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Concrete Slabs & Garage Pads in Pickering
We pour garage pads, shed pads, hot tub slabs and gazebo slabs across Pickering, from the older lakeshore streets in Bay Ridges and West Shore to the new surveys in Seaton. The ground changes between the two, so the base under the slab decides how long it lasts. Union-certified crews, a free written quote, and a lifetime warranty on labour.
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Reviewed June 2026
Every job is priced individually, not off a price list. Tell us about yours and you get an accurate, no-pressure quote in writing.
A Pickering pad depends on where the lot sits. The south end along the lake is on the old Lake Iroquois shoreline plain, where the soil runs to clay and the water table sits high. Seaton, to the north, is built on glacial till that heaves when frost gets under a thin slab.
The full spec is on our concrete slabs and garage pads page. This page covers what Pickering ground and the City's rules for accessory buildings change about the job.
A base dug for lakeshore clay and Seaton till
We excavate to stable ground, then place 150 to 200 mm of Granular A and compact it in lifts. Where soft or disturbed soil comes out, the base goes deeper. We grade it so water drains away from the pad and the house, then pour 32 MPa air-entrained concrete and saw-cut the control joints.
In Bay Ridges, West Shore and Rosebank, clay with a high water table holds melt and rain, so we look at slope, downspouts and low spots before we pour. In Seaton, the till keeps settling after the builder backfills, so base depth and compaction are the parts we never trim.
Garage pads: built to carry the walls
A detached garage pad is usually a floating slab. The edges are thickened to about 300 mm so they can carry the walls, and the slab goes in at 125 to 150 mm with 10M rebar on a 400 mm grid, not light mesh. Vehicles can go on it after 48 hours at the earliest, and framing after about 7 days.
Bring the garage plan to the site visit, and we plan the edges, anchors and the slope at the door to match it.
Sheds, hot tubs and the City's 10 square metre line
The City of Pickering says any accessory structure larger than 10 square metres, except a hot tub, needs a building permit before construction. Structures over 10 square metres, or over 1.8 metres high, need a 1.0 metre setback from neighbouring property lines. Smaller ones can sit 0.6 metres from the lines. Accessory buildings go in the back yard. Check the size and the spot before the pad is poured.
A hot tub pad must be dead level and reinforced for the load, and a little larger than the tub so the steps and service panel land on concrete. If the shed is a light resin one, a compacted gravel pad does the job for less, and we will tell you so.
Booking a Pickering pad
In Seaton, wait until the lot has been through a season and you can see how water runs across it. We check the ground on the site visit and compact the base mechanically instead of trusting fill.
Pickering sits at the far west edge of Durham, a long drive from our home routes, so we book pads into planned trips to the area and give you firm dates, not a same-week promise. We reply to every request within one business day. See our Pickering page for everything else we do in the city.
Straight answers
Do I need a permit for a shed pad in Pickering?
The City requires a building permit for any accessory structure larger than 10 square metres, except a hot tub. Structures over 10 square metres or 1.8 metres high need a 1.0 metre setback from neighbouring lines; smaller ones, 0.6 metres. We flag which side your project lands on at the site visit.
Why do pads crack or tilt in Pickering?
Lakeshore clay and Seaton's glacial till both move with water and frost. A pad poured on a thin base gets lifted. We excavate to stable ground, compact a Granular A base in lifts, and grade it so water drains away.
Rebar or wire mesh for my pad?
It depends on the load. Wire mesh suits light pads for sheds, hot tubs and gazebos. Garage and shop slabs that carry vehicles get 10M rebar on a 400 mm grid.
How much does a garage pad cost in Pickering?
Size, thickness, reinforcement, access and the base the ground needs set the number. A figure online would only mislead you. We give you a written number after a free visit, and the number on the quote is the number you pay unless you change the job.
Keep reading
- Concrete Slabs & Garage Pads across Southern OntarioThe full spec: mix, thickness, reinforcement, base and cure times.
- Concrete Contractors in PickeringEverything else we pour and repair across Pickering, from the lakeshore to Seaton.
- Concrete Driveways in PickeringA driveway on lakeshore clay or Seaton till, with the City's curb cut permit planned in.
- Concrete Patios in PickeringA patio on a bare Seaton yard or beside an older lakeshore wall.
Tell us about the job.
Send the details and we'll get back to you within one business day with next steps. If water is coming in right now, check the box and we flag it urgent.
Get a straight quote
Free · no pressure · 1 business day