What to do with this window well?

In my backyard, I have a window well that I don’t think I want anymore. It’s a tiny window from the (fully below grade) basement that opens into a 5.5′ deep well that is covered by an awkward metal plate. I’d love to get rid of the cover and have that area flat and flush for a table. I’m pondering bricking up the window, filling in the hole, and concreting over it, but I’m wondering if there’d be any reason I’d regret that down the road. I have not once opened it in the 2 years we’ve lived here, and neither of the identical houses on either side of me have it anymore. It’s at the opposite end of the basement from the boiler. Bricking it up would certainly help with insulation – currently you can feel actual wind coming in around the frame. Thoughts? [IMG_3488](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s3/:brownstoner:sn7n:img_3488.jpg.jpg) [IMG_3489](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s3/:brownstoner:zh7v:img_3489.jpg.jpg) [IMG_3491](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s3/:brownstoner:THhF:img_3491.jpg.jpg) [IMG_3492](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s3/:brownstoner:gS6N:img_3492.jpg.jpg)

smadargolan

in General Discussion 6 years and 4 months ago

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helen40

in General Discussion 6 years and 4 months ago

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Get rid of it. We had a similar well (with no window, just a grate at grade above) at the rear of our fully underground basement and closed it up 17 years ago when we renovated. We have really not missed it once since. It was too small to provide any meaningful access and the light it provided was minimal. We had a contractor fill it and replaced the grate with a slab of blue-stone to match the surrounding area.

The idea of a hatch and a ladder seems like overkill. Unless you can create a real stair, a ladder doesnt allow you to carry things up and down. And you lose both space in the garden and the basement to do so.

Guest User | 6 years and 4 months ago

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it doesn’t count as ventilation if its always left closed and doesn’t have any kind of louver on it.

Guest User | 6 years and 4 months ago

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it doesn’t count as ventilation if its always left closed and doesn’t have any kind of louver on it.

smadargolan | 6 years and 4 months ago

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It’s on the north side of the house, under an awning, deep under ground, and it’ll never not be covered by a plate of some sort (would be dangerous to have it open – I have kids – and that “floor space” on the patio is too valuable to give up). It’s definitely not going to ever provide meaningful light, and for air, I’m iffy – that space is unlikrly to ever be more than storage. In terms of air supply for the gas – there’s also a door into the basement – in the front of the house down a flight of stairs. Does it count as ventilation if it’s never opened (apart from all the cold air blowing in around the crappy frame, which is obviously not intentional – and in fact is a problem – my fridge sits right over this, and in the winter that floor and back wall in that area get so cold that the fridge stops working properly)?

citykitty | 6 years and 4 months ago

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We re-opened ours up because we wanted fresh air and some light. I wouldn’t fill it in.

rocketship | 6 years and 4 months ago

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If it opens into the room with the gas service and meters, you are supposed to have a source of fresh air into this room (keeps a gas leak from creating a bomb).

Arkady | 6 years and 4 months ago

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I agree w/ no-permitz.

yudashasom | 6 years and 4 months ago

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I wouldn’t fill it.

I’d put a regular steel hatch, like many buildings have in the front, with a ladder and maybe a door at the bottom.

Alternatively, you could install a subway style grill on top that opens, or you can install a full staircase into the cellar from the backyard.

It’s nice not having to drag garden tools, chairs, soil and whatnot through the house. I keep a lot of that stuff in my cellar. And who knows, you might have another need for it in the future. I redid my backyard a few years ago, and 90% of materials came in and out that way.

smadargolan | 6 years and 4 months ago

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Oh, and if anyone has a thought on what that masonry work might cost, and a recommendation for someone to do it, I’d appreciate it!