Hardscape built for Illinois winters
Hardscape is everything in the yard built from stone, brick, and block: patios, walkways, retaining walls, steps, seat walls, outdoor kitchens, and fire features. It’s the structure of a landscape and the part you walk on every day. Good hardscape also fixes practical problems: a path worn to dirt across the lawn, steps down a slope that turns slick in winter, or a level patio on a yard that tilts toward the house.
ZGreen Landscape has designed and built hardscape in the Fox Valley and the northwest and west Chicago suburbs for 25+ years. We build paver and brick patios, walkways, and driveways, plus retaining walls for sloped lots and seat walls around patios and fire pits.
Why the base matters here
Northern Illinois ground freezes and thaws over and over each winter, and most yards sit on clay that holds water. Hardscape set on a thin base shifts, sinks, and cracks. As a hardscape contractor, we put most of our effort into excavation and a compacted base suited to the soil, so patios stay flat and walls stay straight. Edges, joints, and drainage get the same attention.
Kitchens, fire features, and lighting
A patio gets used a lot more when there’s a reason to stay outside. We design and build outdoor kitchens, from a simple grill island to a full counter with bar seating, and coordinate licensed trades for gas and electrical when needed. Fire pits and outdoor fireplaces stretch the season into cool fall nights, and seat walls around them add built-in seating. Low-voltage landscape lighting makes steps and wall edges safe after dark. Seat walls, steps, and planting beds tie the space together, and we lay out each zone so cooking, dining, and the fire each have their own room. Planning these with the patio means gas lines and cable go in before the pavers do.
What goes under the pavers
Good hardscape is mostly work you never see. We call JULIE to have utilities marked, then excavate below the finished surface. How deep depends on the project: a walkway typically needs less base than a driveway, and wet clay may call for more. The base is crushed stone, placed and compacted in layers.
Pavers are set on a bedding layer, locked in with edge restraint, and finished with joint sand. Retaining walls get a compacted base, drainage stone and drain tile behind the block, and geogrid on taller walls. Patios are pitched so water runs away from the house. Our own crew does this work, from excavation through cleanup.