Egress Window Installation, Waltham, MA
Challenge
The owner of a Condo in Waltham, Massachusetts, has lived in their home for 5 years. Since the pandemic, the homeowner's have been using every inch of their condo, and even started to use the basement. Their basement was finished but the homeowner was interested in renovating it. Before they began changing the interior of the basement the homeowner wanted to find a way to create more natural light in the basement. The basement had a couple of egress windows but the natural like wasn't enough. The homeowners have also thought about creating a bedroom in the basement. The homeowner decided to call EFS to see if they could propose a solution to their problem.
Our Design Specialist Kenny arrived at their condo in Waltham and inspected the basement. Kenny walked through the basement with the homeowners talking about what their goals were. Kenny recommended installing a custom egress window with a Rockwell Window Well. This egress window will allow more natural light into the basement while also giving the home an exit point in case of an emergency.
Solution
Our production team led by Nick C. arrived on site and met with the homeowner to tell them what to expect for each day of work. After the meeting with the homeowner, the team then began mapping out where the Rockwell and Egress will be installed. Once the position was finalized, the team then began removing dirt from against the foundation wall. The team dug down against the foundation wall until they reached the top of the footing. Once the trench was dug out to the correct depth the team then slightly widened the hole so they could work inside the trench.
After the trench was finished, the team used the measurements from the egress window that they were going to install and marked up the foundation wall to show how much of the foundation wall they were going to remove to install the window. The team secured pieces of wood to ensure the cut lines on the concrete were straight. The team used chipping tools from both sides of the foundation wall to get through the 8" foundation wall. After the concrete was free the team used the excavator to remove and dispose of the section of the foundation wall.
Next, the team began framing the window to be installed. The team used pressure-treated wood as the framing for the window. Once the framing was installed and secured the team then moved on to installing the Rockwell.
The RockWell is rock looking surface that we set against the foundation wall that allows us to install a window into the basement where it would have been underground. The RockWell creates a walkout of the basement that is cheaper than installing a bulkhead but is also more aesthetically pleasing. When installing the RockWell the team makes sure it was installed flush against the foundation and backfilled dirt behind it to hold it against the foundation wall. The team also drilled in anchors to make sure the RockWell stays in place. The final steps of installing the RockWell were tamping the dirt around the top of the RockWell and then filling the bottom of the RockWell with a couple of inches of crushed stone.
After the RockWell was installed, the team began installing the window. The team secured the window into the framing and made sure to install Ice and Water Shield to prevent water from entering the home.
After the window was installed, the team moved on to installing the RockWell cover over the RockWell. The RockWell Cover is a liftable clear window that deflects water, snow, and debris from collecting inside the RockWell. The cover was anchored to the foundation wall by two little brackets that the cover clips into. Before anchoring the brackets the team had to make sure that the cover would be pitched so water and debris can't collect inside the RockWell.
The homeowner was pleased with the results of the project. The RockWell will allow natural light to now enter their basement which they want to remodel.
Project Summary
Design Specialist: Kenny Calabrese
Crew Leader: Nick Carelli
Products Installed: RockWell and Egress Window
