DIRECTORY
ROCKWELL COMMUNITY TEEN CENTER OPENS THANKS TO
OF IKEA DRAPER
IKEA Draper recently partnered with Rockwell Charter School, donating furniture to create a community teen center in Eagle Mountain.
UTAH HOMEOWNERS ARE LOOKING DOWN –AND LOVING THE VIEW
By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com
For more than 30 years, South Salt Lake-based Windowell Expressions has specialized in customized polyurethane liners for basement window wells, along with foundation liners and protective window well covers.
“We can change the look of your basement in the span of a day,” owner Jarin Criddle said. “It can really dress up your basement and provide safety factors.”
WINDOW WELL LININGS
The company’s 3D textured liners are installed over existing wells in about an hour per window. The process starts with an in-home measurement, where homeowners choose from 14
style options. Liners are then custom-fabricated, brought to the home, trimmed to fit and screwed into place with a seal that’s caulked and painted.
From estimate to installation, the turnaround takes about two weeks.
“It gives a finishing touch that greatly elevates the basement office or family room and It’s designed to last the life of the home,” Criddle said. ““People working from basement offices were stuck looking at spiders and leaves. This gives them light and a better view. It totally changes the basement space.”
Liners make window wells easier to clean and reflect natural light, which may help reduce energy costs. They also add resale value.
“It’s a great resale point on your home. Real estate agents have
Windowell Expressions owner Jarin Criddle offers 14 different styles of window well and foundation liners to homeowners. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
come to us before open houses to brighten and clean up the space and give it a finished look,” he said.
Some homeowners customize further, decorating themed wells using the liners as a backdrop.
“I’ve seen some where they’ll put one of these southwest style liners in,” Criddle said. “One home’s three window wells had a fake cactus and steer skull in one, in another, a wagon wheel and sage, and the third one had a cowboy hat and a whip. In another home, the kids had basement bedrooms, so the little girl used the lining to create a backdrop for a fairy garden.”
WINDOW WELL COVERS
Windowell Expressions installs clear polycarbonate and grate covers to improve safety, especially for kids and animals. The clear version holds up to 300 pounds, blocks debris and snow and helps deter intruders.
“Clear covers also maximize natural light in the basement and allow for more sunlight to light up the basement, which saves electricity,” Criddle said.
Grates come in various sizes and patterns and are a budget-friendly option. Both styles are installed in about an hour.
FOUNDATION LINERS
Foundation liners protect the base of homes from weather damage while adding a finished look. Installed along the lower exterior wall, each polyurethane sheet weighs 75 to 100 pounds and is drilled into place. It also is designed to last the life of the home.
“Usually, residential housing has a skim coat like a thin layer of concrete that flakes and peels off, so the bare foundation is exposed. This lining is weatherproof, so it seals up that bottom area and beautifies it,” Criddle said.
The liners also have been used for cabin or mobile home skirting.
“It’s substantial so it will protection the foundation, but the liner will dress up the exterior,” he said.
WINDOW WELL DIG OUTS
Criddle’s team digs out and replaces damaged or rusted wells — typically a one-day job. The crew also can expand existing wells to accommodate larger windows or meet egress requirements.
“If a homeowner expands a small old window well into an egress-like fire escape, it adds home value and meets egress compliance for fire safety. We can help dig that out,” he said.
FROM ENGINEER TO OWNER
Criddle didn’t start in home improvement. As an engineer, he was introduced to the company by former owner Bryan Buchi, who was looking for help.
“He had a sales job posted and I wanted more flexibility to be involved with my sons’ lives and coaching them, so I tried it out and it was a good fit,” he said.
After more than eight years in sales, Criddle bought the company in January 2024 when Buchi retired.
Since taking over, Criddle expanded the company’s offerings from 12 liner styles to 14, adding “white slate” and “white stacked” for a cleaner look. He also broadened the service area across northern Utah, from Logan to Santaquin and from Grantsville to Heber. Windowell Expressions manufactures liners for a Colorado partner and ships nationwide.
“I’d like to expand to Southern Utah for those homes down there,” said Criddle, who still handles sales.
A FAMILY BUSINESS
Near his sons’ Little League baseball pitching net, which Criddle coaches along with their football and basketball teams, sits the company’s production area. There, the company’s manufacturer makes liners in a dust-free room with large molds, which he then sprays and airbrushes. The process takes two weeks.
The rest of his team includes a full-time installer, two part-time digout assistants and his wife, Kamille, who is the office manager.
“It’s not a job I aspired to, but it’s one I enjoy. I like working with individual homeowners who want to add their unique touch to their homes. It’s not glamorous seeing spiders, snakes or dead birds in the window wells, but we can save a child or dog from falling into window wells and that makes it worth it,” he said. “When the customer comes out after installing a liner and immediately gives feedback — ‘It looks good, better than I imagined; You changed my home’ — it’s a great feeling.”
Windowell Expressions manufacturer Alan Ambriz pulls a liner from the mold, which he will paint before it is installed at a residential home.
(Julie Slama/City Journals)
ROCKWELL COMMUNITY TEEN CENTER OPENS THANKS TO SUPPORT OF IKEA DRAPER
By Katherine Weinstein | k.weinstein@mycityjournals.com
As of last May, teens in Eagle Mountain have a new place to get the help they need with everything from homework to food assistance thanks in part to IKEA Draper. The store partnered with Rockwell Charter School to create the Rockwell Community Teen Center, donating $25,000 in products to furnish it.
Andrea Rivers, loyalty manager at IKEA Draper, said, “The Teen Center is really going to be focused on giving support to teens and families that need resources to help them be successful.”
Rivers explained that while IKEA has a corporate foundation that contributes on a global level to organizations like Doctors Without Borders, individual IKEA stores seek to make a difference in their local communities. “We have an IKEA community impact plan,” she said. “We write a specific strategy
every year.”
IKEA Draper’s current focus is providing underprivileged youth with the essentials that they need to thrive. “We know that we can’t do it ourselves,” Rivers explained. “We look to partner with other organizations, building bridges in the community.”
IKEA’s partnership with the Rockwell Charter School exemplifies that mission. In a press release, Anke Weimann-Botha, director of Student and Family Services at the school, stated, “IKEA’s generous contribution has been transformative for our Teen Center project. Their furniture and delivery services donation has enabled us to create a welcoming, functional space that truly feels like a home away from home for our youth.”
The new Teen Center has been designed to help local youth in many different ways. It is a welcoming space where teens can
come to just hang out with friends. They can also get help with school work, receive counseling, do laundry, shower and get food. While the Teen Center is affiliated with Rockwell Charter School, its doors are open to the whole community of Eagle Mountain. Rivers said that it serves approximately 70 families or about 300 people.
Weimann-Botha said that the Teen Center evolved out of the recognition that some students at Rockwell Charter School had food insecurity. “I volunteered in the school lunch room,” she said. “I saw a kid literally eat out of the trash can.” While the school already had a small food pantry started by one of the teachers, Weimann-Botha approached the administration and volunteered to run a larger pantry.
“It was just an empty space,” she said. “It’s growing rapidly, beyond what I expected.” Utah Food Bank stepped in and the Teen Center is now one of the first places in the area that it delivers to.
“I know there are angels out there,” Weimann-Botha said of the many people who volunteer at the Teen Center. Rockwell Charter School faculty members and counselors volunteer their time to help kids with homework and therapy after school hours. Students who partake of the services offered at the Teen Center also contribute. “The kids help out with cleaning and unpacking food,” she said. “They’re paying back a little.”
The Rockwell Community Teen Center is just one example of a partnership through which IKEA Draper seeks to make a difference in the community. They are also working with the Draper-based nonprofit HomeAid, which helps homeless and displaced families, by hosting a diaper drive.
“In August we’re having a diaper drive in our parking lot,” Rivers said. “We want to get a million diapers donated, enough to provide for the whole state.” Before they are donated, the diaper boxes will be fashioned into tiny homes displayed in the IKEA parking lot to draw attention to the cause.
IKEA Draper has also invited school field trips to the store for kids to learn about sustainability and interior design. In 2023, IKEA’s interior design team worked with students at Channing Hall in Draper to create a mural celebrating diversity.
In a press release about the opening of the Teen Center, Rivers stated, “IKEA Draper believes that children are the most important people in the world. We aim to create lasting, positive impacts that strengthen communities and support the growth and development of future generations.”
“We do take community inquiries,” she said. “We are always looking for partners that are aligned with our IKEA values and that can help us make a large impact.”
SAVVY A MAGAZINE FOR THE SAVVY HOMEOWNER
IKEA Draper recently partnered with Rockwell Charter School, donating furniture to create a community teen center in Eagle Mountain.
