About Strathmar Landscape Construction

Serving the Ottawa area with excavation and grading services since 1997

walkway beside grassy area in diamond jubiliee park in ottawa, with fenced sports area and houses in background

Ottawa's Precision Landscaping Specialists

Strathmar Landscape Construction provides a full range of landscape construction services including excavation, bulldozing, and earth moving. We have extensive experience in the construction and installation of playground equipment and splash pads, having worked on more than 40 such projects since 2010.

We are best known for precision grading and are often called in as subcontractors to provide finish grading services. Our expertise extends to sports and equestrian facilities where precision grading is vital for properly draining surfaces.

Komatsu Intelligent Machine Control for On-the-Job Accuracy

Strathmar has been associated with Komatsu construction equipment since the company started, embracing GPS control right from our early days. Since going all-in on laser and GPS-controlled equipment in 2017, we've become known as the go-to company for tight tolerance grading in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario. Our in-house staff and capabilities mean we can survey the job site, prepare the grading plan and deliver it digitally to the equipment in the field. Jobs are completed more accurately, more quickly, and with fewer deficiencies thanks to the systems we've put in place.

A team dedicated to our clients

We aren't a big team - yet! We make up for our size by always coming up with innovative solutions to the inevitable situations that arise when we begin to dig. We've been around long enough to know what issues to expect on a job so we price our work fairly to avoid costly surprises. When unusual circumstances occur, we'll suggest the best and most cost-effective approach based on our years of experience.

You can trust Strathmar to be there when we say we will, and to do the job right.

Meet The Team

Carter Cullen

Carter Cullen

President

Like many young boys, Carter grew up playing with construction toys. Unlike most boys, his father sold & maintained heavy equipment so Carter was introduced to full-sized earth moving machines early on.  

After several years of managing course construction in the golf industry, Carter founded Strathmar Trenching Ltd. in 1996 with one trenching machine. Much of the early experience of the company was in golf course construction but as the company grew, Carter took on more landscaping and grading work.

Long associated with Komatsu and recognizing that GPS guided equipment was the future, in 2017 Carter led the company to embrace intelligent machine control. Being able to offer a level of precision in grading and excavation that even the best operator on standard machinery can’t match, meant that jobs could be completed more accurately and efficiently, resulting in better project outcomes and happier clients.

Carter is recognized by the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association as a Certified Playground Inspector, a requirement for the installation of play structures. He is also a Waterplay Preferred Installer for Waterplay Solutions Corp. and has been involved in the construction of more than 40 splash pads and play structures in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario.


Cynthia Cullen

Cynthia Cullen

Vice-President, Applied Science Technologist (A.Sc.T.)

Since joining Strathmar in 2011, Cynthia’s talents in engineering technology and AutoCAD have made her a valuable member of our landscape construction team. In addition to surveying and creating 2-D and 3-D grading surfaces, Cynthia handles estimating, client support and general administration.

After two years of studying arts and science at Queen’s, Cynthia switched to Civil Engineering Technology at St. Lawrence College. The three-year diploma program prepared her for work in municipal engineering, and she quickly landed a job at Novatech Engineering Consultants, where she spent eight years as a Draftsperson. Cynthia joined Strathmar in a full-time role as the company started to expand into landscape construction. She helped to develop the precision grading and machine-control program, handling all aspects of grading surface preparation. According to one of our clients, “Cynthia is spectacular. She is very good at what she does.”


Denis A. Lacelle

Denis A. Lacelle

Project Manager, GSC, MCPM

Denis is our Project Manager and Estimator, spending much of his time working with clients on strategic planning of their projects.

After graduating from Seneca College of Applied Arts & Technology with a diploma in Operations & Turf Management, Denis spent 16 years in the Golf Industry as a Superintendent in the construction & maintenance of golf properties, working with Cedarhill Golf, Meadows Golf and Clublink.

In 2001, he embarked on a new opportunity as Project Manager with a Design-Build General Contractor doing ICI building construction projects. Over the years, Denis has worked with BBS Construction, Raymond Group and Bel-Con Design-Builders.

In 2014, Denis received The Masters Certificate in Project Management from Carleton University and achieved Gold Seal Certification as a Project Manager in General Contracting from the Canadian Construction Association in 2017. 

After a long-standing work relationship with Carter dating back to the golf days, Denis joined Strathmar as Project Manager in 2018.


No ‘Ooops’ Clause - we get it right the first time or we’ll fix it for free

No one wants to hear ‘Ooops’ on the job site and we want you to feel confident that your job will be done efficiently, on time and within budget. That’s why we offer our No Ooops Clause - if something isn’t completed within the specified or adjusted scope or tolerances, we’ll fix it for no extra cost.

We understand that unforeseen situations can arise in the course of construction that might alter scope or the time required to complete our work; we’ll offer innovative solutions to keep the project going forward at the most reasonable cost. In fact, that’s what many clients love most about working with Strathmar - we bring great ideas to the most complex excavation problems.


What Clients Say...

"A good excavating company is really critical to the success of a landscaping project. There's so much more to it than simply digging holes - accurate grading begins with the subgrade and progresses from there to ensure everything flows properly. Installing civil equipment is a critical component of many projects, and requires equally accurate grading. Strathmar took the entire project on, achieved all the finished grades and coordinated a number of sub trades to achieve the final finishes. In this case, they were crucial as the GC, but they would have been equally as crucial as an excavation and civil contractor."

Ryan Paliga, MLA, OALA, ISA

Lashley & Associates

"In over ten years of working with Strathmar, we have consistently been impressed with their work. Right from our first introduction, they asked questions at a high technical level and demonstrated they understood the scope of the project. It’s always a huge relief for us when Strathmar is the successful bidder on a job."

Maryanne Swinimer

Playground Planners

Working with Strathmar is always outstanding. Carter’s got the mind for the onsite work and Cynthia puts the plans together, so they’re a full source company. At the end, they put together documentation with professional CAD drawings showing how everything was built.

What I enjoy most is the ease of working with Carter and his people. They don't make any project difficult. They truly do try to make it easier. And they're always accommodating in terms of times and days. They're just very pleasant people to work with. 

Phil Auger

The Marshes Golf Club

Let's talk about your project

Challenge us! We're always interested in new projects.