Before We Arrive
Clear the work zone. Move furniture, boxes, and anything breakable at least six feet from the wall where the window is going — ten feet is better. Take pictures off that wall; the saw vibrates the whole foundation. If the basement is your storage unit, the day before install day is moving day. Outside, clear the digging area: move patio furniture, grills, and plantings you care about. We will protect what cannot move, but clear is better.
Pets and kids: the work zone is not a spectator area. Concrete cutting is loud — think roadwork in your basement — and the well excavation brings an open pit into the yard. Plan for pets to be elsewhere and kids to know the work zone is off-limits.
The Cutting: Loud and Wet
The concrete saw is the loudest part of the day, and it runs in bursts — not all day, but you will know when it is going. We cut wet, which keeps the dust down but makes slurry: a gray mix of water and concrete dust that we capture and contain. The work zone gets sealed with plastic sheeting. Expect the basement to smell like a construction site for the day — that is normal, and it airs out.
How long does the cutting take? A poured wall goes faster; block and stone take longer. Roughly: marking and setup in the morning, cutting through midday, opening framed and supported by afternoon. Your estimator gives you the day's shape during the free visit.
The Window Goes In
Once the opening is cut and supported, the window sets quickly — framed, leveled, flashed, and sealed. This is the satisfying part of the day: the hole becomes a window. Then we move outside for the well: excavation, well placement, backfill, gravel, and the drain tie-in. The yard looks rough at this stage. It gets better.
Day Two (When There Is One)
Single-window jobs on easy walls finish in a day. Deep wells, stone walls, drainage tie-ins, and replacements with reframing can run to a second day. Day two is the finish work: ladder, cover, final grading, touch-up on the interior, and the walkthrough. We never leave an open hole overnight without securing it — the opening gets boarded and the well gets covered at the end of day one.
The Walkthrough
We end every job the same way: with you, at the window. We show you how it opens, how the cover lifts off, where the ladder is, and where the water goes. We measure the clear opening together so you can see it meets the minimums. Then we haul the debris — every chunk of concrete, every bucket of soil — and clean the work zone. Ask us anything during the walkthrough; that is what it is for.
Call (301) 679-9193 or send the form below for your free written estimate.