424 Ogden Ave, Downers Grove, IL 60515
630-852-8485
Recent Blog Posts
Two Schools of Thought: Garage Door Torsion Spring Replacement
Picture this: You walk into your garage in the morning, hit the garage door opener button, and-snap-your garage door torsion spring just snapped. Now what?
If you're like most, you will head to Google, type in something along the lines of "Broken Garage Door Spring," "Garage Door Spring Repair," or "What to do When Your Garage Door Spring Breaks."
Of course, when you head to Google, you will see two generic schools of thought interspersed on the first few pages:
- Pages that recommend that only a qualified technician work on your garage door torsion spring.
- Pages that recommend that you can do it yourself
Both sides of this argument are trying to sell you something, whether it be the service itself, or the parts and tools needed to attempt to repair your garage door torsion spring.
We could easily tell you, as a company that services garage door openers and torsion springs that replacing said torsion spring is a confusing, dangerous, and complicated process that could result in a hospital trip.
Notice Anything Different on the Blue Sky Builders, Inc. Website?
Weather permitting, Blue Sky Builders, Inc. construction season starts up in four days. To celebrate the opening of our 36th year of construction for homeowners, we have been doing a bit of construction of our own-our new website.
After many years of our old website, we decided that it was time for a bit of a facelift, bettering the user experience and better displaying our work for homeowners throughout Chicagoland. Today, we'd like to share with you the evolution of our website, from its humble 2001 beginnings to the beautifully designed site that we have today.
The Evolution of BlueSkyBuilders.com
We've had many a redesign throughout the years, and the latest is one that we are incredibly proud of. Let's take a look back, courtesy of Internet Archive's Wayback Machine.
2001: Complete with Flashing Bullet Points
Like much of the late 90s and early 00s, our website started off simple, and has grown into what it is today.
2002: "Best in the Business"
In 2002, we moved to a white background, dropped the sponsored links, and added a small gallery.
Spring is (Almost) Here. Plan Your Improvements Today
MLB's Spring Training is technically underway tomorrow. Whether a Cubs fan or a White Sox fan, we can all agree on one thing, spring is almost here. As the weather starts to warm up (fingers crossed), we are getting warmed up for the kickoff of our 36th year building custom garages for Chicagoland homeowners.
Traditionally, Blue Sky Builders, Inc. has kicked off its construction season on March 1, and this year will be no different.
Phone calls are starting to flow in from customers throughout the area looking to make valuable improvements to their home's value in 2015. Whether you live in Aurora, Algonquin, Tinley Park, or Zion; Blue Sky Builders, Inc. is ready to help you make the much-needed improvements you may have been putting off.
Distraught by Damaged Doors?
Your door is the face of your home. After time, doors can become dinged, dented, scratched, faded, and like windows-drafty. If your entry doors are in a desperate state, you are not only detracting from the beauty of your home, but the value and energy efficiency.
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.
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