Property Improvement
in Gurnee
The next town over from our shop, built for Gurnee's aging subdivisions, clay soil and the Des Plaines floodplain.
Every trade under one license, right here in Gurnee. You manage no one.
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Gurnee is really two towns.
Gurnee is really two towns that grew into one. East of I-94, along Grand Avenue, sits the old village, the pre-war and mid-century core that grew up where the Milwaukee Road crossed the Des Plaines River. West of the interstate, out toward Hunt Club Road and the Woodland schools, is the newer Gurnee: subdivision after subdivision of ranches, split-levels and multi-levels that went up from the 1970s through the 1990s, plus the larger developments that filled in through the 2000s. If your house has a low-pitched roof, a wide front and an attached garage, you already know the type. Most of these homes are now 30 to 50 years old, which means their original roofs, siding, windows, driveways and drainage are all reaching the end of the same clock at once.
That housing stock sits on Lake County clay and takes a real Midwest winter. Clay swells when it's wet and shrinks when it's dry, so it heaves driveways, cracks walks and pushes on foundations; our frost line runs down around 42 inches, so anything with a footing, a deck, an addition, a fence, has to go deeper than people expect. Add freeze-thaw cycling and lake-effect snow off Lake Michigan a few miles east, and the exterior of a Gurnee home works harder than it looks. Anyone who lives here knows the other variable too: the Des Plaines River. The floodplain runs right through the old downtown east of the river, and the 2004 and 2017 floods are still fresh, so grading, drainage and keeping water away from the foundation are part of the job here, not an afterthought.
What Gurnee homes need most
The village's 1970s-90s ranches and split-levels are on their original or second roofs now, and their low pitch plus lake-effect snow makes them prone to ice dams and worn valleys. Roof age is the single most common exterior issue in Gurnee.
Those wide-facade homes often still wear 30-to-50-year-old aluminum, hardboard or first-generation vinyl siding and aging windows, all of it weathering Lake County wind, freeze-thaw and lake-driven moisture.
Gurnee's clay soil swells and shrinks with the seasons and the 42-inch frost line drives freeze-thaw heave, exactly what cracks and lifts original-era driveways, sidewalks and patios across town.
Between the Des Plaines floodplain and clay that won't drain, keeping water graded away from the house (downspouts, swales, sump and foundation work) is a genuinely Gurnee-specific need, not an upsell.
A real job in Gurnee
We show our work by town. The first Gurnee before-and-after lands right here, your actual home, never a stock photo.
Want to be the first? Talk to Hunter→Recent Lake County workEvery trade under one license in Gurnee
- Roofing
- Siding & Windows
- Gutters
- Exterior Painting
- Masonry
- Chimney
- Carpentry
- Additions
- Insulation
- Waterproofing
- Drainage & Foundation
- Concrete
- Asphalt
- Driveways & Walks
- Patios
- Decks
- Fencing
- Landscaping & Grading
- Snow Management
- HVAC
- Electrical
- Plumbing
What people here actually ask.
Anything not covered here, ask Hunter. He'll give you a straight answer, not a sales pitch.
Yes. The old downtown east of the river is exactly where grading and water control matter most, and we plan the work around it: where the water goes, how the lot drains, and keeping it away from the foundation. Because floodplain and permitting rules apply near the river, we look at the specific property before we commit to an approach.
That's the clay. Lake County soil swells when it's wet and shrinks when it dries, and with a 42-inch frost line, freeze-thaw lifts and drops the slab every winter. Patching the top doesn't fix what's moving underneath; the base and drainage under the concrete are usually the real story, which is why we look at those, not just the surface.
No, it's right on schedule. A lot of Gurnee's west-side and Hunt Club-area homes went up in the '70s and '80s, so their original roofs, siding and windows are all aging out around the same time now. Seeing several come due at once is normal for homes of that era, not a sign anything was done wrong.
Generally yes. Northern Illinois requires footings below the roughly 42-inch frost line so the freeze-thaw cycle can't heave the structure. It's one of the most common reasons an older deck in Gurnee starts pulling away or going out of level: it wasn't set deep enough for our winters.
What Lake County homeowners say.
Real, verified reviews, pulled live from our Google Business profile.
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Call 8A Solutions, I promise you will not be disappointed. I needed my high ceilings painted white and the beam in black. Alex reached out and gave me a quote and his team got right to it. I also needed to replace my stairs and banister so Alex provided me with a several examples to choose from and I excepted that project. 8A Solutions team exceeded my expectations (see before and after pic). I would like to thank his brother Jose, he showed up every day (and pitched in to help) until the project was complete. I'd also like to say "THANK YOU" to the other Jose who did the painting. He was meticulous and made sure all was to my satisfaction. Also, James and Sergio were very instrumental in putting in the wiring for the banister, phenomenal work! Don't hesitate to use them before I call them back for more home improvement projects. A HUGE THANK YOU TO 8A SOLUTIONS... your Solutions solved my issues.
I had a great experience with 8A Solutions. We just moved into our new home in Gurnee and needed some renovations. They were recommended to us, so we had them come out for an inspection and provide a quote. We were happy with the pricing, and they did an excellent job. They were professional throughout the process, and were very happy with the results. Highly recommend!
8A Solutions has been wonderful to work with! Every member of their team was professional, knowledgeable, and did outstanding work from start to finish. They removed our solar panels, replaced our roof, and then reinstalled the panels seamlessly. On top of that, we also needed a crack in our foundation repaired, and they were incredibly accommodating and willing to work with us throughout the entire process. Their pricing was very fair, and they never tried to price gouge us. It’s refreshing to find a company that delivers high-quality workmanship while treating its customers honestly and respectfully. We will definitely be contacting 8A Solutions for future home projects and highly recommend them to anyone looking for reliable, professional, and fairly priced home improvement services!
Alex, Jose, & crew put in great effort to ensure the completed job met our expectations. They gave options based on our needs and wants and customized the project based on our price point for the project. They checked in with us throughout the project and responded to our requests without hesitation. I would highly recommend 8A Solutions to anyone looking for quality work at affordable prices.