ABOUT US

2012 – We began to install cellar doors using a special hydraulic anchor cement, instead of Type-S Mortar. We have since installed hundreds like this. We have not received a single complaint regarding the cement cracking or failing in any way. We have recently told Bilco and Steelway that this is the cement that works, and that the failure of Type-S Mortar does not reflect upon all cements. We swear by this product.

2013 - We sold our last vinyl siding and roofing jobs. That industry was undergoing a major change. Those laborers were starting their own companies, and using the internet to reach homeowners. They were undercutting the established companies by offering $20,000 contracts for $10,000, and sometimes only $8,000.

2015 – Rented extra storage space

2017 - In December of that year, we moved from Essex County, NJ to a rented house with a one-car garage in Bergen County, NJ. Canceled the storage space.

2018 - 2021 - As each year went by, a higher and higher percentage of our income was cellar doors. We had several referral sources. We were becoming masters at installing them. We handled every possible difficult situation

2021 – Sold our first special-order Steelway unit.

2021 – On September 1st, Hurricane Ida swelled the stream that ran along our house. The water inundated the property and surged under our garage door and throughout the basement. Water 26 inches deep heavily damaged our office, storage, and workshop areas. Losses topped $10,000, not including lost work time. We couldn’t get a dime in disaster relief. Fortunately, our income was way up over 2020.

2022 –We paused Angi in mid-2022 in favor of SEO-based marketing. We focused the SEO entirely for cellar doors. This turned out to be the giant milestone in our growth and profitability. Relying on Angi was like trying to swim with a rope tied to your neck, and a cinderblock on the other end.

2022 – The first year that over 50% of our income was from cellar doors. Business was booming. Bilco advises us which counties and regions are extremely underserved, and where there are already plenty of installers. This allowed us to plan for a relocation.

2022 - We changed from sole proprietorship to LLC, in anticipation of a home purchase. Special thanks to David Bernstein, owner of Liberty Tax in Hackensack.

2022 - In September, we switched our SEO to Local Splash. www.localsplash.com They are a Premiere Google Partner, and they actually accomplish what they promise. We highly recommend them. We initially dealt with two other SEO companies that each said they had us “verified” with Google, but it was an outright lie.

2023 - In very early 2023, we switched from painting to the glazing technology, in consultation with a major chemical supplier. It’s been a tremendous success, and we effectively have no competition. My assistant, Jossie, learns all about glazing.

2023 – In June, we purchased a spacious ranch house on 3.5 acres in Warren County, NJ. We are not in a flood zone. Moved in late, July. We immediately began selling cellar doors in Eastern Pennsylvania.

2023 – Launched the new website www.glazedcellardoors.com We have the best website in the entire cellar door industry, in any State. Between the cement we use and the glazing process that we’ve pioneered, we are the best. We have become the leading installer of cellar doors. Our web host is Skywax, based in Kansas. www.skywax.com 

We are not done developing our business plan. More big announcements are pending. We firmly believe that a really good contractor is someone who specializes in one field, and becomes the leading expert.

We provide the best possible installation of a cellar door, so that it never rusts out. We aren’t looking for repeat cellar door business in 20 years, but if we install it really good, we’ll get referrals and positive branding.

BUSINESS ETHICS

We believe that customers deserve to have the best possible install, and at a fair price. This involves visiting the jobsite and quoting the project. We have one major competitor, and he emails customers a paper with instructions to draw out the cellar door and its foundation, and provide all the dimensions, along with multiple photos. I do sometimes ask for a photo, but I’m resisting this business model. I’m the expert, and I have to see the situation and measure everything. 

We also believe in honesty and ethical business practices. I’m kind of old-fashioned in this regard, and that’s a good thing I would say.

If I come out and see clear evidence that the problem is a foundation leak, not a Bilco leak, we’ll tell the customer. There’s no point to installing a new Bilco if I know that the basement flooding will continue. There is a point of structural weakness at the cellar door foundation, and most houses with cellar doors have the weakness in the same spot. This weakness then cracks and it is often a source of water infiltration, and typically a trench drain stops short of this spot. Sometimes we can’t tell, and very often both are leaking, the Bilco up top AND the point of structural weakness of the foundation.

We’ll also advise when a cellar door foundation needs to be raised to keep water in the yard from cascading down the stairs. We’ve had customers ask for this, knowing that it’s a substantial extra cost, but we know the problem can be solved with a little digging and regrading. We make more money raising the foundation higher, but the customer deserves the least invasive and least expensive solution.

Occasionally, a Bilco is not completely rusted out, and it can be repaired instead of replaced. It’s more time consuming and costly to glaze at the jobsite than in the control conditions at my workshop, but yes it can be done. We won’t be able to get it as pretty, but if a repair is possible, we’ll give you the option. I once secured an “impossible to fix” hole, and glazed over it.  We haven’t developed welding into the business plan, but it’s under discussion.

Areas We Serve

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