Arrange locates before excavation
Before digging, request utility locates and follow the current instructions from Ontario Dig Authority. Confirm the locate information with the person performing the excavation, including any private infrastructure on the property. A website checklist is not the locate package.
Plan this before selecting an excavation date. Identify who will submit the request, review responses and keep the markings visible. If the work area changes, discuss whether updated locate information is needed rather than assuming an earlier request covers it.
Understand grading before changing levels
Record where water moves now, including downspouts, swales, paths and neighbouring boundaries. Obtain available grading information and discuss the proposed changes with the City and a qualified contractor before work. Do not assume that making a yard flatter improves drainage.
Ask for the proposed levels and drainage destination to be shown on the plan. Consider how a patio, shed, raised bed or additional soil changes runoff and access for maintenance. Changes near the foundation should be assessed rather than treated as a universal basement repair.
Identify trees and their working space
Identify which trees are on the property and which may be City-owned. Check current protection and removal requirements with the City and consult an arborist before excavating, changing levels or storing materials near roots.
Tree protection belongs in the layout and construction sequence. Ask how the contractor will keep access, storage and machinery away from any protected area. The working distance and protection method should be assessed for the actual tree, not inferred from a remembered threshold.
Check approvals for the proposed scope
Discuss retaining walls, steps, raised patios, driveway changes, pools, tree work and changes to grades with the City as relevant. Ask which drawings or professional input are needed and who will prepare and submit them.
Before changing the front yard, confirm the right-of-way boundary, easements and applicable landscaping requirements. Keep these questions with your written scope so the designer and contractor work from the same constraints.
Let actual site conditions guide the design
Record soil, slopes, wet areas, snow storage and exposed surfaces. Ask the designer how drainage, frost exposure and the ground conditions affect the proposed base and structural details. General footing depths from another project are not a design for yours.
Keep photographs of drainage observations and measurements of access with the project brief. A site visit and a written assessment can help distinguish a design preference from a ground or drainage constraint.