Window wells Oakville
In Canada majority of house’s foundations are built of poured concrete or cinder blocks. Your house’s foundation is there forever which is why is considered the most important part of the home. It bears all the weight, that is why is so important to make sure it stays dry and crack free.
Many houses have basements and many people are not aware that basements are just a type of home’s foundation. One of the recent trends are to make basements livable spaces to create children’s playing areas, man caves, office, or storage space, the possibilities are endless. To preserve the integrity of the foundation is important to keep your basement walls free of cracks that could allow water to leak in.
One of many steps to follow to have a waterproofed basement is by installing window wells. Their main purpose is to keep your basement leak proof, while also allowing light into the basement. By lowering the ground around the basement’s window, where such windows are most of the time below grade. Homeowners should consider their installation as a precautionary way to keep water from entering the basement, which could result in future costly repairs.
How are window wells installed?
The soil is excavated around the window, down to the foundation of the house, where a wiping tile is placed along the wall and connected with a t-pipe to a wiping tile that runs around the house foundation. We always change this wiping tile, because sometimes due to lack of maintenance and age of the property it could cause it to be clogged, and thus undermining the effectiveness of the window well installation. This will allow the water to drain, keeping the water away from your basement. Then we encase it with gravel, we like to tie a cloth on the top of the pipe that has been installed along the wall ,to stop any debris from entering and possibly causing a future clog, we then waterproof the window area ,backfill it and compact the ground every two feet, install the new window well and then install gravel around the drainage tube, and on top of the finished soils. The price of their installation ranges from $1600.00 – $5000.00.
Window well’s styles.
Window wells are being manufactured in different materials, such as:
- Galvanized metal
- Plastic
- Pressured treated wood
- Precast concrete or bricks.
In most window well installs; galvanized metal is the chosen style. It should at least be 4”to 6” wider than the window opening, and high enough to extend 4” to 6” above soil grade, and deep enough to extend at least 8” bellow the bottom of the window.
How to maintain window wells?
Regular checking of the window well is important. We recommended our customers to check their window wells regularly to keep them free of debris , since is a preventive method that can be done by the homeowners themselves , and keeps the window well working properly re-directing the water away from their basement’s wall.
If you want to take a step further to stop debris from getting in them, window well covers are available and homeowners can install them themselves, as they can be installed easy.
Benefits of window wells
Many are the advantages of having window wells installed, they are a key component to a leak-free basement, as it prevents dirt and water from coming in. Therefore, not allowing mold formations that can put the whole family at risk of various health complications. Their installation will allow light to come in the basement being most appreciated in the dark winter months. By choosing the proper design, the window well can enhance the curb appeal in homes.
If you are considering the install of window wells to protect your basement walls from leaking and further deterioration, we can advise you on the proper solution.
