Basement Windows

Basement windows play a couple of key roles in your basement. They let light in, and allow you to let stale musty air out of the basement.

When building a custom home with a basement you should try to architect into the home building plans as many basement windows as possible, particularly if you have plans on finishing the basement someday.

Retrofitting a basement window into an existing basement window frame is fairly straightforward to do. Installing a new basement window into a concrete foundation requires additional work, e.g. cutting concrete walls, however it is a task a do-it-yourself homeowner can tackle. Tool rental companies rent concrete cutting saws at affordable prices.

Basement Window Technology

Basement windows from the past were typically of low quality and were susceptible to air and water leaks. Today, there are higher tech basement windows on the market that are constructed out of Low-E glass, and have excellent seals to prevent water or air infiltration.

It is also important when installing basement windows to make sure that the ground and landscaping near the basement window does not funnel water towards the basement window. The soils that are back filed around the basement foundation should be installed to shed water away from the basement window. The back fill soils should also be of a sandy or gravely nature to allow the water to quickly drain downward, towards the foundation’s perimeter drain.