The world of garage door installation has gotten much more exciting in recent years. Most of us are used to being able to open our garage doors through a short-range wireless remote that operates an electric garage door opener. However, many garage door openers are now able to connect with smartphones and home wifi systems, allowing you to open and close your garage door remotely. This technology has now taken another step forward by allowing some home delivery services to have temporary access to open your garage door and store your deliveries safely inside your garage when you are away.

About This New Service

Many garage door brands, such as Liftmaster, have begun a partnership with Amazon. Together they have created a new service available to Amazon Prime members. Using the Amazon Key app and MyQ technology, Amazon Prime members will be able to have greater control and awareness over who enters their garage and when. The Amazon Key app allows you to know when your garage door opens through smartphone notification, and it allows wireless streaming from security cameras, so you can see who is entering into your home.

When it comes to delivery services, this technology will provide access when Amazon delivers packages to your home. The Amazon employee will be given temporary access to your garage only (unless you clear them for direct access into your home), where they will place your packages for safekeeping.

Why You Should Consider This Service

Your garage may not be as secure as you think it is. If a burglar were to break into your garage while you were away, you would be unaware of it until you came home, and a number of your valuables could be stolen during this time. The new MyQ technology, in combination with the Amazon Key app, provides protection against theft by notifying you if someone accesses your garage without your permission.

Additionally, the traditional method of leaving packages on the front doorstep is very insecure. Anyone could potentially walk up and take a delivery from your porch. By taking advantage of the Amazon Key services, you will be allowing responsible and honest delivery persons to store your goods securely in your garage, where theft is much less likely to occur.

Contact a DuPage County Garage Door Installation Professional

Next time your garage is in need of repairs or an upgrade, contact the Downers Grove garage professionals at Blue Sky Builders, Inc. We have over forty years of experience in repairing and installing garage doors, and we can help you implement the latest technology to increase security and convenience in your garage. For a free estimate, contact our offices at 630-852-8485.

April is the perfect month to give your garage a good cleaning and a careful inspection to identify problems that need repair before serious damage occurs. By doing your annual inspection in the spring, you then have months of warm weather to complete any necessary garage repairs. Here are eight things to check as you go about your spring cleaning:

1. Overhead garage door: Use our garage door maintenance checklist, and be sure to lubricate the garage door springs. Also, check flexible door seals for signs of mouse damage and replace the seals as needed.
2. Windows and entry doors: Spring is a good time for window washing and wiping down entry doors. While cleaning, check for any signs of rot around window sills and door sills. Inspect caulk that protects against water infiltration around doors and windows, and repair it as needed. Check the weatherstripping as well.
3. Roof: See our article on roof replacement for tips on how to tell when your roof shingles are wearing out and may need replacement.
4. Soffits and fascia along edges of the roof: Check soffit vents and clean as needed to ensure proper air flow. Check the soffits and fascia for signs of rot or any gaps or holes that could allow entry by insects and other pests. Seal any gaps or holes with metal mesh (e.g., quarter-inch hardware cloth), which can then be covered with caulk. Remember that mice can squeeze through a quarter-inch hole.
5. Gutters: Make sure gutters are clean and drain properly. Seal any joints where water drips out.
6. Walls: On the interior of the garage, check the wall framing where it meets the concrete foundation for signs of moisture or rot. Also, look for signs of insects or mice and apply pesticides as appropriate. On the exterior, check for any missing or damaged siding that needs repair.
7. Floor: Chicago winters are hard on garage floors. Unless you have applied a waterproof sealant, water that sits on your garage floor will work its way into the porous concrete. When the temperature dips below freezing, that moisture in the concrete expands and causes the concrete to start flaking apart. The resulting unsightly blotches of crumbling concrete are known as spalling. This type of floor damage can be repaired with either an epoxy-based concrete patching compound or a polymer-modified cement. After making the necessary repairs, you may want to protect the floor from future spalling or pitting by applying a sealant.
8. Exterior plants: Keep plants and bushes trimmed back at least one foot away from all home and garage walls. Trim trees so that branches are at least six feet away from the house.

Contact a Custom Garage Builder in DuPage County

Are you ready to repair, expand, or replace your garage? Call the Downers Grove garage professionals at Blue Sky Builders, Inc. at 630-852-8485 for a free estimate. We provide quality work at an affordable price.

When you want to upgrade the look and functionality of your garage, several of the most important decisions you must make involve the garage doors. Some decisions will significantly impact your property’s curb appeal, such as the color and decorative style of the doors. Other decisions are more functional, such as the insulating value and the type of electric garage door opener you install. But the most long-lasting decision you will make is this: should you design your garage for one double garage door or two single doors?

Advantages of One Double Garage Door

Many people assume that one double garage door will be cheaper than two single-car doors, and this is true primarily because of the cost of the extra garage door opener. However, given that a garage door opener only costs about $500 with installation, this is a relatively small percentage of your overall garage cost.

Other than cost, here are some other arguments in favor of installing one double garage door:

• If you have a full-size truck or SUV in your family, you may find it easier to drive into and back out of a double-wide door.
• If you are planning a three-stall garage, the most common solution is to install one double-door and one single door.
• Installing a double door makes it easy to park one vehicle in the middle of the space, leaving plenty of room for loading, cleaning, and repair tasks around all sides of the vehicle. This can be especially helpful if you have a family member who uses a wheelchair.
• The double-wide opening also makes it more convenient to work on a vehicle, boat, or a large carpentry project in the garage.
• If you simply prefer the look of two single doors, you can find styles that look like two separate doors.

Benefits of Two Single Garage Doors

If you think your only option is one 16-foot wide door or two 8-foot wide doors, think again. 9-foot and 10-foot wide doors are also available.
Many people find the appearance of two single garage doors to be more attractive and upscale than one large double door.

Other benefits of installing single garage doors include:

• When you have to park two cars inside one double door, you are forced to park fairly close together. By having two separate doors, you can choose how far apart to space the doors, allowing for extra room between vehicles so you can fully open the doors on each side.
• You can choose how much or how little air you want blowing into the garage by opening just one door.
• If the spring on a single garage door fails, you can generally get your vehicles out through the other door. If the spring on a double door fails, both of your vehicles will be trapped inside until you can get a repairman out. Springs generally wear out every eight years.

Upgrade Your DuPage County Garage Door

When you are ready to talk about upgrading your DuPage County garage, call Blue Sky Builders, Inc. in Downers Grove. We can tear down an old garage and replace it with a new one, or we can repair or renovate your existing garage. Call us at 630-852-8485 for a free estimate.

Are you tired of digging through piles of stuff in your garage to find the thing you need? The solution can be found in the old adage, “A place for everything and everything in its place.” Here is our list of 5 things you should have in your new garage and the best place to put them so you can always find them.

Before we get to our list, let us make this quick point. One of the challenges of garage storage is that you cannot always use the same types of containers that you would use indoors. Fabric bins with open tops may work great in your bedroom closet or toy room, but in a garage, they are going to be filthy inside and out in short order. Cardboard boxes are also bad for a garage because of dampness. Instead, use clear plastic storage bins, wire bins, hooks, bungee cords, and magnet strips.

1. Gardening gloves and tools.

Hang a sturdy wire bin on a wall convenient to a garage door that you typically use when working in the yard. Choose a bin large enough to hold your gardening gloves, weeding fork, gardening knife, and similar hand tools. Make sure the bin is large enough to hold your kneeling mat, too.

If you hang a few hooks or clamps off the bottom of the bin, you can use them to hang up your lightweight gardening clogs or wet gloves. You can also use the hooks to hang tools that have straps or holes in the handles.

Wire bins are very popular these days as part of the farmhouse/rustic chic decorating style, so they should be easy to find. Why wire? Because it won’t hold dirt and water the way a solid bin will.

2. All the bits that go with your power drill or Dremel rotary tool

This one is easy: pick up a clear plastic bin with a clamp-on lid that is big enough to hold the power tool and a smaller plastic tub inside to contain bits and accessories. You may not even have to buy the smaller plastic tub. Just stalk the kitchen for a plastic margarine tub or the tub that dishwasher detergent pods come in.

3. Boot scrubber

We recently found the perfect place for a boot scraper in the garage, but this spot only works if you have two separate overhead garage doors. Put it on the floor between the two doors. It should fit perfectly.

4. Step ladder

Are you tired of having ladders leaning up against walls and fighting past them when you need to get at a shovel or some other item stuck behind the ladder? Give the ladder a place to hang out-on the wall. Just screw a couple of heavy-duty U hooks, also known as ladder hooks, into the studs.

5. Screwdrivers, box cutters, needle-nose pliers, scissors, and other small tools you use most often

Mount foot-long magnetic strips near the main door so you can grab these tools easily whether you are working indoors or outdoors. You can buy a couple of these strips for under $20.

A Custom Garage for the Rest of Your Life in DuPage County

Do you want your garage done right? Choose Blue Sky Builders, Inc. We have been running our Downers Grove custom garage building business for 40 years and are still going strong. For a free estimate on your project, call us at 630-852-8485.

When building a new garage, one of the top desires for homeowners is to make the garage bigger. However, the size of your lot, the existing footprint of your home, and local zoning ordinances must all be taken into account when deciding how big your garage can be.

If you are not sure how big of a garage you want, look at our custom garage image gallery which shows the dimensions of each garage we have built. A two-car garage typically measures at least 22′ x 22′ while the minimum footprint for a three-car garage is 32′ x 22.’ Larger dimensions are preferable if your lot allows.

Detached Garage Sizes in DuPage County

If you live in an unincorporated area of DuPage County, the county’s zoning requirements apply to you. For a single-family home on a lot of 40,000 square feet or less, the maximum size allowed for a detached garage, shed, or accessory building is 650 feet if you have an attached garage already or 850 feet if there is no attached garage. Assuming the 850 square foot limitation, you could build a 36′ wide by 22′ deep garage, enough room for three stalls. The maximum allowed height of the building is 15 feet.

If your lot is over 40,000 square feet, the maximum size allowed for a detached garage or shed is 1.625 percent of the square footage of the property, plus an extra 200 square feet if the house has no attached garage. For example, on a 2-acre lot, which equals 87,120 square feet, you could have a 1,415 square foot detached garage. The maximum allowed size for a detached garage, regardless of how big your lot is, is 2,600 square feet. The maximum allowed height of the building is 24 feet.

Maximum Size for Attached Garages in DuPage County

If you are building a new home in unincorporated DuPage County or replacing or adding an attached garage to an existing home, the maximum allowable size of your home plus the attached garage varies by your zoning category. For example, if your lot is zoned R-1, the maximum allowable footprint of your house plus any detached accessory buildings is the size of your lot x 20 percent, excluding the first 1,000 square feet of any attached garage.

Maximum Size for Detached Garages Within City Limits

If you wish to build a garage on property within the boundaries of a particular city in DuPage County, you will need to refer to the zoning ordinances of that particular city. For example, in zones of Downers Grove designated for single-family residences, you are allowed to cover no more than 32 percent of your lot with buildings, including your home, attached garage, and any accessory buildings. Minimum building setbacks from each property boundary also apply. In single-family residential zones of Wheaton, the footprint of all buildings on a lot, known as the floor area ratio, may go as high as 40 percent.

Builders for Your DuPage County Custom Garage

If you want to build a new garage in DuPage County, Blue Sky Builders, Inc. can do it all, from obtaining the necessary permits to demolition to construction. Call us at 630-852-8485 for a free estimate.

Sources:

https://www.dupageco.org/building/

http://www.downers.us/public/docs/code/Chapter28.pdf

https://www.wheaton.il.us/584/Zoning-Ordinance