Window well cost
A window well costs $300 to $1,500 installed, or $600 to $2,700 with drainage. It causes a disproportionate number of wet basements, because a well without a drain is a bucket against a basement window.
National average
$700
per each
On this page
- What it costs
- The drain is the whole point
- Covers, and why they matter more than they look
- For an egress window
- Frequently asked questions
- My window well fills with water. What do I do?
- Can I just fill the well with gravel?
- Are the decorative stone wells worth it?
- How deep should the gravel be?
- Do I need a permit?
A window well costs $300 to $1,500 installed, typically around $700. Adding drainage takes it to $600 to $2,700. A terraced or stepped well for an egress window is $800 to $3,000.
It is a small item that causes a disproportionate number of wet basements, because a well without a drain is a bucket held against a basement window.
What it costs
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Galvanised steel well, supplied and fitted | $300 to $800 |
| Composite or polyethylene well | $400 to $1,200 |
| Decorative stone-faced well | $600 to $2,000 |
| Terraced or stepped egress well | $800 to $3,000 |
| Excavation for a new well | $300 to $1,200 |
| Drain to the footing drain | $300 to $1,200 |
| Drain to daylight | $400 to $1,500 |
| Gravel base | $50 to $300 |
| Clear polycarbonate cover | $80 to $400 |
| Steel grate cover | $150 to $600 |
| Egress-compliant cover with a release | $200 to $800 |
| Ladder or step for egress | $100 to $400 |
| Replacing a rusted well | $400 to $1,200 |
| Liner over an existing well | $150 to $500 |
The drain is the whole point
A window well collects the water that runs down the wall and the surface water that reaches it. If there is nowhere for that water to go, it fills, and once it is above the window sill it comes in.
A correct well has:
- A drain in the base, either connected to the footing drain or run to daylight
- A gravel base, six to twelve inches deep, not soil
- The top edge above the surrounding grade by a couple of inches, so surface water does not run in over the lip
- The grade around it sloping away
- A cover
The most common defect is a well with a soil base and no drain. It works until a storm saturates the ground, and then it does not.
The second most common is a drain that exists and is blocked with leaves and silt, because there was no cover. Clearing it is a bucket and an hour; not clearing it is a flooded basement.
Covers, and why they matter more than they look
Water. A cover keeps rain and snowmelt out, which is most of what a drain has to handle.
Debris. Leaves and grit silt up the drain. A cover is what keeps it working.
Safety. An uncovered well is a three to six foot drop, and children and pets fall in. So do animals, which then have to be got out or removed dead.
Egress rules. If the window is an egress window, the cover must be openable from inside the well without tools, keys or special knowledge. A screwed-down grate on an egress window fails inspection and defeats the point.
Clear polycarbonate covers let light in, which matters if the window is the basement's main daylight. Steel grates are stronger and let more debris through.
For an egress window
Egress wells have their own requirements:
| Requirement | |
|---|---|
| Minimum area | 9 sq ft |
| Minimum projection from the wall | 36 in |
| Minimum width | 36 in |
| Ladder or steps required if deeper than | 44 in |
| Ladder projection into the well | 3 in maximum |
| Cover openable from inside without tools | required |
A standard well is typically too small and too shallow in projection for egress. If the window is being upgraded to egress, the well usually has to be replaced too, and that is part of why an egress window costs $3,000 to $8,000.
Frequently asked questions
My window well fills with water. What do I do?
Check whether there is a drain at all: dig down through the gravel in one corner. If there is one, it is probably blocked and can often be cleared or jetted. If there is none, adding one is $300 to $1,200 and it is the fix.
Can I just fill the well with gravel?
Gravel improves drainage within the well and it does not create an outlet. Water still has to go somewhere. Gravel plus a drain works; gravel alone delays the problem.
Are the decorative stone wells worth it?
They look considerably better than corrugated steel and they are structurally the same job. On a visible elevation the difference is worth the $300 to $1,000.
How deep should the gravel be?
Six to twelve inches below the window sill level, over the drain, so water reaching the base has somewhere to sit while it drains.
Do I need a permit?
For replacing a well, usually not. For a new egress window and well, yes, because the opening in the foundation is structural and the well dimensions are inspected.
Read next
Egress window cost$3,000 to $8,000per eachAn egress window costs $3,000 to $8,000 installed. Cutting concrete, excavating and building a drained well is why it costs ten times what the window does. It is what makes a basement room a legal bedroom.
Wet basement repair cost$2,000 to $15,000per projectFixing a wet basement costs $2,000 to $15,000. The cheapest fixes are outside and cost a few hundred dollars. Doing them in the wrong order is the most expensive mistake in this subject.
Drainage and grading cost$500 to $8,000per projectRegrading around a house costs $500 to $3,000 and drainage $1,500 to $8,000. Together they are the cheapest structural insurance a house has, because most foundation problems begin as water against a wall.
Basement waterproofing cost$3,000 to $10,000per projectBasement waterproofing costs $3,000 to $10,000, averaging $5,000. Interior drain tile is $50 to $120 per foot and exterior excavation $100 to $220. Do the cheap things first.
French drain cost$10 to $90per linear ftA French drain costs $10 to $90 per linear foot depending on depth and placement. Slope and an outlet decide whether it works, and both are invisible once the trench is filled.