Does your garage feel dark all the time? While installing more electric lighting is one way to address this, another option is to let in more natural light. Here are three ways you can add more natural light when rebuilding or remodeling your garage:

• Replace a solid entry door with a full-window or half-window door.
• Replace a solid garage door with one that has windows.
• Add more windows to the walls.

Garage Entry Doors With Windows

Replacing the entry door to your garage is the most cost-efficient way to bring more natural light into your garage. If your door frame shows signs of rot, or if the door itself is old and looking very worn, it might be time to invest in a new door anyway.

Fiberglass doors are considered top-of-the-line and are only slightly more expensive than steel doors. Search for “full-lite” or “half-lite” depending on whether you want full-height glass or just a window in the upper half of the door. Expect to pay $400 to $700 for a good-quality exterior door of either fiberglass or steel with a large window.

Overhead Garage Doors with Windows

If you look through our custom garage gallery, you will see many examples of garages with windowed doors. If you have a two-car or even three-car garage, you will be amazed at the amount of extra light you will get. You will not have to turn on the garage lights as often or nag your family members to shut off the garage lights that they left burning.

Garage door windows provide a significant aesthetic benefit as well. If you have never had windows in your garage door, you may not realize what a stunning visual difference the addition of windows can make. You can even select window styles that will match the style of your house windows, such as six-pane windows.

Garage Wall Windows

If your current garage does not have windows in the walls, it will be somewhat pricey to cut holes in the walls to install new windows. However, if you are planning a new garage, you should definitely consider adding a window or two to your plan. The extra daylight will be worth the expense. If you are considering putting a dormer or second story on your garage, consider placing a window there for architectural interest as well as lighting.

Custom Garage Building in DuPage County

If you want to bring more daylight into your garage, call Blue Sky Builders, Inc. for full design and build services. We are a Downers Grove garage builder serving DuPage County, Cook County, and neighboring counties. For a free estimate on your project, call us at 630-852-8485.

If your garage has an unfinished interior with exposed studs, you have probably wondered about the options for insulating and finishing a garage. After all, the garage is one of the most-used rooms in your house. In fact, if your garage is attached to your house, it is probably your most-used entryway. You will get daily enjoyment out of your investment in finishing this space.

For a typical 24′ x 24′ two-car garage, you should be able to insulate and finish the garage walls and ceiling for under $5,000, including top-quality labor and materials. If your garage is attached to your house, the wall adjacent to the home is most likely already insulated and drywalled as required by local building codes for fire resistance, which will bring the total cost even lower.

Garage Insulation Choices: Spray Foam vs. Fiberglass Batting

For insulation, two common choices are spray foam and fiberglass batting. Fiberglass insulation is roughly one-third the cost of closed-cell spray foam insulation and is considered very easy to install, but it allows a lot of air leakage. Closed-cell spray foam, in contrast, is substantially more energy efficient, as it provides a complete air, moisture, and vapor barrier. Spray foam insulation is also superior because it does not sag and settle over time like fiberglass batts tend to do and because it forms a tight seal around outlets, light switches, and other areas where drafts tend to be felt.

Garage Wall Options: Drywall, OSB, and Slatwall

Drywall, such as the popular brand Sheetrock, is the traditional option for finishing the walls of a home. You get a nice, smooth, finished surface and the benefit of fire resistance. For garage walls, however, the extra cost of taping, mudding, and painting drywall can be a drawback. In addition, drywall is prone to dings and dents, which is not ideal in the rough-and-tumble world of a garage.

Wood sheathing, such as oriented strand board (OSB) or plywood sheathing, can be cheaper to install than drywall. Many people find the look of the unfinished wood perfectly acceptable for a garage, and it can be painted if you want to brighten up the color and make the space feel less dark. You can also drive screws into OSB and hang things from the walls without having to find a stud the way you do with drywall.

Slatwall panels made of PVC are another option to consider for at least one wall in your garages. Slatwall is the more attractive, more durable, and more functional cousin of old-fashioned pegboard. Slatwall is significantly more expensive than wood sheathing or drywall, but it comes in a variety of colors and never needs painting. You can hang a variety of hooks, bins, and shelves from slatwall and easily rearrange things as needed.

Blue Sky Builders, Inc. Can Help You Finish Your Garage

Whether you want to update an old garage or build a brand-new custom garage, Blue Sky Builders, Inc. of Downers Grove will create an attractive and affordable solution for you. Over the past 40 years, we have built or improved hundreds of garages in more than 50 different communities. For a quality garage contractor in DuPage County, call us at 630-852-8485.

Your dream home might be a 1,800 square foot cottage near your relatives in Chicago or a 4,000 square foot luxury home in Wheaton within a short commute to your job. Whatever its size and value, it is yours, and you have put a lot of time and effort into making that house a home. But there is one thing you may not have finished yet, and that is the garage. Your dream home is not complete until you have the custom garage of your dreams.

Creating the Ultimate Custom Garage

Curb appeal. The first thing your dream garage needs is curb appeal. It may need a siding upgrade or some custom stonework to “dress” it to match the style of your home. It may need an upgraded garage door, such as a faux wood finish, a carriage style design, or windows. The exterior light fixtures must, of course, match the style of your house while providing functional illumination.

Interior lighting. Is your garage lighting limited to the auto-on light built into your garage door opener, and maybe one or two other bare lightbulbs? Do you find yourself leaving in the dark and coming home in the dark during the winter time? You are not alone, but chances are, the wiring is already in place to fix these problems. For just a couple hundred dollars, you can replace those bare bulbs with attractive and more functional light fixtures. Choose fixtures with a “smart” feature so that you can program them to light your departure in the morning and greet you when you come home at night.

PVC slatwall storage. Do you have boxes, bikes, and bungee cords strewn all over your garage, along with ladders, tools, and sports gear? Maybe the former owner of the house left you a few shelves or a sheet of pegboard on one wall, and you have tried to make do. Make a resolution that this year is your garage year! For around $2,000, you can cover an entire wall with PVC slatwall panels, then add the perfect selection of hooks, bins, and shelves. PVC slatwalls are the perfect solution because they look great, are easy to clean, and can hold as much as 100 pounds of gear per square foot. You can see where everything is, and you can add or move hooks and brackets with ease. Slatwall panels can be installed over bare studs or drywall, they come in a variety of colors, and you will never have to worry about painting them.

Blue Sky Builders, Inc. Will Build Your Dream Garage

Blue Sky Builders, Inc. has forty years of experience creating custom garages for our clients in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. We are well-versed in the local building codes, permit requirements, and construction best practices. In addition to building new garages, we renovate existing buildings with new concrete, siding, roofing, windows, and doors. For a free estimate from a custom garage builder in DuPage County, call us at 630-852-8485. We work primarily in Cook County and DuPage County, but we also serve other communities surrounding our Downers Grove office.

Thinking about possible home improvements in 2019? Want to make sure those home and garage improvements are going to make your home appeal to future buyers? According to the National Association of Home Builders, these are some of the top features currently desired by home buyers:

• 92% want a convenient, roomy laundry room.
• 92% want exterior lighting.
• 90% want energy efficiency to control HVAC and electricity costs.
• 86% want good garage storage space.

If you are planning to do some work on your garage in the coming year, you should consider the following:

Garage storage. A well-designed storage system in the garage can boost your home value for several reasons. First, today’s home buyers are mostly Millennials, who prefer a streamlined look in their homes without a lot of clutter. Second, the garage is usually much more conveniently accessible than an attic or basement. Third, particularly in suburban homes, homeowners are more likely to enter their home through the garage than through the front door on a daily basis, so they want this space to feel welcoming.

Finally, today’s home buyers prefer a smaller home that is move-in ready with more upscale features over one that needs work and upgrading. Most do not have the time, skill, or desire to put “sweat equity” into a home. However, they still need storage space, and the garage can fill that need.

Exterior lighting. Proper lighting is just as important on the garage as around the front door to the house. Curb appeal is enhanced by attractive lighting on either side of the garage door that coordinates with the light fixtures on the rest of the house. Floodlights attached to garage eaves can help illuminate the driveway and yard, making it easier to work and play outside all year long. However, it is important to be aware of the growing issue of light pollution. Check for any local ordinances governing exterior lights and do your best to keep your lights from shining into a neighbor’s windows.

Energy efficiency. Garages can also contribute to a home’s efficiency; just think about how often you open that door from the house to the garage to put out trash and recyclables or to grab a tool. Consider the benefits of an insulated overhead garage door coupled with well-sealed human entry/exit doors.

Free Quotes for Cook County and DuPage County Garages

For forty years, homeowners throughout the Chicago suburbs have trusted Blue Sky Builders, Inc. to build new custom garages and renovate older structures. Whatever you need, we can do it, including permits, demolition, new concrete, siding, roofing, windows, and doors. To consult one of our expert Chicago garage builders, call us at 630-852-8485.

When some part of your home, like a garage door, needs to be replaced, you should not just automatically buy the cheapest option or an exact replacement for the one that broke. Your home may well be the most valuable asset you have. When the time eventually comes to sell it, you will want to get the best possible price for it. This means that you cannot wait until you are ready to put the house on the market to think about maximizing its value to potential buyers. Rather, protecting the value of your home has to be an ongoing practice, like changing the oil in your car and buying new tires when the old ones wear out.

At a minimum, any major part of the home that breaks, like a garage door or furnace, needs to be repaired or replaced. However, that alone is not enough to maintain the value of your home. You also need to update your home’s look and functionality, both interior and exterior, to keep up with changing lifestyles and tastes, at least to the extent that your budget allows.

Factors to Consider When Replacing Your Garage Door

You may first want to take a drive around your neighborhood and take a close look at the garage doors on other homes. Snap some photos you can refer to when you start shopping for a new door. Pay special attention to any homes that have been recently built or sold. What style of doors do most of the homes have? At a minimum, you want to keep your house up to par with other houses in your neighborhood.

You can also check websites such as Zillow or Redfin to look at pictures of other houses in the area with a similar size and price point as yours. Real estate agents call these “comparable homes,” or “comps” for short. What do you like or not like about their garage doors? What style do you think would look good on your house?

Once you have established your comps, you can make a list of features you think your new garage door should have. For example, if most of your comps have doors that look like wood, make a note. You may not want the cost and maintenance hassle of real wood, but there are other material options that can give you the appearance of wood. If you currently have a plain, off-white garage door, consider how a darker-colored door might look against the rest of your home’s exterior. Black doors are growing in popularity, but if you choose this option, you will want to make sure scratches will not show up on the finish.

If all of your comp houses have very plain doors, then you do not have to worry about doing anything extra fancy with your door in order to make your home competitive in the market. However, you should consider what you could do to give your home a “curb appeal” advantage over those other houses. It may not cost much more at all to add a couple of nicer features to your door, such as windows, architectural details, or decorative hardware.

Remember to consider not just the outside appearance but the insulation value of the door as well. A better-insulated garage door can be well worth a little extra cost, enabling you to work comfortably inside your garage for a greater part of the year.

Taking the time to choose an attractive new garage door will be worth the effort. It will make you feel good every time you drive up your house, in addition to protecting the value of your most important investment.

Let Blue Sky Builders, Inc. Help You Select a New Garage Door

Blue Sky Builders, Inc. will help you choose the best garage door for your home and install it to your full satisfaction. When you work with Blue Sky Builders, Inc., you get the peace of mind that comes from working with people who have been in this business for many years. We have provided superior service to DuPage County homeowners for four decades, so we know how our products hold up over time. To get our recommendations for your new garage door, contact us at 630-852-8485.