Out toward the kettle ponds in Lake in the Hills, cold sits low and settles overnight in the hollows, so a driveway that drained fine at nine can be sheeted glass by four in the morning. DDR Outdoor Services builds the route around that fact — plow first where the wind piles it, salt first where the water pools, then loop back and check. Walks, stoops and the ugly wedge at the end of the drive all get cleared before people start their cars. Storms here rarely announce themselves politely; they show up at odd hours and expect you to already be moving. Homes and small lots across Algonquin and the surrounding villages get the early pass.