Screenmobile Blog Official weblog of The Screenmobile Corporation

Adding a fountain to your backyard is a great way to add some additional calm in your oasis. The sound of running water can be so soothing while you relax outside under your Screenmobile patio sun shades or lattice covers, and creating a fountain is pretty easy.

First you want to gather your supplies. Go to your local home improvement or garden supply store to pick out the clay pot you want to use. Use your backyard for inspiration. Pick out colors that blend in with the environment right outside your back door.

You want the pot to be at least 12 inches high and 16-20 inches in diameter. To reduce the chances of leaks or future cracks, choose a pot that is sealed with a glaze. If you find one you like that isn’t sealed, you can always seal it with a waterproof sealant.

Once you have the pot you want to use, you need the rest of your supplies. The easiest way is to purchase an electric fountain kit—which comes with all the supplies you need)—or you can purchase the electric submersible water pump, foam filter and a fountain spout separately.

Decide where you want your fountain to be outside on your patio or porch or in the garden. Make sure it is near a power source so your pump works!

Next you need to plug up the drainage hole of the pot. A wine cork can work well or use duct tape to tape the hole and then use rocks to keep the tape down. Add more pebbles and other rocks into the pot and make it as level as possible .

Place the pump on the pebble base. Fill the pot with water until it’s about three inches from the top of the pot. Plug the electrical pump in and attach the fountain spout to the top of the pump. Play with the settings until the water is as high and as wide in diameter as you like it.

Enjoy relaxing outdoors in the sun (or shade) by your new fountain!

During the summer, keeping your body hydrated can be a challenge and if you’re one of the millions of Americans who doesn’t like to drink water it is even more difficult. So next time you’re sitting out on your patio enclosure with a few friends, let these creative water recipes keep you refreshed.

• Cucumber Water: Peel and slice about 1/2 a cucumber and place it in a pitcher of water.
• Strawberry, mint & lemon Water: 3 Slices of lemon, 2 sprigs of mint and a handful of sliced strawberries makes a delicious and refreshing water that is sure to impress your friends.
• Fruit salad Water: Slice one orange, 1 green apple, and about 2 cups of watermelon.
• Peach Orange Water: Even your kids are sure to love this water. Just slice up a peach and an orange to create a summertime treat that no one can refuse. But if you’re looking for a bit more color to your water, add a small handful of blueberries. Delicious!

All naturally flavored waters should sit for at least 2 hours before serving. If you can give them a full 24 hours, you will enjoy them that much more. Bon appetit.

And if by chance your patio or porch isn’t as appetizing because it isn’t screened in, don’t fear. We will be happy to create the perfect space for you to drink these wonderful waters on. You can see the many products that we have created for others at screenmobile.com.

You know that summer is coming when people start wearing shorts and t-shirts instead of heavy sweaters, warm boots and long pants. We all love the time of year when we get to trade in our winter gear for swimsuits and flip flops so we can enjoy the summer sun and refreshing water.

If you don’t have your own pool, you can have some fun in the water at a local water park, community pool, river, lake or at the beach. However, the summer heat usually brings annoying bugs which are attracted to not only to your food, but also your warm skin that is fully exposed by shorts and bathing suits.

As if itching wasn’t enough and we still need another reason to avoid bugs, Insects can carry diseases in them which can enter your blood stream when they bite or sting you. It’s important to protect yourself and your family from more than just a simple bug bite. You’re also protecting them from strange diseases.

If you’re fortunate enough to have your own pool right outside your backdoor, you can enjoy taking a dip anytime. And to keep the insects away, you can install a pool screen enclosure. This will help you to keep bugs out and avoid being eaten alive by mosquitoes, gnats, no-see-ums, or other insects.

If you don’t have your own pool, but enjoy splashing around in the water at the beach, lake or community pool, we recommend that you invest in some good insect repellant to keep the bugs away.

Whether you have to travel long miles or mere feet to enjoy some fun in the water this summer, make sure you don’t invite the bugs to your party!

Larry said they went to a restaurant on a cold day and he was amazed at how comfortable the screened outdoor proch was where they ate. “I went home and did some research and found Screenmobile,” he said.

Screenmobile provides an on-site mobile screen service and drop-off repair service.

After retiring as an engineer, Larry was interested in finding something different to do and the franchise Screenmobile seemed to be just what he was looking for.

Larry started working from his home in 2002 and his wife Libby was working as an accountant elsewhere. “My office was the front seat of my truck,” Larry said. His dog went with him and Larry traveled the Triangle area building and installing screens.

It didn’t take long for the business to expand and by the third year, Larry had a second mobile trailer and Libby had quit her job to run the office for Screenmobile.

By the fall of 2008, business had increased so much, it was necessary for the company to move to a bigger space.

“When we saw that this space (on Broad Street) was available, we knew it was perfect,” Larry said. The company took first place in sales for 2003-2008 in the Screenmobile franchise. “When things slowed down (with the economy) we had enough of a customer base that we could hold our own,” Larry said. Their customers include builders and contractors as well as home owners. Screenmobile provides screen porch panels, weatherization porch panels, custom solar screens, slidding, swinging and retractable doors, new window screens and pet screen products.

All of their work is custom made either on site or at their workshop. “We make it as convenient as we can for the customer,” Larry said.

People bring screens for repair to the shop, and if they can’t bring them, A Screenmobile unit will pick them up. They offer a two-year warranty on all products, including labor.

The Screenmobile showroom, located at 603 E. Broad Street, Fuquay-Varina, is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You can call then at 919-552-0090.

Originally posted by The Apex Herald.

When Larry and Libby Weathers, owners of Screenmobile of Raleigh, took a winter trip to the beach they had no idea it would change the direction of their lives. Eight years later they have a successful business and a storefront on Broad Street in Fuquay-Varina.is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. You can call then at 919-552-0090.

Originally posted by The Apex Herald.

In a effort to keep houses and businesses cool, the window shading movement is certainly expanding. Screenmobile offers custom shading products for homes and businesses from more than 100 franchise locations nationwide. As the name suggests, these are mobile franchises that come right to customers’ doors to discuss and install products for windows, doors and patios.

Seven-year Screenmobile customer Vikki Clayton has lived through 10 steamy desert summers in her Phoenix, Arizona, home. After three years of living in the west-facing concrete-block house—two features that turn any building into a sun sponge—she’d grown tired of quick fixes like ceiling fans, window-tinting films and costly A/C units. She turned to Screenmobile for their solar screens, which block 80% to 90% of the sun’s rays. The screens are installed on the outside of the window and, unlike tinting films, they are completely removable.

Today, with several solar screens in place, her electricity bills have dropped from about $378 per month to $200 per month. In addition, her A/C usage has dropped by about 40%. Citing additional savings related to the protection of her carpets, furniture and art work, Clayton says, “If you live in this region, it’s not really possible to live in a house and not have them.”

Looking forward, new technological advancements will allow us to harness the sun’s energy any way we see fit, right on the surface of our windows. Until then, bushes, trees and high-tech screens, retractable or otherwise, will have to suffice.

The original article can be found at EMagazine.com.

Mario Julian is a new owner of a Screenmobile franchise. He has been working for Loren Wullschleger, the previous Screenmobile owner, for approximately 10 years.

As a Screenmobile franchisee, Mario Travels from city to city installing sliding and retractable screen doors, fixing window screens and installing patio screens for customers at their homes.

As the two men became closer friends, Wullschleger taught Julian a lot about the business including how to do the job and run the business right, He also taught Mr. Julian that being an owner is quite different from being the owner, a lesson that Julian is happy to have learned because it really is true. It requires a completely different mindset.

Before Loren Wullschleger became ill, he also owned a separate Screenmobile franchise in Yucaipa that he was forced to sell. Now Julian is currently trying to purchase that franchise.

When asked about the secret to his success, he said that he is selling new products that Wullschleger didn’t sell and having a booth at local home shows. He is currently selling lots of sliding and retractable screen doors and he attributes most of that to the home shows that he has been attending as a vendor.

His former employer donated both time and product for Crestline’s yearly “Christmas in April” program and Julian says that he will continue to do so in the honor of Loren Wullschleger. Keeping the tradition alive and giving back to the community are things that Mr. Julian says he will continue as long as the business can support it.

You can meet Mario Julian at the High Desert Home Show – Home Improvement & Remodeling Expo at the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds in Victorville CA. The event will take place Saturday and Sunday July 17 & 18 2010.

To contact Mario Julian, you can call him at 909-338-1048 or visit his webpage at http://www.screenmobile.com/San-Bernardino/Default.aspx