09/03/2026
Bonnema, Naperville
Twenty-five years of soil erosion had started pulling the original outcrop stairs away from the driveway. Left alone, it would have taken the walkway connection with it.
So we rebuilt the arrival from the ground up.
The old walkway and base came out first — roughly 10 to 15 tons of paver, composite, soil and debris hauled off site. Then a 66-foot corridor excavated to 6 inches and graded at 1 to 2% so water runs away from the house, not toward it. Geotextile barrier, a 3/4" clean angular stone base, a 3/8" chip limestone screeding layer. Two layers, because one doesn't drain properly and doesn't hold.
On top of that: Unilock Holland Premier™ in a running-bond field with a matching border, carried from the driveway all the way to the front door. Premium edge restraint down both sides, 66 linear feet, so nothing migrates.
The stairs and retaining wall were custom-built to handle a significant elevation change — two pillars, a full slab stair run to the driveway, and the original natural outcrop reused rather than dumped, rebuilt as irregular retention. Unilock Ledgestone™ treads in Buff give the contrast against the brick facade without fighting it.
We widened the terrace entrance and finished it with composite decking and railings, so the homeowner isn't sanding and staining every spring. Lighting integrated throughout.
The part that matters most is the part nobody sees. That base is what decides whether this still looks right in fifteen Chicagoland winters.
Craft Your Outdoor Legacy.
UNILOCK Authorized Contractor · 25 Years Strong · Built for Chicagoland
(630) 946-9321 - [email protected] - www.sunsetservices.us
