How to Install an Egress Window Well in a Poured Concrete Basement Wall

Press the window well lightly into the ground in front of the wall where the egress window will be installed. Set the well aside. Dig out the ground inside the mark you just made using a shovel. Make the hole 4 to 5 inches deeper than the well's depth. Use a pressure washer to wash off the exposed wall.

Set the egress window well into the hole and press the mounting flanges against the solid cement wall. Place a level on the window well and adjust the well until it sits straight in the hole. Mark the screw holes in the mounting flanges onto the wall with a piece of chalk. Remove the window well.

Drill pilot holes through each chalk mark with a hammer drill and masonry bit. Select a bit that's slightly smaller in diameter than the concrete fasteners you'll use. Paint asphalt mastic on the well's mounting flanges, set the window well in the hole, and press the flanges against the wall.

Line up the flange's screw holes with the pilot holes. Use a Phillips driving bit to drive a concrete fastener through each pilot hole. Dig a hole inside the window well with a post hole digger until you reach the footing drain. The footing drain (a perforated PVC pipe) runs around the home's perimeter at the same depth as the footings, so your hole will likely need to be an additional 18 to 24 inches deep and wide enough for you to work in.

Measure the length of the tee (a short piece of PVC pipe with three openings) you'll install in the drain and subtract 1 inch to allow for a 1/2-inch overlap on both ends. Transfer this measurement to the exposed section of footing drain in the hole. Cut through the drain with a hacksaw.

Apply a layer of pipe glue around the tee's edges and slide the tee into the cut-out area. Cut two landscape fabric strips and wrap one strip around each pipe connection.

Insert a piece of flexible pipe into the hole and fit its end over the tee's opening. Hold the pipe straight up and cut it with a tin snips so it extends 5 to 6 inches above ground level.

Pour pea gravel into the window well and spread it out into a level 5- to 6-inch layer. Attach a grate over the end of the flexible pipe to keep out gravel and other debris.