Tuesday, July 8th, 2014
When you think about waterproofing your basement and fixing it up, you should think about your basement windows. Here are three issues to consider:
1- Do the windows leak water?
2- Are the windows rusted, rotted, drafty, or ugly?
3- Are the window wells ugly, rust and open?
If your basement window leaks when it rains hard, it’s probably because one of the following three reasons:
1- The gutters are overflowing into the window wells.
2- The ground around the window is pitched towards the house.
3- A downspout is dumping lots of water near the window.
When there is water outside of a basement window, it will leak into the basement. Besides the obvious- fix the gutters, regrade if possible, and extend the downspouts, if you don’t do something else the window will likely leak again in the future. The ideal basement window is energy efficient and rot and mildew-resistant. EverLast windows are energy efficient, all vinyl, double-pane glass and never need to be painted- perfect for the damp environment close to the ground.
If your window wells are rusty, ugly, or open at the top, they can be dramatically improved. Window wells without covers let in leaves and debris, and rain and gutter overflow water get in. The dirt bottom allows weeds to grow and mud to splash up onto your windows. All this makes for a pretty lousy view from inside the basement- the space you want to improve.
The light-colored SunHouse window well features a sturdy, clear cover that fits nicely and a bottom that prevents weed growth as well as keeps leaves, debris and rain out. One of the SunHouse’s best benefits is that with a clean, light-colored bottom a lot more sunlight bounces into your basement and brightens up space where we can use all the light we can get.
Trade Secret! Keep Basement Windows Closed
There is no reason to open a basement window for any type of climate control. When the air outside is cooler than the inside you lose heat. When it’s warmer outside you bring in moisture. In fact, replacing basement windows with double panes of energy efficient glass that are fixed- and don’t open- is the most energy-efficient option.
