Your First Winter as a London Homeowner

4 min read · Thames Valley Snow, London, Ontario

Renting and owning are different in winter

If you rented an apartment before, someone else probably cleared the parking lot and the walkways. Now the driveway, the walk to your door and the front steps are yours. London winters bring repeated snowfalls, freeze-thaw cycles and the occasional freezing rain, so it pays to decide early how you will handle them instead of figuring it out during the first storm.

Get to know your driveway before it disappears

Walk the property while you can still see the ground. Look for where the driveway ends and the lawn begins, any curbs or garden edges, drains, low spots where water pools, and the location of the gas meter and any outdoor taps. Take a few photos. Once snow covers everything, these details are hard to find, and they are exactly what gets damaged by a shovel, a snowblower or a plow.

With a seasonal service, edges, steps and drains are marked before the season starts, so the crew knows where they are all winter.

Decide how you will clear snow

There are three common options for a new owner:

• Do it yourself with a shovel or a snowblower, and accept the early mornings and the physical work.
• Book per-visit clearing at $70 to $85 per visit when you need it.
• Sign up for a seasonal contract that clears automatically after every snowfall of 5 cm or more, December 1 to March 31.

Seasonal pricing for a single or 1.5-car driveway is $650 to $725 plus HST, a double driveway is $815, and three-car, paver or stamped drives are $1,050. If your new home has a decorative surface, the crew uses a raised rubber-edge blade near it.

Do not overlook ice

New owners often plan for snow and forget about ice. Meltwater from a roof or a downspout can run across a driveway and refreeze overnight. Seasonal salting at $175 includes freezing rain and refreeze visits. If you have a dog or new landscaping, ask about the pet-safe de-icer option at $120.

Small jobs worth doing in November

• Put the snow shovel and a bag of ice melt somewhere you can reach them from inside.
• Move planters, hoses and decorations off the driveway edges.
• Check that downspouts point away from the driveway and walk.
• Make sure your house number is visible from the street.
• Decide where the car will go during storms so the whole driveway can be cleared.

Plan around the City plow

When the City clears your street, the plow pushes a ridge of snow, called a windrow, across the bottom of your driveway. It is often the heaviest, densest snow you will deal with all winter, because it is packed and mixed with road slush. New owners are sometimes surprised to find their freshly shovelled driveway blocked again an hour later. A seasonal service clears the City windrow as part of the visit, and in long storms the crew returns for additional visits so the driveway stays usable.

It also helps to know who your neighbours are and how they handle snow. If you share a property line or a narrow side path, a short conversation before the first storm about where snow will be piled avoids friction later. Pile snow on your own lawn, away from the street and away from fire hydrants and storm drains, so meltwater has somewhere to go.

Keep a record of each visit

After every visit, Thames Valley Snow sends a timestamped photo of the cleared property. For a first-time owner still learning how the house behaves in winter, those photos become a useful record: where drifts form, where ice tends to appear, and how the driveway looks after a heavy storm. That knowledge makes next winter easier, whatever you decide to do.

Budget for the full season

A seasonal contract is a fixed cost you know in advance. A 30% deposit secures it, with the balance before December 1, paid by cash, cheque, Interac e-transfer or card. Knowing the number in November is one less surprise in your first year of owning a home.

Get your fixed price

Every Thames Valley Snow quote is measured from City of London maps and aerial imagery, and you get a fixed price within 1 business day. Ask for a free quote, or call or text (548) 888-8702. Compare options on our snow removal prices page or read how it works.

What's included… and what's extra

A Thames Valley Snow seasonal residential plan starts from $650 for a standard driveway. It covers clearing the driveway every time snowfall reaches the trigger depth in your agreement, plus the windrow the city plow leaves at the end of the driveway. Larger driveways are priced on our snow removal prices page.

Popular add-ons, priced per season: walkway and steps $150–175, salting $175, priority service $125, pet-safe salt $120, driveway extension $95 and city sidewalk clearing $90. Add only what your property needs; everything is listed on the quote so there are no surprises. Get your fixed price or call or text (548) 888-8702.