Our Work

Check out some of our recent projects. Be sure to check back often as we update this gallery often. Enjoy!!!

Commercial Siding Installation- Hotel in Antioch Illinois

Making an Old Hotel New Again We were contacted by the project manager who was in charge of this commercial hotel rennovation. He had contracted another company to replace the siding and trim on the building but was have problems of some sort with them. This was a multi-million dollar interior and exterior remodeling project that from the looks of the interior rennovation, was getting down right with quality products and workmanship. We came in, went over the project, price it out, and got the contract…. the project manager kicked the other company off the property. As you can see from the pictures below the old vinyl siding on this building was buckling and aged. Who ever had sided it last had used a very thin, cheap, builder grade vinyl siding which was faded and not sitting on the wall straight. We suggested using a thicker siding that would last longer and would not buckle. The project manager loved the idea. The company that had the original contract was a gutter installer pretending to be a siding installation contractor. They were trying to cheap it out by using some off brand vinyl siding. We were able to provide quality Mastic Vinyl Siding on the Building. Mastic is the largest manufacturer of vinyl siding in the United State, has the best lifetime warranty available, and offers a siding panel that is far superior to any other on the market. You can also see that the brown aluminum trim had faded in the sun and now looked old and dated. We used Mastic Aluminum coil (previously Alcoa Metals) to replace the trim. Before Warped, Old Vinyl Siding on Commercial Building in Antioch Illinois Back of Building before Installation of New Vinyl Siding Close up of trim and accent siding around windows During After Old Siding has been removed from structure Close up of wall under old vinyl siding View of Area under gutter that got accent siding, new wood was needed here After Beautiful, Modern and Updated. The After of the Hotel in Antioch, IL Rear of building after the new vinyl siding installation Pool house after siding installation Close up of accent, cedar shake style vinyl siding under gutters After shot of new trim and Mastic vinyl siding, Split shake style accents under windows We turned the outdated vinyl siding on a commercial building into an attractive, modern, high quality facade. We upgraded the entire exterior of the building, as well as added some curb appeal with vinyl cedar shake siding accents. If Innovative Home Concepts can handle this big project, we can surely handle your next home improvement… Now it’s Your Turn! Give us a Call at 888.356.9020 for a Free Consultation and Price Quotation. New Siding can make all the difference!

Entry Door Installation in Crystal Lake

Turning an Old Box Store Door into a Beautiful New Entrance The Entry Door Before Innovative Home Concepts This house in Crystal Lake had a Steel Front door with flanking side lites that looked to have been purchased from a box store. The home owners had just bought the house and didn’t know exactly how old the door was but guessed it probably was only 5 or 6 years old. Street View of Home with an Old Steel Entry Door The door was functioning fine but really looked horrendeous. Many people don’t realize how important their front door is to the exterior curb appeal and the first impression visitors have of your home. Likewise an old, outdated, dark entry door definitely has a negative effect on the appeal of the interior of your home as well. View of old front door with screen door open In this particular case, the door and sidelights were what we call half lites, meaning that half the door was glass and the other half was steel. The low quality glass units were comprised of patterned glass set in brass. Unattractive glass design and dirty, degrading plastic around glass units The plastic moldings that held the glass in place were yellowed and starting to split and deteriorate. The hardware, also brass, was functional but was starting to tarnish and was obviously low grade. The wood lining of the frame had mildow forming on it and was in need of painting. The most obvious issue with this door unit was the fact that it was starting to rust at the bottom of both the door slab and the two side lites. View of the Inside of the Old Entry Door Rust on the inside of the steel door is occuring Interior view of dirty, yellowing plastic glass frame The Entry Door After Innovative Home Concepts These home owners became our clients when they hired us to furnish and install their new Entry Door System. They chose a Steel Entrance Door System from Armstrong. We love Armstrong doors because of the quality of the products that they produce. Homeowners love Armstrong too because of little features like extra reinforcement, high energy efficiency, and loads of options, styles, and designs. The door we installed is an ornate full glass steel entry door. The glass unit is comprised of obscure stained glass set in brushed nickel for a very updated and modern look. To match the decor on the inside and outside of the home, prefinished white was chosen for both the exterior and the interior of the door. Curb View of New Steel Entry Door New Entry Door Made by Armstrong Doors in Chicago and Installed by Innovative Home Concepts This front door installation took just a few hours but made a huge difference! The front of the house looks cleaner, updated, and much more attractive. And because of the full glass in the door more light is now getting into the home and the entrance way looks much brighter and actually appears larger from the inside. The exterior was capped in white aluminum for a maintenence free exterior and […] Read More

Vinyl Siding and Roof Replacement in Crystal lake, Illinois

This small ranch house is drastically improved when we replace its roof and siding. These folks live on a street in Crystal Lake that we have probably done a dozen installations. This is a classic insurance restoration case where the homeowners made a claim for hail and wind damage and their insurance carrier denied the claim. One of our insurance specialists took a look at the siding and roof and confirmed that there was indeed significant hail damage to the siding and wind damage to the roof shingles. A new claim was made and this time we represented the homeowner at the adjustment appointment. And guess what?? It was denied again. Insurance carriers know that if a homeowner makes a claim and they deny it, most homeowners will take the insurance companies word for it and give up. THE FACT: Your insurance company does not work for you, they work for their investors! The more claims they deny, the less money they pay out, the more money they have available to distribute to their investors in the form of dividends. We know better than to give up and called for another adjuster to come out and this time they agreed to pay for a full roof replacement and all of the siding on the house. Don’t ask how this happens, just realize the insurance companies play a game and if you don’t know the rules and how they play, you might as well forget about getting your home fixed. During the Roof and Siding Installation on this Crystal lake Home… When we removed the existing roof shingles and aluminum siding, we discovered that the roof decking below the shingles was rotted in many areas. The damage was severe enough that all of the wood on the house needed to be removed and replaced. Obviously the roof had been leaking for some time causing the roof deck to rot. Once we removed the rotted wood, we discovered that the insulation in the attic had been damaged by the water leaks in the roof. The attic needed to be cleaned out and new insulation needed to be installed. This is what the roof looked like after all of the wood and damaged insulation was removed. Reinstalling the wood and attic insulation. Notice the baffles being installed between the insulation and roof boards. This allows air to flow from the soffit vents to the ridge vent, keeping moisure at bay and lowering the temperature of the underneath of the roof so the shingles aren’t heated which would cause them to prematurely curl up. The wood on this side of the roof is complete. Felt paper is installed over the wood and below the shingles. This side is almost done. Notice the siding on this side is complete. For this installation we had both our roofers and our siders working at the same time. We don’t usually do this because they tend to get in each others way, but on this home, […] Read More

Window Installation in Crystal Lake

Replacing an Improperly Installed Window in a Bathroom Tub Area Crystal Lake Window Installation Some homes have windows installed in a bath or shower area. This application requires some special techniques and product upgrades to meet code requirements and to reassure long term usage of the window. We normally don’t take on one window projects. Not that we don’t like helping these folks out, but the cost of travel and setting up for the job just doesn’t always make financial sense. We usually like to keep our minimum at 3 windows per installation. With that being said, we sometimes do one window installs. In this case, this customer has used us on several other projects so we obliged to install the one window. This particular window installation brings up a few very important situations that occur when installing a window in a bathroom. Particularly installing a window in a shower or tub area. The wet surface of a tub or shower can become very slippery. I think everyone at one time or another has slipped in the tub. Unfortunately these slips can be quite serious. Broken bones, back injuries, bruised muscles, and in worst case scenerios, head injuries can occur. When a window is present in the tub area a new danger presents itself. A slip can result in a body part going through the glass, breaking it, resulting in a razor sharp edge that will cut flesh to ribbons. Most municipalities require tempered glass to be used in all windows found in bath or shower stall areas. If it is not code in your area, it is the moral obligation of your window contractor to install that window with tempered glass. Wikipedia defines tempered glass as, a type of safety glass processed by controlled thermal or chemical treatments to increase its strength compared with normal glass. Tempering creates balanced internal stresses which cause the glass, when broken, to crumble into small granular chunks instead of splintering into jagged shards. The granular chunks are less likely to cause injury. The window in this Crystal Lake home should have been made with tempered glass. It had been hit and cracked but luckily for the homeowner hadn’t been hit hard enough to break all the way through. The inside pane of glass had cracked from top to bottom of the sash. This window wasn’t just a safety hazard, when it cracked it released the inert gas in between the glass that works to insulate the inside of the home from outside temperature. We replaced the old vinyl window with a new vinyl window that specifically had tempered glass in it for the safety of the homeowners family. Another issue in this case was the casing. Painted wood casing (interior trim) was used when the window was last replaced, whichseemed to be about 5 years prior. The wood casing was rotting due to the moisture it is exposed to in the bath/shower area. Moisture was penetrating the trim through the seams and was getting into the wall cavity. The sill that holds the window […] Read More

Vinyl Siding Algonquin IL

Replacing Old, Dented Aluminum Siding with New Clean, Maintenance Free Vinyl Siding Algonquin Vinyl Siding Install– Before This home was in a hail storm area in Algonquin Illinois. We were doing a roof installation in the areaand happened upon this house that had aluminum siding that had been dented and damaged by hail stones. After a thorough inspection we discovered that multiple sides of the siding had been damaged, so we recommended to the homeowner that they should file a claim with their insurance company. They did and an insurance adjuster came out and approved new siding for the home. The homeowner had no out of pocket expense exept for their deductible. As you can see from the before photos, the siding was in pretty bad shape. But considering it had shielded the home from weather for about 50 years, it had obviously lived a full and rewarding life. Vinyl Siding Algonquin Illinois – After In this installation, we removed the aluminum siding and the press board backer behind the siding, hauled it away and disposed of it. We then Inspected the wall substrate for any rotted areas or deterioration (in this case there was none). If we would have found sections that needed to be repaired this would have been done before we began installing the new material on the wall. Once the house was completely stripped of the old aluminum siding and inspected thoroughly, we installed Tyvek house wrap on the entire area to be sided as a vapor barrier. You can read more about Tyvek house wrap on their website. In a nutshell, a vapor barrier prevents excess outside water from getting into the wall while allowing moisture to pass through from the inside so your wall can breath so to speak. Extra moisture in your wall cavities can lead to mold and mildew issues down the road. Some companies try to cheap it out with off brand wall wrap products. We do no recommend doing this. Using a named brand, time tested, quality product like Tyvek is well worth the extra expense to protect your home. After the house wrap was in place, we installed a thin layer of fan fold insulation to the wall. Insulation is not absolutely necessary. In this case because the existing aluminum siding had a press board backer, the insurance company paid for a layer of insulation to be installed. The benefits of insulation under vinyl siding is two fold. For one it adds R-value to the wall. A thin layer can add a R-1 or R-1.5 to a wall which may not seem like much, but considering most 2X4 constructed walls will have an insulation value of r-13, this little bit adds 8-12% of insulation value to the wall. Secondly, installing insulation to the wall makes a rough wall more even and smoother for new vinyl siding to be installed. Vinyl siding itself will follow the shape of a wall. If the wall has waves or bumbs, so will the vinyl siding. Insulation doesn’t work miracles but it will […] Read More

Crystal Lake Insulated Vinyl Siding

Updating Outdated Aluminum Siding with Modern Insulated Vinyl Siding ** Job in Progress, After Pictures Coming Soon ** Crystal Lake Vinyl Siding Installation – Before Free Consultation and Price Quote, please call 815.356.9020. New Insulated Vinyl Siding makes all the difference!

Omni Gutter Conversion / Fascia Gutter Conversion

5 / 5 ( 2 votes ) You Can Finally Get Rid of Your Poorly Designed Fascia Gutters and Have Regular K-Style Gutters Installed Instead What are Fascia Gutters / Omni Gutters? Sometimes called fascade gutters, a built in gutter, fascia gutters, or the Omni gutter system, this guttering product was specifically designed for the new construction market to save Chicagoland builders money. The Omni gutter replaces the need for a K-style gutter, a wood fascia board, and aluminum wrap. Basically the Fascade gutter is an aluminum, flat faced gutter that attaches directly to the roof rafters of a new home. It is generally deeper than a regular gutter so it covers the entire area that would normally be aluminum covered wood fascia. It also has a channel on the rear so soffit panels can be installed directly into it. There are several problems with this type of design and application. To start, no fascia board is installed at the ends of the roof rafters. A wood fascia holds the roof rafters in place and keeps the boards from tilting and drifting out of place. In a fascia gutter installation, only the aluminum of the gutter is holding the integrity of the roof rafters in place. Because of the nature of the extruded aluminum and the fact that the omni gutter is being installed in place of a fascia board, the Fascia gutter can not be pitched to ensure proper water flow. An improperly pitched gutter will cause standing water, ice build up, and poorly functioning gutters. Repair issues are one of the most frequently complained about aspects of the Omni gutter. If any part of the gutter run is damaged the entire run needs to be replaced, which is the same for a regular k-style gutter. The issue is the way the gutter is attached to the home and finding someone to actually do the work. Replacing a fascia gutter requires extra work because you have to remove all of the soffit panes connected between the gutter and the house, you need to detach the fascia covering at each end of the gutter run, and in essence you have to remove the entire fascia of the home. Replacing the gutter is the same time consuming process in reverse. More difficult than doing the actual work is finding a contractor that will install them. Very few gutter contractors have access to or the experience needed to install a fascia gutter system properly. The Omni gutter system is extruded from stock aluminum coil through a proprietary roll form machine. You can find folks that do install this system but they are few and far between and tend to be very expensive. And finally, unlike the crown molding look of a traditional k-style gutter, the fascia gutter has a flat front which is less attractive, looks cheap, and takes away from the curb appeal of your home. How to Convert a Fascia Gutter into a Regular Gutter The conversion process takes place in three stages, removal of the […] Read More

Gutter Guards Crystal Lake

This Smart Crystal Lake Homeowner has Decide to End Gutter Cleaning Forever with Gutter Shutter Leaf Guards What Gutter Shutter Gutter Guard Installation… Here is a picture we see all too often! So many folks try cheap plastic big box screens from Home Depot or Mendards and the results are always the same…wasted money! There really is nothing good about these leafguard products. The plastic is weak, it melts and warps on hot summer days and becomes brittle on cold winter days. It has no support, so any weight (leaves, branches, debris) causes them to cave in. They just snap in the front lip of the gutter, so any wind gust can blow them off. And probably most significant, they just don’t work to keep your gutters free flowing. In fact, these screens create more work than not having them and cleaning the gutters yourself. The holes in the screens let debris into your gutter troughs, as well as, make for convenient spots for twigs, leaves, and seeds to get stuck. So you need to remove the screens, clean the gutters, clean the screens out, then put the screens back on…basically creating twice as much work as just cleaning the gutters in the first place. Plastic Screens from a Big Box Store are a temporary solution for a permanent problem! Installing a Permanent Solution for Clogged Gutters– Gutter Shutter Gutter Guard Protection The Gutter Shutter is extruded from our exclusive Aluminum Roll Forming Machine. We use only .032 gauge aluminum, which is the thickest available. The troughs of the Gutter Shutter are pitched to ensure proper water flow and secured with our exclusive “Gutter Studs”. A Nylon bracket attached to the fascia board of your home with 2- 3″ screws. You can see from the curb that our Gutter Guards are barely noticable… that is, they don’t look strange or visually stick out like other leaf guard products. A closer view of our patented gutter guard system. Notice it looks like a regular gutter but more defined like crown molding on the exterior of the home. In the picture you can see our exclusive large mouth downspout funnel adapter that allows for more water to flow from the system into the downspout. It also helps to flush any small debris that may get into the system out of the trough and down the spout. We install Drain Guards on all Down pipes that run into underground tubing. This trap device catches any small debris that flows down the downspout so it doesn’t get trapped in the corregated underground piping. The drain guard trap is easily removed and cleaned out…from the ground. When requested, we install downspout extension at the bottom elbows if the water from the leaf guard system needs to be diverted further from the home. As an option, we can also install hinges on extensions 5 feet or less that allow the piece to be “flipped up” for mowing or yard work around the area. Are You Tired of Gutter Cleaning Yet? […] Read More

Roof Installation Chicago Illinois

Replacing a Chicago Roof damaged by hail and wind Roof Installation in Chicago We were able to help this Chicago homeowner with a new roof and gutters paid for by her insurance company due to hail and wind damage. We had done eight other houses on this block the year before because a pretty severe hail storm had hit the neighborhood and had damaged roofs, siding, gutters, and aluminum trim pieces. The owner of this house had thought about replacing her old roof but could’t afford to do anything, so like so many homeowners, she did nothing. And unfortunately the roof got worse and worse…until it finally started leaking. Water ended up leaking into the upstairs bedrooms and caused water damage to the the drywall ceiling and walls. Also like many homeowners, she didn’t think to make an insurance claim until the roof started to leak and there was obvious interior damage. By the time damage is apparent, other, more serious problems may arise like mold. That is why when there is a storm, we like to go into neighorhoods effected and inform, educate, and help homeowners who have damage but aren’t aware of it. In this case, this homeowner called us because she was referred by several of her neighbors. One of our roofing professionals did a thorough inspection of the property and found that her roof was damaged by hail, along with her gutters and downspouts. At that point we helped her contact her insurance company and opened a claim. As part of our service, we met with her insurance adjuster and made sure what was damaged was covered in the claim. Once the insurance estimate was formalized, we did the repairs, which included a new asphalt roof and new aluminum gutters and downspouts. When all was said and done, the total amount of work paid for by the insurance carrier was over fifteen thousand dollars and all the homeowner had to pay was her $1000 deductible. Unfortunately, not everyone can get a new roof installation in Chicago for pennies on the dollar, but if your home is legitimately damaged it just makes sense to file a claim with insurance company to get the damages paid for. If you are curious to see if your roof, siding, or gutters has been damaged from hail or wind, we will perform a thorough inspection to help you determine if there is justified damage to make an insurance claim. And if we do indeed find damage, we will help you make a claim, meet with your insurance adjuster, and make the recommended repairs to your home. If insurance isn’t an option or you don’t have damage to your roof but need a new roof, we can also give you a free consultation and price quote on a Chicago roof installation. We use only the finest qualtiy roofing products, we have award winning roofing installation crews, our warranties are second to none, and you are always protected because we are fully licensed, insured, and qualified. Call Innovative Today for Your Chicago Roof Installation- […] Read More

Insulated Vinyl Siding Lake in the Hills, Illinois

A Repeat Customer (our favorite!) has Us Install the InnoMaxx Insulated Vinyl Siding System and New InnoMaxx Composite Windows on their Home. Before These Lake in the Hills residents had us do some work to their home back in 2011. At the time we installed siding on a small portion of their home, a few windows, and the Gutter Shutter Clog Free Gutter Guard. The great thing about these homeowners is that they get it! By “get it” I mean they spent money fixing their home and they decided to do it right. Installing the Gutter Shutter is pretty much a no brainer, no other leaf protection system comes close. But even on the small part of siding we did and the two windows, they chose our InnoMaxx series windows and siding system. Both product lines are of the highest quality, are extremely energy efficient, and are rated by our customers with the highest levels of satisfaction. Before As you can see this home has two different styles going on. On the second level you have a stucco/colonial look going on. And on the first level, aluminum siding. Before In the picture above you can see the portion of siding and the windows we installed in 2011. Notice also in all of the pictures the clog free gutter shutter system and oversized downspouts. Before These homeowners were very organized and had a detailed agenda as to what they wanted to achieve. The plan was to replace the remaining windows in the home with high efficiency InnoMaxx composite windows then strip the house down to the studs from the outside. That is, remove all of the siding, the stucco, the trim boards, and the backing material behind the wall covering down to the wall studs. Basically removing everything to start with a new slate. We were then to sheath the entire home with 3/4″ plywood to add strength and rigidity to the frame of the home. Over the plywood we would then install our InnoMaxx siding system which consists of Tyvek House Wrap over the plywood, A form fitted insulation board that adds up to R-3.5 to the wall, and then the outer shell consisting of our exclusive InnoMaxx XL 55 vinyl siding. The fascia and sofits were to be wrapped in aluminum for a complete maintenance free exterior. These folks in Lake in the Hills have improved the value of their home, are for sure going to be enjoying lower energy bills, and now have an updated, complete looking, maintenance free home that they can enjoy for years to come. Isn’t it your turn to look into improving your home. Give us a call to find out more about the InnoMaxx Insulated Vinyl Siding System or our InnoMaxx High Efficiency Window Line. Call Innovative Today for New Windows and Siding for Your Home – Toll Free 888-356-9020 or Local By Lake in the Hills 815-356-9020

How We Solved a Commercial Gutter Issue in Algonquin

See How We Solved a Water Issue for this Algonquin Business Owner Along with Making an Important Aesthetics Improvement Gutter Install Algonquin – the problems… This recently purchased commercial building had a serious water issue and a few needed cosmetic repairs that needed to be made. As you can see from the above picture the gutter that was installed on the back of this building was not cutting it. The existing gutter was a 5″ residentual aluminum gutter that was obviously too small to handle the amount of water it was receiving. That one 25 foot gutter was receiving water from a 25′ X 85′ flat roof. Even in a moderate ran it was overflowing. Over time the water had overflowed the rear of the gutter, weakening the fascia board it was attached to. Eventually the gutter pulled away from the building. Water was also running down the wall causing the siding to buckle. Some of the Aluminum fascia and trim covering had been blow off by wind over the years and left bare wood exposed to the elements… eventually it would rot to nothing. Here we see that the aluminum siding was installed directly over brick and the corner post had been damaged and removed at some point and need to be repaired for primarily cosmetic reasons. This home is also owned by our client and is located right next to the commercial building in the pictures above. This gutter over the back entrance is obviously pitching the wrong way, away from the drain pipe. The water was simply overflowing the endcap, staining the gutter and causing erosion damage to the cement pad below it. Algonquin Commercial Gutter Installation – The Solutions… For this building owner we suggested the following: The repair work was obvious, re-cover the exposed wood with aluminum trim and cap the missing aluminum siding corner post. For the house next to the building, we decided to remove the 5″ gutter that was pitching the wrong way and replace it with a properly installed 6″ gutter. This gutter will have more capacity to catch all of the water plus will be installed correctly so all of the water flows to the downspout and into the underground drainage system. For the gutter on the commercial building, we decided to replace the grossly under-sized 5″ residential gutter with a 8″ commercial sized k-style gutter. As you can see from the pictures below of the gutter being installed, this gutter is huge and has a significantly larger capacity. We also decided to replaced the one 3″X4″ downspout with two commercial sized 4″X5″ downspouts to clear the water down to the ground faster. The building owner also asked us to remove the light fixture and repair the aluminum siding that had buckled from the building. And below you will find some before and after shots of the work we did on this commercial gutter installation in Algonquin Il. Befor & After – (Roll Over Pictures to See Transformation) This building owner in Algonquin has some cosmetic issues and a pretty major gutter overflow problem we were able to fix with […] Read More

Roof, Siding, and Gutters Installation in Woodstock, Illinois

How an Employee of Innovative Redid the Outside of Her Home for Only $500! A Funny Story… This restoration project is actually the home of one of our employees. She lives in Woodstock with herchildren and like many single Mothers she doesn’t have a bunch of money to fix up her house. Because many homes were damaged by a recent hail and wind storms, we were in the process of completing several siding and roof installations in her neighborhood. For some reason, this employee never considered that her home may have damaged. Ironically, while our guys were working in Woodstock one day they decided to check to see if other homes in the area were damaged. One of the guys noticed damage on a particular house and decided to ring the door bell to inform the home owner…low and behold, the homeowner was our employee! She had never even considered that here home may have been damaged by the storm, but it was. In fact the damage, that she didn’t notice, was severe enough that her insurance company paid for her roof, siding, and gutters to be replaced. This is a perfect example of why it is a smart idea to have your home inspected for storm damage by a professional. Many times the damage caused by storms doesn’t surface for years. And since insurance companies only give you one year to file a claim, you are on your own to make repairs when the damage become a problem years later. Our insurance restoration specialists are trained to damage that the average homeowner would probably miss. The Siding, Roof, and Gutters Before we Transformed this Home… Before Shots of Old 8″ Aluminum Siding probably from the 1950’s. If you look closely you can see the dents caused by hail damage on the Siding. Another Shot of the this home before we replaced the roof and siding. Example of Hail Hits to Aluminum Downspouts. The last known picture of this outdated ranch house in Woodstock, Illinois During the Siding and Gutter Installation… Working Hard at Installing the New Vinyl Siding. Keeping the job site clean during the restoration. The homeowner’s daughter looks on in amazement. Roof is complete, working on new siding…those gutters are going to be replaced too! After the Amazing Innovative Siding, Roof, and Gutter Restoration… The new cleaner front to the house. Notice the Awning is gone! Another View. Notice how clean and new the exterior looks after the work is done. Quick shot fo the siding around the windows and the new gutters and downspouts. Notice the Rainbow in the back ground! The sun shines on all Innovative Jobs! New Roof, check. New Siding, check. Rainbow in the Sky, check. Elated Customer, CHECK! We can’t promise that you’ll get a rainbow over your house when we are finished but what we can promise is that you will fall in love with your home all over again! This homeowner is amazed by the transformation that occurred to her home. She was fortunate enough to be […] Read More

Gazebo and Deck Installation in Crystal Lake

When a Storm Hits We Can Fix the Damage This client called us when he realized his 15 year old gazebo had been damaged by wind. In fact, the wind had whipped so hard that it sheared several of the support poles hodling up the gazebo roof. The first time we visited the home the Gazebo was still standing, the second time, it had fallen in ruins. We rebuild the gazebo with some improvements from insurance proceeds and the home owner paid out of pocket to have his existing deck fortified and re-decked with a composite decking material. This is the story… We received a call from a Lakewood / Crystal Lake homeowner that his Gazebo was in need of emergency repair. We came out right away and saw the wicked strength of nature. The roof of the gazebo had apparently been battered by the gusting winds a few nights before and the gail force of the gusts had cracked 4 of the support beams holding up the roof. The Leaning Gazebo of Crystal Lake Severe Wind Gusts Cause the Support Poles of this Gazebo to Shear Holding on by a thread, Weakened Gazebo Still Standing Realizing that this Gazebo was about to fall and could be a danger, we adviced the homeowner to have us shore it up immediately. He didn’t want to do anything until his insurance company had come out to see the damage and advice him on the correct course of action. And naturally, the soonest they could be out there was in two weeks. 3 days later… Weakened Gazebo Blows Over After Second Wind Storm in Lakewood / Crystal Lake, IL After Falling the Gazebo is Absolutely Destroyed The force of the fall drives the support poles through the deck and roof framing When the insurance adjuster came out, we were there to represent the homeowner. The adjuster had never seen anything like this and had no idea how to price it for repair. We presented him with a full estimate to restore the Gazebo. A few weeks later the homeowner received a check! During our visits we noticed that the deck was in pretty bad shape so we quoted the homeowner to reinforce the support structure of the deck and to replace the decking. He also wanted to install new railing on part of the deck. Rebuilding the Gazebo and Deck The following pictures show the progress of rebuilding the gazebo and installing the new deck and railings. Framing the gazebo and roof support Upper Tier of New Gazebo Roof with Saved Cupola from Old Gazebo Reinforced Deck support under gazebo deck Reframing and Reinforcement of Deck Structure New Trex Decking, Composite Deck Vinyl Railing Sleaves installed over 4X4 railing support posts Roof Shingled to Match House Upper Deck with Trex Decking Installed under perigola support beams The Deck and Gazebo after Innovative Home Concepts Far View of Rebuilt Gazebo and Deck with New Railings, the Nicest Gazebo in Crystal […] Read More