Window well services in Toronto cover the full life of the well outside your basement window: new installation, replacement of a rusted or cracked unit, covers, drainage and waterproofing, leak repair, and raising an existing well so it clears finished grade. Most jobs fall between $500 and $3,000, and a full window well installation typically runs $800–$2,500 depending on size, depth, material and how much soil excavation is needed. We handle all of it across Toronto and the GTA, including the permit and inspection side when a well is part of an egress or basement renovation.
What our window well services cover
A window well is a small structural excavation. It holds back soil so a below-grade window can let in light and air, and it has to shed water away from your foundation every spring. We work on every part of that system:
Window well installation ($800–$2,500). New well for a basement window, cut and set to the correct depth and width for the window opening. We excavate by hand in tight side yards and behind decks, set the well against a clean, parged foundation wall, and backfill with free-draining granular material rather than the clay we pull out.
Window well replacement and repair ($500–$2,000). Corrugated steel wells in Toronto homes built before 1980 are usually rusted through at the base by now. We cut out the old unit, inspect the wall behind it for spalling or a failed parge coat, and set a new polyethylene, fibreglass or galvanized well.
Window well covers ($300–$900). Polycarbonate or metal grate covers, custom-measured to the well. A cover keeps leaves, snow, toys and rainwater out, and it's the cheapest way to stop a recurring leak.
Window well drainage and waterproofing ($500–$3,000). Clearing a blocked well, installing a gravel and perforated-pipe drain tied to the weeping tile or a sump, and parging or membrane-coating the wall inside the well.
Window well leak repair ($500–$2,000). Water entering at the window frame, through the well wall joint, or over the top of a well that sits too low.
Window well raising ($800–$1,800). When a deck, patio or regraded yard has buried the well, we extend it so the top sits a minimum of 4–6 inches above finished grade.
Egress windows ($4,500–$8,000), basement door installation ($2,500–$6,000) and basement waterproofing (from $1,200) are the related below-grade work we do on the same visit.
Every price above is a typical range, not a quote. Final cost varies a lot with job size, scope and site conditions, a 30-inch well in sandy Scarborough soil is a different job from a 60-inch well dug by hand between a Leaside house and its neighbour's fence.
What's included in a window well installation
- Free on-site evaluation, with a written quote inside 48 hours
- Hand or machine soil excavation, with spoil hauled away
- Foundation wall cleaned and parged where the well meets the wall
- Well set plumb and level, with the top a minimum of 4–6 inches above grade
- Drainage layer: clear gravel and, where the site needs it, a perforated drain tied to the footing tile or sump
- Cover fitted and installed if you're ordering one
- Site cleaned, walkway and lawn put back
- 10-year workmanship warranty on the installation
Window well pricing in Toronto
| Service | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Window well installation | $800–$2,500 |
| Window well replacement & repair | $500–$2,000 |
| Window well covers | $300–$900 |
| Window well drainage & waterproofing | $500–$3,000 |
| Window well leak repair | $500–$2,000 |
| Window well raising | $800–$1,800 |
| Egress window installation | $4,500–$8,000 |
| Basement door installation | $2,500–$6,000 |
| Basement waterproofing | From $1,200 |
What moves a job up or down the range: well depth and width, material (polyethylene costs less than custom concrete), access, and whether the well ties into existing drainage. A rear-yard well you can reach with a mini-excavator is faster to install than a front-yard well beside a 60-year-old Norway maple with a root system in the way. Every number above is a typical range only, final cost varies a lot depending on job size, scope and site conditions, and we confirm it in writing after we've seen the wall.
Our process, start to finish
1. Free site evaluation. We measure the window opening and the well, check the top of the well against finished grade, look at how water is currently draining, and check the foundation wall for cracks or a failed parge coat. If the well is part of an egress or basement apartment project, we also confirm the exit sizing at this stage so the well matches the opening you're actually installing.
2. Written quote within 48 hours. Line items, not a lump sum: excavation, well, drainage, cover, disposal.
3. Permits. A window well on its own rarely needs a permit, but a new egress window or a basement apartment does. In Toronto that means a building permit application through the City, and in most cases a separate electrical permit for the smoke and CO alarms required in a basement sleeping unit. If your home is in a heritage district or a conservation authority zone such as the Don Valley or the Scarborough Bluffs, allow extra time for review.
4. Installation. One to three days for a typical well. We cover the area below the window, cut or excavate, set the well, parge and drain, then backfill and clean up.
5. Inspection and handover. For egress work we're on site for the City inspector's visit and we walk you through the finished well, the drainage path and how to clear the cover before winter.
Building code, exit sizing and lintels
Ontario Building Code 9.9.10.1 sets out what a basement egress window has to do: unobstructed opening of at least 0.35 m² (about 3.75 sq ft), no dimension less than 380 mm, a sill no higher than 1,000 mm above the floor, and a clear path outside. A window well serving an egress window has to give you a clear, code-compliant opening at the bottom, we size the well around that opening, not the other way around.
If the window has to be enlarged, we head the new opening with a steel lintel sized and bearing correctly on the masonry, since cutting a wider hole in a block or brick wall removes the load path. That's a structural detail, and it's where cheap egress jobs fail inspection.
Why Toronto homeowners call us
Twelve years of below-grade work, not general renovation. We're a family-run Toronto basement contractor. Our crew has installed more than 400 egress windows and window wells across the GTA.
We design for freeze-thaw. Toronto's cycle of winter freezing and spring thawing is what kills window wells here. A well that drains to the surface heaves and cracks within a few seasons. We backfill with clear granular material, set drains to daylight or to the footing tile where the grade allows, and keep the well top above grade so meltwater runs away from the wall instead of into it.
Year-round installation. We install through the winter, using heated enclosures where concrete or parging needs curing temperatures. January is often easier to book than May.
Compliant and warranted. Every egress installation meets OBC 9.9.10.1. Licensed, insured, WSIB covered, with a 10-year workmanship warranty on the installation.
Local knowledge. We work Toronto, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, East York and the surrounding GTA, including Mississauga, Vaughan, Markham and Oakville. That means knowing the clay in Leaside, the sandy soil near the Bluffs and the high water tables in parts of Etobicoke, three different drainage solutions.
Every service in this cluster
- Window Well Installation in Toronto — Galvanized steel, aluminum, and poly window wells sized to code with proper drainage and gravel… Starting $800–$2,500. Free quote within 48 hours.
- Window Well Covers in Toronto — Clear polycarbonate and aluminum covers that keep rain, snow, and debris out while letting light… Starting $300–$900. Free quote within 48 hours.
- Window Well Drainage & Waterproofing in Toronto — Drain tile, weeping tile, sump connections, and waterproofing membranes to stop basement leaks… Starting $500–$3,000. Free quote within 48 hours.
- Window Well Replacement & Repair in Toronto — Replace rusted, cracked, or undersized window wells; repair drainage and re-seal aging wells. Starting $500–$2,000. Free quote within 48 hours.
- Window Well Leak Repair in Toronto — Water in the window well after rain, a damp basement wall, or a well that floods when it pours… Starting $500–$2,000. Free quote within 48 hours.
- Window Well Raising in Toronto — Window wells sitting too low, level with the patio or grade, letting runoff spill straight in… Starting $800–$1,800. Free quote within 48 hours.
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