Homes Plus
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/113492
A publication of the Waukesha Freeman and Oconomowoc Enterprise • March 2013 CONTENTS Garage cleanup 101 ■ Maintenance tips for exterior surfaces ■ Water-saving toilets give you flow needed ■ Honeyberries tasty and healthy ■ Home remodeling trends taking shape ■ Home therapies ■ Seasonal kitchen tasks Return on investment Garage doors add aesthetic value to homes By Jim Cryns SPECIAL TO HOMES PLUS WAUKESHA – After World War II, Joe Wilde had a vision – if he built garages, people would have a place to park their cars. Sounds pretty simplistic, but he had that in mind before a lot of other entrepreneurs. In charge of Joe Wilde Co. these days is David Wilde, Joe's grandson. Joe started the company in 1945 when the country was bustling and everyone was getting in on the fun. "He saw a need," David Wilde said. "After the war, everybody was buying cars and homes and logically there would be a need for a place to park those cars and do some home improvement proj- ects." Wilde said he's seen the old inventory sheets Joe used and was impressed with the man's ability to anticipate needs. "The things he sold were very creative, looking toward the future," he said. Wilde said homes often used separate buildings or a detached garage. As cars became more pop- ular, the idea of attaching a garage to the home became the norm. Garages allowed families to store stuff they were accumulating, and accumulating they were. "For the longest time, garage doors were the main part of what we do and still are," Wilde said. Wilde said he's taken on his grandfather's penchant of branching out – not thinking what people might need, but listening to what they said they needed. "We'd taken a lot of phone calls from customers regarding projects we didn't tackle," Wilde said. "Maybe 10 years ago, we told people we didn't do this or do that and we recommended other people for work." Wilde said that's changed and Joe Wilde Co. will do more than ever before. "We like to study what is going on and how we're going to bring out and deal with a new product on the market, a good product. That's why we've expanded into different areas," he said. Wilde said manufacturers are now able to match up the garage doors with the front door, a big step in a cohesive aesthetic. "You can replace both at the same time, you can work the windows in, as well. These practices See Garage/Page 2