clear stone backfill against a non-woven geotextile filter fabric. On West Gwillimbury and Holland Marsh-edge lots we double the drainage stone depth and tie weeping tile out to daylight because of the seasonal water table. Equipment-wise, our Yanmar SV40 handles base prep on rural Bradford properties, and we either rent a telehandler at $800 to $1,200 per day or bring in a boom truck for placement. Our 3 to 4 person crew completes a typical 80 to 100 linear foot wall in 5 to 8 working days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a permit in Bradford?

Walls under 1 metre on private property generally don’t require a building permit. Walls taller than that, or anything supporting a driveway, structure, or septic system, typically require Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury Building Division review and engineered drawings. We handle the application and engineering coordination.

How do you handle high water table near the Holland Marsh?

We do site visits in the wettest part of the season when possible, install extra-thick clear-stone backfill, add perforated weeping tile behind the wall, and tie that tile out to daylight or a drainage swale. On the highest-water sites we’ll also bring the base deeper than standard and add a lift of clean rip-rap below the Granular A.

Will heavy equipment damage my gravel driveway?

Telehandlers and boom trucks are hard on gravel. We re-grade and top-up the gravel as part of the contract on rural Bradford properties so you’re not left with ruts when we leave. On asphalt approaches we use rubber mats.

Can armour stone be used for an entrance feature?

Yes — entrance gateway walls are some of the most popular work we do on rural Bradford properties. We can integrate column-style end stones, address-stone inlays, and low landscape walls that flow into the surrounding grade.

What other services do you offer in Bradford?

We install segmental retaining walls, interlocking paver driveways and patios, and full-service site excavation including septic-bed prep and rural driveway builds.

Get Your Bradford Quote

Planning an armour stone wall in Bradford? Call 416-317-3090 or use our free quote form. We’ll come out, measure, walk the drainage, and give you a fixed written price.

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