Masonry and Metal Window Wells: The Fundamental Problems with Window Wells

The purpose of a metal window well is to provide light into the basement when the window is located below the grade of the home.  If your home design includes this feature, a solution may be to install a cover for your metal window well.

The reason you may want a cover for your metal window well is that the window well is simply designed to have problems with drainage and maintenance.  Having a cover for your metal window well will help keep the snow, leaves, water, and even animals out.  More importantly, it can help with the problems with drainage.  Unless the well has a special designed drain, you may end up with water inside your house.   There are a few simple solutions to help with the poor design of a metal window well.

Drainage

A serious problem with drainage can be addressed with costly grading projects and special drains that flow away from the house.  However, if your problem is not that severe, you can immediately improve the situation by following a few simple safeguards.  Manufacturers of the metal window well suggest digging deeper into the well and placing 12 inches of gravel at the bottom. This will allow the water to dissipate into the ground slowly.  This simple project along with a cover for your metal window well will stop the water from seeping into your foundation.

Maintenance

A metal window well is a hard to clean hole that fills with leaves, snow, dirt and quite often small animals that can’t seems to find their way out.  The main challenge is to keep the well clear of these obstacles while still allowing the general purpose of the window well. A cover for you metal window well made out of a clear material will still allow the light to filter into the basement without the constant upkeep of the hole.    The cover for your metal window well will also make it safe for toddlers to avoid the hole.

These are the fundamental problems of having a metal window well in your home.  However, they do serve a purpose to a dark basement allowing light to brighten the space.  If you are not willing to foot the pricey bill of professional grading, the solutions are simple and easy to put into place.  By using a cover for your metal window well you can eliminate all of the maintenance problems and prevent any drainage problems.  The cover for your metal window well fits firmly over the corrugated metal and then is attached to the home.   When purchasing a cover for your metal window well make sure to give the exact measurements because a correct fit is very important.  Feel protected from the elements by using a cover for your metal window well in your home.