424 Ogden Ave, Downers Grove, IL 60515
630-852-8485
Recent Blog Posts
Is a Home Office in Your Garage a Good Idea?
We know the story-build a garage, park in it, have a safe environment for your vehicle. We know this because we've built garages for this purpose for over 35 years. Garages are convenient, safe, and great for storage. But we also know that garages can serve more than just for parking. With a recent study sharing that only 15% of two car garages are used for two cars, there are a multitude of options for that extra space. One option? The addition of a home office in place of this second car. Another? Build right above your garage.
Converting Part of Your Garage into a Home Office
Many people want more out of their garages. A great multi-functional room, the garage has made its mark most popularly as a space for a workshop. However, there are many other ideas for homeowners looking to build into their extra space including the ‘man cave,' but one of the rooms that every home could use is the home office.
About Garages shared a recent post, and understands the value of creating a multi-purpose garage-something that can fit both a car and serve the needs of others, not an either/or situation. Providing two options, either half of a two car garage or a loft above a one car garage, author Thomas Mello provided tips on turning your garage into office space.
What’s on Your Home Improvement Wish List?
Welcome to the holiday season. While stores (and radio stations) may have been trying to convince you that the holiday season may have started the day after Halloween, here at Blue Sky Builders, Inc., we are the traditionalists who decorate our homes the day after Thanksgiving. With the kids writing their wish lists to Santa, we would like to ask you, "What's on your home improvement wish list in 2015?"
Thanks to the annual "Cost vs. Value" Report, provided by Remodeling Magazine, we share with you a few of the things that you can add to your wish list that will improve the value.
Entry Door Replacement
One of the easiest things you can do that will recoup its value nearly completely for homebuyers is that of replacing your entry door.
Steel Entry Doors
Steel doors are durable and available with many different designs and colors. Homeowners could even elect to build sidelights or insets.
- National Average Cost: $1,162
Should You Get a Garage Floor Mat for Snow and Ice Protection?
It's upon us. The snow is slowly falling down in Illinois and with it comes the beginning of the holiday season. It also means that winter is trickling into the area. A winter that many believe to be one of the most snow-laden winters in recent history. Just ask the people of Buffalo how badly the snow can get.
So, we've shown you how to winterize your garage, set up your storage effectively, and even keep the vermin out of your garage; but now we would like to introduce you to another way to protect your garage this winter-the garage floor mat.
Do You Need a Garage Floor Mat?
If you want to protect your floor, and haven't yet put down garage epoxy or paint, the garage floor mat is your next best option. Relatively cost effective, the garage floor mat provides temporary protection to your garage floor, protecting it from stains, spills, and salt.
Can You Really Know Someone by Their Entry Door?
Did you know that in addition to being your source for custom-built garages for over 35 years, we also provide installation of entry doors with different panel styles, colors, and designs available? Did you also know that your front door can say a lot about a person?
It's true. Much like a necktie, the front door is the focal point of the home, and offers a powerful statement about the home's owner. Throughout the spectrum of colors, each promotes a different trait to visitors or neighbors. So what does each color mean?
Red
The ultimate power color in Western Cultures, red, could mean many things to different societies. In feng shui, a red door says "welcome" and invites good energy. In early America, red doors signified a friendly household where a weary traveler might stop for the night. Today, Red is a bold choice for those who are not afraid of standing out on the block.
Advanced Features in Modern Garage Door Openers
Does anyone remember when you had to open a garage door by hand? Invented in 1926 and popularized right here in Chicago after World War II, the electric garage door opener has been making the lives of homeowners easier ever since.
What was once opened by a keypad at the end of the driveway was followed by the fault ridden early radio transmitters, and has advanced since then to make the lives of homeowners easier each year. Now it's 2014, and the technologies of garage door openers match the time. From WiFi-enabled smart garages to ephemeral opener signals, the garage of the future is here.
Today, we'd like to share some of the advanced features available in Blue Sky Builders, Inc.-Preferred LiftMaster garage doors.
MyQ® Technology
By tapping into the power of your Internet Gateway, you can monitor and control your home's or garage door or lighting from your smartphone, tablet, or computer. With MyQ®:
- Confidently know what's going on at home
Preventing Mice from Entering Your Garage
Winter is coming, and with that comes the allure of your garage to pests like mice, chipmunks, and raccoons. What rodent could resist a slightly warmer area that could be a location in which you store pet food or dispose of trash? Worse yet, once a pest enters the garage, the next step is moving into the warmer, more food-filled location: your house.
This is why preventing pests from entering your garage should be at the top of the mind before the cold winters hit the Chicagoland area.
Today, we cover some of the ways to prevent mice from entering your home, from sealing your home to placing deterrents in your home.
Sealing Points of Ingress
If your garage is old, there may be holes used by mice to enter. Our first advice would obviously be to contact us for a new garage or professional repairs; but if that won't do for you, the next best advice is to seal the openings to the outside.
If a mouse can get its head though, the body can go through as well. The little pests only need about a ¼ inch (0.6 cm) wide opening. They can jump – up to 18 inches, travel upside down, and crawl along an electrical wire. If you can stick a #2 pencil through a hole, a mouse can probably use it to get into your home.
Garage Door Material Options
Like any part of your property, you are provided many options in building your garage. From attached to detached, a pressing concern among homeowners-second to garage door style-is the material of which your garage door is made.
From Aluminum to Wood, and every option between, each type of garage door material has its benefits to homeowners. Today, we would like to share with you the common types of garage door material available to homeowners today.
Steel Garage Doors
Steel, the most popular material for garage doors, is reasonably priced, durable, low maintenance and available in just about any style you like.
Related: Garage Door Panel Design
The best steel garage doors are made of two layers of galvanized steel, the surface of which is either primed and painted with a tough topcoat finish or clad with a composite material. Steel doors can be painted to match your home and are available with or without insulation. The downside of steel doors is that they can be dented and are subject to corrosion, especially in coastal areas.
Build a Haunted Garage for Halloween!
Halloween is right around the corner, and one of our favorite traditions is visiting haunted houses with our children. But why, instead of going to a haunted house, don't you build one into your home? The garage, especially a detached garage, can create a horrifyingly brilliant haunted house. Today, we share tips on building a haunted house in your garage and yard.
Step 1: Clean up
No one wants a lawsuit on their hands, so make sure that anything that can actually harm someone is locked away. Start by removing cars, lawn mowers, tools, and chemicals. Clear out as much space as possible to allow for the biggest layout. If there's somewhere else you can store your stuff, move it there. If not, just put everything against the walls.
Step 2: Plan a Path
Measure out your garage, and draw out the map you plan to make of your garage. This is critical, not only in planning, but on the night of the event.
How to Clean and Remove Stains from a Garage Floor
A few weeks ago, we covered the different types of garage flooring types available to homeowners. However, what if you never have put down epoxy or protective paint? What if you've had an oil stain on your floor for years, and want to make this the year that you finally get rid of it for good?
You are running out of weekends to work on outdoor tasks-maybe you make this the weekend you get rid of that stubborn spot? Today, we'll share with you the best garage cleaning tips and some products to get the job done.
Cleaning a Concrete Garage Floor
Getting rid of tire marks, dirt, grime, oil, and oil may seem impossible, but with the right tools, you can easily remove even the most stubborn stain. However, before jumping into the tactical removal of the stains and tire marks, it helps for you to understand how to properly clean a garage floor.
Basic Garage Floor Cleaning
Learning the best way to clean a garage floor properly is a skill that is high on most home improvement lists. Depending upon what type of garage floor project you have chosen and how dirty your floor is, there are different methods of cleaning a concrete floor that you may want to engage.
Garage Storage for Bicycles: 3 Options to Save Space
Brace yourself, winter is coming. More than a quote from a TV show turned internet meme; winter is actually coming. With this comes less need for summer items such as bikes, patio furniture, bags sets (cornhole boards), kayaks, fishing gear, and grills. However, much of this takes up space, and seemingly takes up more space than last year. A seemingly bulky option that needs storage is the bicycle. We will share with you 3 space saving options for storing your bike in your garage this winter.
Garage Bicycle Storage
It's understandable that some of us may be riding this winter; but for the casual rider, the winter is not the time to go riding. This means that you need to find storage for an item that generally sits 3 feet high and 4-5 feet wide.
Before considering the basic hook around the tires approach or dark corner of the garage, remember that an extended period of contact with freezing concrete does not benefit the tires. However, if you don't want to take the indoor trainer option, you need a safe and effective storage option that will allow you to start spring with little more than a tune-up.
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