subject: Refinishing Your Basement: Drainage and Window Cover Tips for Metal Wells [print this page] Refinishing Your Basement: Drainage and Window Cover Tips for Metal Wells
If you're refinishing or waterproofing your basement, you may want to replace your basement windows. Contractor windows tend to be cheap, look cheap, and are inefficient from an energy point of view. Instead, consider installing vinyl windows. They don't need to be painted, and they're built to withstand a damp environment. Double-pane glass helps make them energy efficient.They also tend to be more attractive overall.
If your windows have leaked in the past, chances are they'll leak again. You must establish a drain from the outside of the window well, so if water fills the well and threatens to seep through the frame, it will instead travel through a drainage conduit away from the house. A link from the exterior window well to the interior drainage system should prevent future leaks.
Finally, you may want to install new window wells and a window cover for each. Window wells come in brick, concrete, metal, wood or plastic varieties. Concrete or masonry wells tend to be the most durable, and the best from an aesthetic standpoint. Once you have concrete blocks installed, you can stucco them, paint them, or cover the blocks with stone or bricks. Plastic window wells, while durable and attractive, can be difficult and expensive to cover. Many homes have curved, corrugated metal window wells, and some have wooden wells. Companies offer covers for all types, so shop around!
No matter what type of window well you have, it's always a good idea to install window covers. Companies offer window covers for metal wells, masonry wells, wood, plastic and more. Your home improvement store may not offer the best selection of window coversit's often easiest to shop online, and send the dimensions of your window wells to the company. You do not need to figure out what type of cover you need; you only need to measure your wells, submit the measurements to the retailer, and let them send you all the necessary parts for easy installation.
If you need covers for your window wells, consider buying clear plastic window covers. Bubble-style covers fit over round, straight or square basement window wells. Along with being the perfect metal window well cover, they also cover masonry window wells and wood window wells. Made from durable Plexiglas, these window covers last a lifetime, and effectively keep out dirt, water, snow, leaves and animals. Plastic window well covers prevent children who may be playing outside from falling into window wells, and also help to insulate your home.
