How to Make a Window or Door in a Cinder Block Wall

Door and window installation into a cinder block wall usually takes place in the context of a basement renovation. Transforming a basement from a dingy storage space into light filled finished living area allows you to enjoy more of your house and increase its market value. Some heavy work is required to remove the parts of the cinder block wall where the doors and windows will be located. It's important to assess the structural role of the cinder block wall before making any changes.

Circular saw
Masonry blade
Sledgehammer
Hammer drill
Concrete screws
Drill

Instructions

- 1
  Outline the rough openings for any windows or doors in the wall with a pencil.
- 2
  Cut along the lines that you made with a circular saw fitted with a masonry blade, on the inside and outside of the cinder block wall.
- 3
  Knock the cinder blocks out of the hole with a sledgehammer, being careful around the edges that you cut.
- 4
  Install rough frames in the door and window openings made of boards that are the same width as the cinder block walls. Install these frames by drilling through them and into the cinder blocks with a hammer drill, then driving in concrete screws.
- 5
  Install the doors and windows inside the frames that you put into the rough openings.

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