Hello,

I need to attach some metal window wells to my foundation and I have some questions about how to do this.

How far should the wells extend beyond the window frame? I was told to use shield anchors, but I am afraid of breaking the concrete if I drill too close to the window opening.

Second, my window well doesn't have holes for the bolts. I guess I'll have to make them myself. How many are usually needed?

Thanks.

You well should be large enough to extend10-12" on each side of the actual opening. That gives you plenty of room to drill or use Tapcon screws.

You shouldn't need many attachment screws. 2 each side and 2 on the bottom. (I assume there are flanges) The backfill will hold everything in place.

Have you considered the drainage implications?

I wouldn't even bother, due to the cooregation the soil effectively holds it in place. I would, though seal it against the house.

What I don't like is that any hole is a breach of the foundation and any holes below the ground line become an entry point for some water.

Since cinder blocks are hollow, you can't put screws everywhere. I have used a stud finder to find the hollow sections without trouble. The usual stucco makes it difficult to figure out where the cinderblock boundaries really are.

I guess we would be able to narrow this down if we knew what your foundation material.

Thanks for your help, everyone. I installed them yesterday using 1 1/4" tapcon screws (the foundation is poured concrete). The windows are very long (48") so I couldn't find a well big enough for a large gap on either side.

The windows are only 16" high and are oddly low on the wall. The tops of the windows are about 4" below grade in some areas! The wells I used to replace the old ones are only 22" deep and only go down to the level of the bottom of the sill. I'm thinking of "doubling up" with another well using rivets to extend them further down. At the same time, maybe just filling the pit, which goes down about 6" below the sill, with gravel will be enough?

I have drains in each well connected to my foundation drain.