Bouwers Design Landscaping

Meet Dylan Bouwers, the Owner Behind Bouwers Design Landscaping in North Bay

Dylan Bouwers came to North Bay for school, joined the military here, and never found a reason to leave. He has spent eleven and a half years in the Army Reserve with the Algonquin Regiment, making it to the rank of sergeant in the infantry.

Bouwers Design Landscaping started in 2024 as a side business, a way to bring in a little extra. It took over. Now it is his full time work, and he likes it that way: his own schedule, his own ideas, and nobody to ask permission from except the client.

When you hire him, the Army shows up in two places. The first is how he talks with you. He walks your property, works out what you want, and figures out what he can build for you inside the budget you have. The second is how he runs his crew. People have kids and lives outside the job site, and if one of his guys needs an hour in the morning, they make it work. The work still gets done.

Interlock, Flagstone and Hardscaping in North Bay

Dylan found he could make more money, faster, on small jobs. He went after the bigger ones anyway. Driveways, patios and retaining walls bring bigger problems and bigger delays, but they are where he gets to be creative.

"We make stuff that's functional," he says, "but we try to make stuff that looks great."

The job he is proudest of so far is a pondless waterfall, just finished. Stepping stones carry the walkway over the water, and the stream looks like it runs under the patio. The homeowner is a musician with his own studio who loves the sound of trickling water, and he had particular tones in mind. Dylan's crew did the demolition, then he built the rest himself, adjusting the stone until the water sounded right.

Why the Base Matters More Than the Stone in North Bay

North Bay's freeze and thaw cycle is what wrecks driveways and patios here. Water gets into the base, freezes, and pushes the material around. Stone dust and fine gravel move with it.

Bouwers builds on clear stone instead. Ice has room to expand in the gaps between the stones, and water drains through and away from the pavers. Every base is built in layers, big stone at the bottom and smaller on the way up: one and a quarter inch clear stone, a geotextile fabric or a wire geogrid depending on your ground, more clear stone, filter cloth, three quarter inch clear stone, and a high performance bedding layer on top, with compaction at every level.

The small stone at the top matters for a reason most people never think about. More stone touches the underside of each paver, so there are fewer pivot points, and nothing cracks when you drive on it. It also catches the polymeric sand swept into the joints, which would otherwise run straight down through coarse stone.

What to Ask a Landscaper Before You Hire Them

Dylan's advice is short. Ask what they use for a base, and where they buy their materials. A good contractor should have more than one place to get them, he says, because you always need a backup plan to the backup plan.

If they cannot answer, he says, they probably are not set up in your area, and they might not really know. That does not mean walk away, but keep asking. And watch how they show up, starting with whether they are on time.

The mistake he sees most from homeowners is not planning for what they will want next. A new driveway goes in, it starts looking good, and suddenly the lawn around it, the walkway and the garden bed all look tired. If you think you might want more done, say so at the quote. It is far easier to plan it in than to fit it into a booked schedule later.

Techo Bloc Pavers, Flagstone and Inlays

When Dylan comes out to quote, he brings one paver catalogue, Techo Bloc. He trusts their fit and finish, they carry a lifetime warranty, and their range has more variation than most. If you want a lower price, he installs Permacon, Oaks, Browns and Bestway Stone as well.

Flagstone is natural rock, cut in big slabs, and it costs quite a bit more than interlock. If you love the look but not the price, ask about an inlay: an interlock patio with a fire pit, say, and flagstone cut to fit around the fire pit. You get the character of a flagstone patio for less, because the whole thing does not have to be flagstone.

Hardscaping for North Bay, Callander, Powassan and the Nipissing District

Bouwers Design Landscaping builds interlock driveways, walkways and patios, flagstone patios and paths, retaining walls, full driveway replacements, and complete landscape designs. Every install carries a five year workmanship warranty, in writing, on top of the manufacturer's warranty on the pavers. The crew installs sod too, and does it themselves.

The crew works North Bay, Callander, Powassan, Corbeil, Astorville and Bonfield, and travels to Sturgeon Falls, Mattawa, Trout Creek and Sundridge. The next job on the schedule is in Gravenhurst.

This winter Dylan plans to take the same design eye indoors, starting on kitchen and bathroom renovations.

Contractors Helping Contractors in North Bay

Dylan does not treat other landscapers as the enemy. This year he rented his dump trailer, skid steer, compactors and saws to about six local businesses, lent his crew to another local company for a week and a half on an interlock job, and has picked up work alongside other crews when they ran short.

"Someone wants to work with me, I'm more than open to it," he says. "Help each other out in a pinch."

Bouwers Design Landscaping is also running a family photo shoot giveaway on Facebook with CHAE Productions. To enter the draw, follow both pages on Facebook and watch for the post that announces the giveaway.

He also loves this part of the province for what it is outside work: fishing, hunting, mountain biking, and skiing with his three boys. They come along to job sites too. The youngest helped him build a gravel driveway last week, and his favourite job is running the compactor with his headphones on.

What to Expect When You Call Bouwers Design Landscaping

Text is the fastest way to reach Dylan, and during the season he usually answers within a couple of hours. He comes out to see your property, walks it with you and measures, and a written quote follows within one business day. A deposit holds your spot and orders your materials, and the balance is paid against milestones, never in advance. Utility locates are booked through Ontario One Call before anyone digs, and the job ends with a clean site.

Thinking about a project for next spring? Dylan's advice is to call now. That gives you time to settle the plan, and depending on where you live, the excavation and base can go in before winter, ahead of the spring mud and the bugs. The crew works right up until the snow falls.