Glass Block Blogger

As you may know, the many uses of glass blocks are clearly represented via photographs or just by the naked eye. One can clearly walk by and say “Oh, that’s a glass block basement window” or “look at the glass block transom”. However, although those are clear interpretations of its use to the homeowner, they do more than that. Just like a Swiss Army knife can do many things, so can our glass blocks; just look at the Battista’s story below.

Mr. and Mrs. Battista live in Havertown, PA, a suburban town a little West of Philadelphia. They frequently enjoy their time out in their backyard during the Spring, Summer and some early Fall months, except those enjoyable days were often cut short or ruined altogether thanks to Mother Nature. Rainy weather and extreme wind had caused their open backyard patio some trouble as it was constantly wet or frequently too windy. Even if it wasn’t raining too hard, the wind blew it all toward their patio despite having a roof. On days where rain wasn’t the primary problem, strong winds blew everything not named furniture around. There seemed to be no winning with Mother Nature this time, but then the Battistas called us looking for a solution which we were happy to provide for them.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Last year we completed a job for a Dunkin’ Donuts in Scotch Plains, NJ, and the Battistas had an almost identical situation which glass block could remedy. So, just like we did for the Dunkin’ Donuts employees, we suggested that we build them a glass block wall. The glass block wall, being sturdy and water-resistant, would not only act as a solid wall but also, keep the rain away from the patio and stop the wind from converging onto the patio. In the Dunkin’ Donuts it did the same thing; blocked the really chilly wind from hitting the drive-thru workers and stopping the rain from getting them wet during open hours. As mentioned before, these glass blocks can be and are frequently used for multiple reasons, even some as simple as a good windbreaker.

We built the Battistas an L-shaped glass block wall using Decora glass blocks, which allow the most light with added privacy and a little IceScapes glass blocks because they wanted it to be a little “different”, which we’re all for. A cool summer breeze still has the opportunity to get over the top of the wall and create a cross-breeze, natural light will still brighten up the patio, water will no longer be a problem and now the patio is a little more private. Mr. and Mrs. Battista loved the way the glass blocks looked and were happy to know that Mother Nature won’t shorten their relaxation time out in the back. People who see this wall would most likely think it’s just a nice glass block wall, whereas on top of it being that, it also plays the part of a windbreaker, weather-resistant barrier and giver of piece of mind.

If you would like to know more about how we finished this project, please comment below or send me an email. If you’d like to know more about glass blocks and their many benefits please call me at 800-635-1226 or email me at egboffice@easternglassblock.com. . Feel free to read some of our other blog posts to learn more about all glass block has to offer and to check out our website at www.easternglassblock.com. We’ve been in the industry for 26 years and counting and will be more than happy to help you with your glass block project.