What a Seasonal Snow Removal Contract Covers

A seasonal snow contract is one agreement that covers your property for the whole winter. You sign once, you pay one price, and you don’t have to think about it again until spring. That’s the idea, anyway. In practice, what’s covered changes a lot from one contractor to the next.

Here’s what our seasonal contract covers for homes in Oakville and Burlington, what’s an add-on, and the questions worth asking anyone before you sign.

The standard package

Driveway plowing

Cleared curb to garage. Snow gets stacked where it won’t block your sightlines or bury the walkway when it melts and refreezes. Where we pile snow is a decision, not an accident.

Walkway, sidewalk and steps

Shovelled by hand, not plowed. Steps, landings and the path to your front door are cleared to the surface, because a thin compacted layer is more dangerous than fresh snow. A clear driveway with an icy front walk is still a liability.

The windrow

The windrow is the ridge of snow the city plow leaves across the end of your driveway. It’s usually heavy and packed, and it’s the part people hate most. With us it’s part of the job, not an extra.

Salting is an add-on

Salting isn’t in the standard package, but you can add it. Where you do, we use rock salt designed to melt and prevent ice through the winter. We put it where it does something, like walkways, steps and the slope of the driveway, rather than coating everything. Too much salt burns turf and washes into your garden beds.

Freeze-thaw cycles are why salting matters here. Ice forms on clear days after a melt, and that’s when most falls happen.

You don’t have to call

The biggest complaint we hear about snow contractors is not knowing whether anyone is coming. Our dispatch is automatic. Once snow accumulates, the route goes out. No call from you, and no judgement call from us about whether it’s worth a trip.

Before the first snow

In the fall we stake your property. Driveway edges, walkway lines and anything an operator could hit get marked before the ground is covered, so nothing gets damaged in the dark and the plow doesn’t ride up onto your lawn. That’s how you avoid ruts and dead edges to repair in April.

One price for the season

The contract is a seasonal flat rate, not per-storm billing. A heavy February costs you exactly what a mild one does. If you want to know what goes into that number, we wrote about it in how much snow removal costs in Oakville and Burlington.

Questions to ask any snow contractor

• Is it a seasonal price, or do you bill per storm?
• Are the walkway, sidewalk and steps included, or only the driveway?
• Is the windrow from the city plow included?
• Do you come automatically, or do I have to call?
• Is salting included, extra, or not offered?
• Will you mark the edges of my driveway before the snow?

If the answers are vague, that’s usually your answer.

Booking a spot

Routes are geographic and they fill by late October. We only take on a limited number of properties so service stays fast, and we only work in Oakville and Burlington. We do take mid-season clients where a route still has room, so it’s worth asking even after winter has started. See our Oakville snow removal and Burlington snow removal pages, use the estimate form below, or call (289) 813-9575.