Window wells provide light to your basement but don’t add much to the aesthetic appeal of your home. While a window well cover is required, there are few options for beautifying the space surrounding the window well without blocking sunlight or obstructing an emergency exit.
However, there are a few options for sprucing up your wells without interfering with their function. Consider these landscaping ideas for around window wells while thinking about ways to improve your home and grounds.
While the brushed metal, wood, or Concrete of a window well may not be everyone’s ideal view from their basement window, these egress window wells serve an important function in your home.
If you want to make your egress window more appealing and looking for ways to landscape around window wells, we have a few suggestions, some of which we would encourage you to consider. If you also want to know about the window wells, continue reading:
Table of Contents
Types Of Window Wells
1) Metal Window Wells
A window well type, known as a metal or tubular window well, is constructed from a tube and cylinder material. To allow for natural light and ventilation, tubular window wells are frequently utilized in basements and other underground spaces.
They are frequently utilized to offer an emergency exit in a fire or other catastrophe. To make them more practical and secure, they can also be installed with various accessories, including ladders and drainage.
2) Steel Window Wells
A window well made of steel is known as a steel window well. Window wells are made to shield windows from the weather and give the light a place to enter basements. Steel windows are strong and will endure longer than other window wells.
3) Plastic Window Wells
A plastic window well is a specific kind of plastic window. It is typically utilized in homes and other structures where an additional window is required. Utilizing a plastic window well has numerous advantages. A plastic window well is simpler to install than other types. These wells are simple to maintain and clean.
4) Cemented Window Wells
To create a cemented window well, a brick frame must first be built, and the brick frame is then filled with mortar or cement. After that, the frame is given some time to cure before the mortar is placed. After adding the mortar, the frame is given at least a day to cure.
5) Pre-Cast Or Poured On-Site Concrete Window Wells
A type of window sill made of Concrete is a concrete window well. When further weatherproofing is required or Concrete’s attractive appearance is desired, it is frequently utilized in homes and other buildings. Window wells may be poured on-site or pre-cast.
Window wells made of pre-cast Concrete are produced in a factory and then delivered to the job site. On-site poured Concrete is mixed on-site, then poured into the desired shape to create concrete window wells.
Ways To Decorate Or Landscape Around Windows Well
Paint And Maintain The Edges
A basement window is somewhat camouflaged because it is slightly below ground level. On the other hand, the window well makes it difficult to give the area a natural or, at the very least, non-industrial look. On the other hand, being flush with the ground permits you to garden on the rim. Paint the window a lovely green if at all possible.
After that, erect a short and attractive gardening fence around it and fill it with various flowers and plants. Choose plants that will not grow too tall and block the sun. The fence, flowers, and plants can help divert attention away from the abrupt drop in the ground level.
Focus On The Natural Light Passing And Airflow
Larger basement egress window wells provide a critical safety feature for your house and make basements a natural extension of your living space. You can get fresh air and benefit from the natural light by opening the window.
While solid window well covers keep most trash and water out of the well, they keep fresh air out and obstruct light from entering the basement.
Go For Flowery Shrubs
If you don’t want to take care of a flower garden, plant shrubs on all sides of the window well, leaving a foot between the plants and the well. Again, avoid picking tall bushes and shrubs. Choose deciduous trees rather than conifers, and make sure they’re modest to medium-sized.
Deciduous trees and shrubs receive plenty of sunshine throughout the year and even more during the winter. Flowering bushes, in particular, will add to the area’s charm and attractiveness.
Avoid cacti and other spiky plants if you want the window to serve as an emergency exit. Consider the painful consequences of attempting to flee into the night over a little patch of thorns or nettles.
Focus On The Basics
To draw the eye up toward the planters from the window well, build a planter with landscaping pavers on one or both sides of the window well. Other similar paver stones can line the window well and draw attention to the planters, tying the window well into the overall landscaping scheme.
Make a tiered garden inside the window well that is attractive from inside and outside the glass. This might be a window well with stacking pavers to provide depth or timber constructed into the interior of the window wells, depending on the design of the window well.
Build A Terraced Garden
Consider constructing a terraced garden if your window well is on the larger side, large enough to stand and possibly even stretch out in, and you’re handy. Numerous blueprints are accessible online that only require a few treated wood timbers, some hardware, and a little elbow work.
You may make a stunning series of tiered platforms to display potted plants or outdoor decorations inside and outside. Remember that the window well’s goal is to let light in a while, keeping water out of the basement.
Waterproofing should be considered during the construction process. Don’t let the area’s natural beauty distract you from the requirement for a dry basement.
Use Smooth, But Decorative Rocks
Most emergencies that require you or a family member to use the well as a means of evacuation involve someone sleeping, whether for a nap or the entire night. As a result, you should prefer rounded and smooth boulders, which won’t rip up your bare feet during a rapid retreat.
Most landscape suppliers or sand companies stock a wide range of stones in various hues, ranging from little pebbles to bigger stones. It’s the ideal approach to complement your interior design while enhancing the appearance of your egress window.
Add Railing Around The Window Wells
While a railing or fence surrounding the well may not prevent a thief from utilizing it as an entry point to your home, it does help to protect people and larger animals from falling in while still allowing a considerable amount of light to pass through, depending on the railing or fencing type.
We recommend this solution when you have a very large or shallow depth well in a heavy-traffic region where a grate isn’t always practical. If you use this on a larger well, keep in mind that you may still need to climb out in an emergency.
Make sure you have a ladder or a gate that will allow you to climb out of the egress window wells if necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can We Decorate Windows Wells From The Inside?
Of course, yes! You can also decorate windows well from the inside according to your home styling needs and interior requirements. Window wells in basements can easily be decorated from the inside. There are several options available to you with us.
Decorative window well liners give you a variety of possibilities. So sit back and unwind in your basement while admiring the lovely view of nature outside. A vast range of sceneries is available in the markets and online for you to choose from.
Do We Need To Add A Drainage To Window Wells?
How much rain falls where you live and where your window well is located will determine the answer to this query. To keep water from collecting in your window wells, if your window well is situated in an area with a lot of rainfall, you will need to install some drainage system.
You might not need to be concerned with drainage, though, if your window well is situated in a region with low rainfall.
Do I Need To Add Covers To Window Wells?
Window wells in basements are intended to keep snow and rain out, but if they aren’t properly maintained, they can also become water traps. Most specialists advise covering your window well with a window cover.
There are several different types of window well coverings. They are frequently tailored to fit a particular window well size. So, before you purchase a cover, make sure to measure your window accurately.
Is It Okay To Not Have Basement Window Wells?
Yes! It’s completely okay not to have basement window wells. The reason is that it’s not essential to add window wells to your basements. The basic purpose of adding window wells is to enhance the curb appeal of your finished basement. Moreover, it would be a great source of ventilation in your basement.
Conclusion
Hopefully, discussed ideas will help to beautify or landscape your window wells efficiently. However, you can also consider other options and design ideas according to your creativity. The only thing you utilize any idea more creatively is thinking out of the box.
You can also get help from your nearest professional landscape designers and artists.
