Yes, Egress Window Pros Toronto installs window wells in North York, and most residential jobs land between $800 and $2,500 depending on depth, width, material, and how hard the ground is to dig. A standard 4×2-foot galvanized well on a 1950s bungalow in Downsview sits at the low end of that range; a deep, wide well on a ravine-side lot in Bayview Village with restricted machine access sits at the top. The final cost varies a lot depending on job size, scope, and site conditions, so treat that range as a starting point rather than a quote.
What's included in a North York window well installation
Every install starts with a site evaluation. We measure sill height above grade, check the soil profile, and confirm whether the well is serving an egress window, because if it is, the window opening itself has to meet building code exit sizing under OBC 9.9.10.1, and the well has to be deep and wide enough to allow a person to climb out.
The work itself covers:
- Soil excavation by hand or compact machine, depending on access. Many North York side yards between Yonge and Sheppard are narrow enough that a machine won't fit, so we hand-dig.
- Well construction in galvanized corrugated steel, precast concrete, or composite, set plumb against the foundation wall.
- Drainage design, clear stone, filter fabric, and a graded base that moves water away from the footing rather than pooling against it.
- Backfill and grading to shed surface water away from the well.
- Cleanup and haul-away of excavated soil.
If a window opening needs widening to meet exit sizing, a steel lintel is sized and installed to carry the load above, that's structural work, not a cosmetic add-on, and it's priced separately when required.
What window well installation costs in North York
Installation runs $800 to $2,500 for most homes. The variables that move the number:
- Depth and width, a well that has to serve an egress window is larger than a standard light well.
- Material, galvanized steel is the budget option; precast concrete and composite cost more and last longer.
- Access, hand-digging through a narrow side yard takes longer than a machine dig.
- Soil, North York has pockets of heavy clay that hold water and dig slowly.
- Disposal, excavated soil has to leave the property.
What we quote depends on what the hole actually looks like. We give you a written number after the site visit, not before.
How the process works
Free site evaluation
booked within 48 hours, on site in North York
Written quote and permit check
if the well forms part of an egress system, we confirm whether a building permit is required through the City of Toronto before anything is dug
Install day
most single wells are dug, set, drained, and backfilled in one day
Walkthrough
we test drainage with you standing there, then hand over the 10-year workmanship warranty
We install year-round. Toronto's freeze-thaw cycle is the main reason wells fail early, so drainage is designed for it rather than around it.
Why North York homeowners choose us
We're a family-run Toronto basement contractor with 12 years of below-grade work and more than 400 egress windows and window wells installed across the GTA. We're licensed, insured, and WSIB covered. Every egress-related well we build meets Ontario Building Code 9.9.10.1 exit requirements, and we back the installation with a 10-year workmanship warranty.
What goes wrong with older North York window wells
A lot of North York wells were installed for light, not for egress, and on 1950s bungalows they were sized to a smaller window than the one that is there now. Add sixty years of regrading, landscaping, and frost and you get the same short list of failures:
- A well that is too small for the window. The opening clears the sill but not the sash, so the window only opens part way.
- Well buried by regrading. Patios, raised beds, and new sod raise grade against the wall and shorten the clear opening.
- Rusted base and a plugged drain. Water sits, freezes, and the well lifts off the footing.
- Separation at the wall. Visible as a gap at the top edge where the well meets the foundation.
- Crushed side panels from a vehicle or a snowplow. Common on the narrow shared driveways between Yonge and Sheppard.
If the well serves a basement bedroom, a well that no longer gives the required clearance in front of the window is an egress failure even if it looks fine from above. That is the kind of thing a home inspector or a tenant's lawyer will find later.