424 Ogden Ave, Downers Grove, IL 60515
630-852-8485
Recent Blog Posts
3 Tales of Homeowners Who Fell In Love with Their New Garages
With Valentine's Day around the corner, love is in the air. But we must know, do you love-or loathe-your garage?
Throughout the years, we have made it possible for homeowners across the Chicagoland area to experience love at first sight.
Don't believe us? Just ask Carla from Oak Park, who said these nice words from a project completed in May 2013:
"We recently had our custom garage built by Blue Sky Builders, Inc. and are extremely satisfied with the appearance and quality of the garage, as well as Blue Sky Builder's customer service. We were especially pleased by the effort they took to match the style and colors of the existing house. We would strongly recommend anyone living in the Chicagoland area to choose Blue Sky Builders, Inc. for their project."
Or, you could ask Susan from LaGrange, for whom we completed the custom garage shown below, also in May 2013:
Don’t Spend Another Chicago Winter with a Carport
Another year, another Chicago winter. After 20 inches of snow on Sunday, and a predicted negative eight degrees tonight, March couldn't seem further away. For those with carports (worse yet-no garage), tomorrow morning will be filled with grumbling as drivers struggle to start their cars.
Of course, the carport made for a great cost saving, quickly constructed option in the spring, but the years of blowing snow and subzero temperatures have made the idea of little more than a roof on stilts look worse and worse as time passed.
Will this be the year that you protect your vehicle from the elements? How about the year that you can safely store decorations, bicycles, or tools without worrying that the items will be stolen?
By adding a garage to your home in 2015, you add more than just improved protection from the cold, you are adding much more:
- Value: According to Remodeling Magazine's Cost vs. Value Report, a new garage adds over 60% of its purchase price as value to your home's sale price.
Quick Fixes for Garage Safety and Security
With the weather supposed to be bearable (mid-30s) this weekend, we at Blue Sky Builders, Inc. thought that we would share with you a few quick fixes you can accomplish to ensure safety, security, and cleanliness in your garage.
Quick Fix 1: Inspect Your Garage Door Balance
A properly balanced door is less likely to crush someone or something and keeps your door opener from working too hard. That's why, with a quick inspection, you can prevent mishaps that could occur. LiftMaster Garage Door Openers offered this quick video on how to inspect the balance of your garage door.
Quick Fix 2: Install a Fire Extinguisher
With a lot of combustible materials in your garage, and many potential things that could start fires, you should have at least one fire extinguisher in your garage. Underwriters Laboratories tests and recommends fire extinguishers, and has specific classifications for what a fire extinguisher does:
Blue Sky Builders, Inc. Garage Project Blog: Chicago, Illinois
2014 may be over, but it's not too late to share another 2014 Blue Sky Builders, Inc. success story. This project blog features a new garage completed this fall, built in Chicago, Illinois.
After nearly 40 years and a brutal 2014 Chicago winter, our client decided that it was time to look into a replacement for his family's two-car garage before the winter of 2014-15. After hearing horror stories about a few of the "Mega" builders in the area, our client was referred to us by a friend for whom Blue Sky completed a custom garage a few years ago.
Looking to meet a budget while still getting a high quality product, Blue Sky Builders, Inc. was able to help the client, completing the project in Fall 2014.
Garage Remodel Details
Garage Style: Hip Garage
Garage Door(s): 16×7 insulated steel overhead door on alley side. 6×7 steel overhead door on yard side.
Garage Windows: Vinyl
Garage Siding Used: Ovation Triple 3" Vinyl Siding
Garage Roof Shingles: IKO Marathon asphalt shingles
More than Storage: The Gallery of Garage Havens
As a leading custom garage builder, we have seen (and built) a few amazing garages in our 36 years. Throughout this history, we have seen a big change in the garage concept, discovering more and more homeowners are taking garage building to the next level.
From man caves to celebrity car havens, the garage has become more than a place where homeowners store their lawn mowers, snow blowers, and tools. Today, we'd like to share with you some of the most interesting uses of garages we've seen.
The Garage Band Haven
The lowly garage band. From Credence Clearwater Revival to Nirvana to The Who, hundreds of artists started in garages. Today, homeowners turn to the garage to ‘rock out.' Thanks to DIY Network's Garage Mahals, host Bill Goldberg helped one family turn their garage into a multi-functional garage/stage combo.
Heating Your Garage: A Brief Guide to Heating and Insulating Garages
It finally pushed above zero at about noon today. Homeowners across the Chicagoland area have been facing frozen pipes, cars that won't start, and garage doors that won't open. The reason? It might be under-heated or under insulated garages.
When the temperature drops below zero outside, poorly insulated garages are hit hard by the elements, dropping in temperature to nearly match the outside.
Of course, homeowners with garages don't have it nearly as bad as those with carports, but this begs the question-should you heat your garage? Heating your garage is a tough decision for homeowners, as the costs can stack up when you run a heater for an area that you may not be using.
Today, we are going to share with you a handy guide on whether or not to heat your attached or detached garage, allowing you to make the decision for yourself.
Why Heat Your Garage in the Winter?
If you use your garage for little more than storage and parking, heating your garage may seem inefficient, but there are some problems that can arise.
2014 in Review: Sharing our Highlights and Favorite Posts
We love helping our friends and neighbors throughout the Chicagoland area in selecting and building garages. Today, we would like to turn our focus to some of our highlights from 2014, and share with you a few things you can expect as we turn to our 36th year of custom garage building for customers from Aurora to Zion.
Blue Sky Builders, Inc. Ugliest Garage Contest
This summer, Blue Sky Builders, Inc. held our "Ugliest Garage Contest." Our winner, from Glen Ellyn received a new television, and chose Blue Sky Builders, Inc. to help build her new garage.
Our Most Viewed Blogs in 2014
As these blogs have helped hundreds, if not thousands of homeowners better take care of their garages, we would like to share with you some of our posts which you may have not seen, but many have enjoyed throughout the years.
- How to Choose the Right Size Garage: This post, from 2013, has been a mainstay. In this, we share one of the most important considerations you make before building a garage-the size. Check out our advice on selecting the right sized garage to fit your car, your stuff, and your life.
Our Favorite Christmas Lights Shows and Traditions in Chicagoland
Here at Blue Sky Builders, Inc., we love the holiday season (who doesn't?). Light shows, decorations, and more-this season brings the creative side of homeowners across the nation. Just as we love sharing our creative side designing and building garages in Chicago and the suburbs, we love seeing homeowners share their creative side through light shows and decorative schemes.
So, today, in honor of the holidays, we would like to share with you some our favorite light shows and holiday traditions from across the Chicagoland Area.
Our Favorite Chicagoland Christmas Traditions
Many of the best decorations and lights are merely a short drive away! See some of the best decorations near our hometown of Downers Grove!
Larsen Lights (Elburn)
Probably one of the most intense suburban light displays, the Larsen Light Show in Elburn features over a million LED lights, and takes over 3 months to set up. See the video below, synced to "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" from Frozen.
How Much Can Windows and Doors Save You Come Tax Time?
Once again, the House of Representatives (12/3) and Senate (12/16) have come together to approve taxes retroactive to 2014, just in time for Christmas. Now, this may not seem like the Christmas gift you may have wanted, but think of the consequences had this bill not passed. Yet another one-year extension, the extension will still allow homeowners to take advantage of this year's purchases for their homes-specifically in energy efficient windows and doors.
So, this means that not only will new windows and doors be one of the most valuable things you can do for your home, it may even save you some cash come tax time.
The 25C Homeowner Tax Credit
An important part of the extension was the 10 percent "25C" homeowner income tax credit of up to $200 for installation of Energy Star qualified windows and skylights, and $500 for Energy Star exterior doors. Both are subject to a $500 lifetime limit per individual taxpayer.
35 Things that Have Happened in Chicagoland During Blue Sky Builders' 35 Years
As we close out another season building garages in the Chicagoland area, this year marks one slightly more special than the others. Announced earlier this year, we are celebrating our 35th Anniversary. Since 1979, we have proudly build garages for homeowners from Antioch to Oak Forest, with every city in between.
But to commemorate these 35 years, we would like to share with you 35 things that have happened in the Chicagoland area since 1979.
- 1979-The Great Blizzard of 1979 dumped 18.8 inches of snow on Chicago in two days
- 1979-Disco Demolition Night occurred on July 12, 1979 at Comiskey Park
- 1980-Taste of Chicago was Born on July 4, 1980
- 1980-Blues Brothers directed by John Landis and starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd released on June 20,1980.
- 1981-Illinois-born Ronald Reagan sworn in as 40th U.S. President on January 20, 1981
- 1981-Naperville Commemorates 150th Anniversary with Riverwalk
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