SolaROC

Become Escape Well Savvy

Dina — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:46:39 +0000

Many newer homes with lower levels include an egress emergency exit. These exits usually include a large window and access to the outside. This access is often accomplished using a window well. Window wells come in all shapes and sizes. But sometimes key components to egress window well safety are missing.

Often I hear about egress window wells that are significantly deep – greater than 3 feet – not including escape ladders. Something a simple and inexpensive as a ladder can be crucial to keeping your family safe. Imagine an emergency in a home – loved ones open the window, climb into the window well, only to find that there is no ladder. What if that well is very deep? What if the person in the escape well is 10 years old? What if?

Now imagine a typical summer day in the backyard. Family and friends have gathered for a barbeque. Young children are running around playing – chasing the beloved pet. What is going to keep this child from accidently falling into the well? What if the pet falls into the well? What if your father stumbles into the well? A window well cover can protect your family, friends and pets from becoming seriously injured due to a fall into the window well. It’s a small thing to do to ensure your family’s safety!

Also, homeowners are turning to the addition of egress windows and window wells to transform basements into living areas. This can be a great idea for some families – adding living space and possibly increasing the value of a home. Make sure that when you embark on these projects you consider building codes. There are many codes specific to egress windows and window wells. Become educated – understand your responsibilities for yourself – don’t just depend on a builder or remodeler.

In order to learn which codes need to be followed and how they will affect you and your construction project, contact your local building inspection department, office of planning and zoning, and/or department of permits. You may want to start by calling the most local government body that has jurisdiction over the property where you will be building. They should be able to provide you with specific information about which building codes are used as guidelines in your area. Ask for any updates and modifications that have been added by the local jurisdiction. Local boards, councils, and assemblies frequently exclude portions of “standard” codes and/or adopt requirements that are not specifically prescribed in code books. Depending upon other specifics about your project — including but not limited to whether or not you have a well, septic system, wetlands, sensitive environmental conditions, or public use areas — you may also be subject to state and/or federal requirements.

www.solarocgrp.com – Find innovative egress window and window well products at SolaROC

Custom Window Well Covers – MADE HERE

Dina — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:01:03 +0000

Custom window well covers – available here! Many homeowners are interested in covering their window wells – but are not sure where to go. They may have actually looked at their big box hardware store – and may have been disappointed by the window well covers they saw there. They may have looked online – but found unimpressive products with difficult sales options.
SolaROC builds custom window well covers. It’s what we do. We do it every day – custom covers are a no-brainer.

Use our handy measuring form found at: http://www.solarocgrp.com/documents/solaroconlinethermalhingeorderform.pdf – take a few measurements of your window well – call our tollfree number – and get you cover ordered. It’s that simple.
If you are unable to measure your window well yourself – any handyman is able to use our form and take some measurements. This same handyman can easily install the cover for you – a 15 to 20 minute installation.

That’s it. How much easier can it get!

Skunks in the Window Well

Dina — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:34:56 +0000

Ohhhh - how cute! Imagine it trapped in your window well...

Silly headline – isnt it! This is the type of problem where you want to do everything in your power to KEEP THIS FROM HAPPENING!
Easy solution!
A hinged window well cover from SolaROC. The hinged cover sits on top of and around window wells. It is a strong secure safety cover. Skunks will not get into your window well if you have a SolaROC hinged window well cover.
I had 3 seperate calls this summer from homeowners who despretely needed a SolaROC window well cover fast because of skunks. One person from a subarb of Chicago called at the very same time the animal contral officer was at his home “rescuing” the skunk.
The best part of the hinged window well cover – it does SO MUCH MORE than keep skunks out of your window well.

The hinged window well cover will keep your children, the neighbor children, your pets, your parents, friends and visitors from accidentally falling into the well.

The hinged window well cover will keep your window well looking great. No more unsightly debris falling into and filling that well!

The hinged window well cover will keep snow and rain out of the well. With it’s unique sloped design it actually directs snow and rain away from your home!

The hinged window well cover is part of a “safe and easy emergency exit”. The cover is easy to push open for any family members making an emergency exit through the window well.

The hinged cover is made with durable – strong – long lasting materials. Unlike home improvement covers made out of thin plastic, this cover will last for years… and look great at the same time!

Just call 866-678-6738 and order your window well cover today.

Fiberglass is a GREEN BUILDING MATERIAL

Dina — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:46:25 +0000

There is alot of talk about green building products. I wanted to write a quick entry about our fiberglass window well and how that well makes Green Sense.

The fiberglass building products are a sustainable resource and an eco-friendly alternative to other building products.
* Fiberglass has low embodied energy. Embodied energy is defined as “the total energy required to produce a product from the raw materials stage through delivery.” Fiberglass has about 80 percent less embodied energy than aluminum and 39 percent less than vinyl.
* Fiberglass insulates against heat, cold and electricity, which saves energy and reduces life cycle cost.
* Fiberglass has a tremendously long life cycle. If disposal is necessary, our material poses no threat to the environment.
* Our product’s main ingredient is glass, which is made from sand—an abundant resource.

That’s the GREEN TRUTH ABOUT FIBERGLASS!

Add A Powered Foundation Vent, Check Downspouts, and Install an Exterior Drainage System

Dina — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 20:15:43 +0000

The Powered Foundation Vent – A great tool for working toward a dry crawl space!

Remove moist and unhealthy air out the crawl space with the SolaROC Powered Foundation Vent. Foundation vents prevent mold, wood rot and mildew. The humidity controlled fan motor will quickly remove the moisture content in the crawl space.

The installation is quick and easy, remove the old screen and click the Powered Foundation Vents in placed. No drilling, nailing or screwing required. Set the humidity level between 20% – 80% and plug the 6 feet long cord into a nearby outlet. The fan motor will turn automatically on when the humidity in the crawl space reaches the set point. The automatic thermostat turns the motor off at cold temperatures.

If this were a game show, the title would be the answer and the question is – What do you do when you have a wet crawlspace or basement?

It is such a common annoyance – many homeowners deal with this problem all the time. But before you turn to your Basement Waterproofing experts – make sure you check into a few “dry basement” basics.

1. Control interior moisture sources

2. In the summertime, dont ventilate with outside air

3. Check your homes grading and gutter/downspout system

4. A dehumidifier can help reduce the symptoms of humidity and odor

5. Membrane coatings or other waterproofing systems on the interior will help, but without providing some sort of drainage fix, these are not long term solutions

The University of Minnesota Extension Office offers some good information at the following site: http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/housingandclothing/DK7051.html

Diagram of your basement

Window Well Covers -they cost how much?

Dina — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:04:15 +0000

Last week I stopped into a home improvement store and was shocked to see some flimsy plastic window well covers for over $250. (I think the price was around $281) These were the larger size covers, but I cant imagine spending that amount of money on a product that cant possibly last. The material used was a thin plastic like substance – with a seeming brittle feel, and then no other support pieces or parts. If anyone out there has every used one of these – let me know. I am curious as to how long they last.

I bring this up, so that I can bring up what a great product the aluminum window well cover is – and it’s price makes it a real value for homeowners!

Safety, Durability, Real Value from SolaROC

This aluminum window well cover is truly an exceptional solution for those dangerous – junk collecting window wells. The hinged design brings you and your family peace of mind knowing that in the case of an emergency you simply push up on the cover and escape from your lower level. The outer frame of the cover is can be made to fit YOUR WELL. The process takes your measurments and then creates the cover for that well. No one size fits all window well cover – you get a custom cover! The polycarbonate component bring allows light through to your basement and is an extermely durable surface. Will not discolor! This cover will look good year after year!

So now what do you want. The flimly plastic one size fits all window well cover – or your own custom cover at an affordable price!

Avoid A Window Well Tragedy

Dina — Thu, 21 May 2009 20:27:24 +0000

Summer is here – finally – and this weekend marks the official start. Make sure that you and YOUR FAMILY are protected. If you have a window well(s) on your home you must have covers on them to make sure that everyone stays safe.

Keep your family safe this summer

Make your yard a fun and safe place – take away the worry of having those big open holes around your home. What if a visitor fell into your well? Even if your well is only a few feet deep, someone could become seriously injured from a fall into it! It’s just not worth it. For a few dollars, you can have peace of mind!

SolaROC window well covers are a must. There are too many reasons not to add on. Let me count the reasons:

SolaROC window well covers are easy to buy – just call us up. We have so many sizes and shapes – even custom sizes are not a problem.
SolaROC window well covers keep you kids, pets, neighbor kids, and visitor safe.
SolaROC window well covers look great. They add to the outside and the inside view.
SolaROC window well covers are a durable, high performance, carefully crafted product.

Also, pets and wild animals can fall into wells. Keep them out and uninjured with window well covers. There is a great story at this link: http://icwdm.org/Prevention/windowwell.asp

Below is the hinged well cover that SolaROC provides to thousands of families across the united states. This is a fantastic well cover. Durable and strong – safe and even great looking! Your family deserves the best we have!

SolaROC's window well cover

Color my basement BRIGHT – right?

Dina — Wed, 13 May 2009 21:46:55 +0000

You just can’t put bright or intense colors in a basement… right? Wrong! It’s 2009 remember – those decorating rules that “they” made, were MADE TO BE BROKEN. Today more and more new homes are coming with basements designed so that they can be finished. These basements have higher ceilings – pipes and vents and supports in places that make sense – and big beautiful egress windows and egress window wells. These features are the beginning to a beautiful basement and allow the homeowner to decorate and finish in ways that they might never have in the past. Think about colors you love and how they make you feel. Think about the colors you use in the rest of the house. Think about how you want your finished basement to “feel”. Think about the elements that are already part of the basement – where the rooms will be and what the windows and window wells already look like.

SolaROC products are designed to add to your basements GREAT DESIGN – our colors work!

These are the colors our steel or fiberglass window wells come in.

Pantone Home and Interior View 2010 color forecast has come out. I love these color forecasts, they give you ideas about trends that usually continue for several years. Apartment Therapy wrote an article about their 3 favorite palettes. I love the colors – and can see these creating some gorgeous basement spaces. There is another neutral palette that is lovly too. This link takes you to a great article about why neutrals work now. http://www.homeaccentstoday.com/article/CA6652974.html

Gray continues to be strong in 2009 and into 2010. It is the new beige (is that good or bad?). Gray has a fresh feel, having been virtually ignored for decades. More neutral showstoppers include the hues inspired by nature – colors named stone, linen and wool will be hot and look new. These colors work because they bring calm and simplicity to a stressed hectic life. The natural theme continues to be an important trend.

Go GRAY

More trends: -Reds and Oranges will have a yellow undertone; -Blues will have a slight undertone of violet – stretching toward purple; -Yellows and greens will be more yellow-based;

: NEW and NEUTRAL

RE-NEW, RE-USE, RE-MODEL

Dina — Thu, 07 May 2009 18:09:56 +0000

RE-NEW (what’s happening in Iowa right now)

RE-USE (whats happening at the grocery store checkout)

RE – MODEL (what today’s economy has homeowners thinking about)

Basement remodels bring these 3 ideas together. Take a look at this visual display of fantastic ways to RE-NEW, RE-USE and RE-MODEL.

A fiberglass window well being installed

Create great space. RE-USE that dark dingy basement – make it lovely and light filled. Add a fiberglass window well to your basement remodel. You will love the view!

Outside view of fiberglass window well

The outside view is great too!

How to have a Happy Remodel

Dina — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 19:32:48 +0000

The happy remodel starts with a clearly defined WHY that points the owner toward the WHAT. As the owner rolls in the NEEDS and MUST HAVES – all the while she STAYS IN BOUNDS. These are the ingredients to the beginning of a happy remodel.

The WHY – The first step in this process is to make sure that you establish the WHY of your remodel. This is your “mission statement” and should be carefully researched and crafted. Your WHY should be truly examined and taken from that top level idea – and broken down again and again until you have very focused and individual ideas. Let’s say your WHY is “the children are gone, and we want to create new space that fits lives now”. Sounds like a great start to a remodel mission statement. Now, take that statement and break it down – narrow the scope. “We want to create space that will take care of guests, give us room to enjoy our hobbies and take care of some overflow storage.” Much better, that is a WHY.

The WHAT – I recommend that you spend time dreaming and scheming. Think big, think grand, think “my dream remodel would be…. And would look like….” Watch makeover TV shows, search the internet, look at blogs, go the library, even go to your communities Remodeled Home Show. Make notes, take pictures, photo copy great ideas, and plug all this info into a journal with detailed notes. This is the beginning of the WHAT of your remodel. DO NOT…. I repeat, DO NOT limit yourself at all. Don’t self edit – include everything you love and everything you find interesting. Take time to relook at journal pages so that you can make connections between older and newer ideas. An important part of this is also making sure you have identified the NEEDS or have to haves of your remodel. For my remodeler above their needs might include: small guest bedroom(we already have one upstairs) a 3/4 bath, a walk in closet with shelves and craft room – the what would become the spaces and the the amenities (large windows for light in the craft room – a handicap acessable 3/4 bath…

STAY IN BOUNDS – Now it is time to create some boundaries. This is extremely important – spending too much on a remodel and not planning and researching your costs are the biggest mistakes basement remodelers make. Be as specific and exact as possible. There are some important facts to keep in mind. 1. You will not re-coup anymore than 75% of the costs and in most instances it will be more like 60% of your costs. 2. If you borrow money for the remodel – add in the interest you will pay over the life of that loan to get a true idea of what the remodel will cost. This total might shock you. 3. Make sure you think big picture – time frame – and years that you will enjoy your remodel. This is an important factor in your boundary setting.

Ok – that’s the beginning… sounds like a lot of work. Just so you can go forward with a lot more work. But with a good solid footing to start from – your project has a better chance at being everything you dreamed.

David Crook wrote a great article “Read This Before You Remodel” for the Wall Street Journal. Check it out here.