Basement Window Replacement in St. Joseph, MO

Basement window replacement swaps the small windows in your foundation for new, sealed units that fit the same openings. We handle basement window replacement in St. Joseph for rusted steel frames, single-pane hoppers, cracked glass block and old wood frames that have gone soft. You end up with windows that open, latch, keep water out and stop the drafts along the floor.

What basement window replacement involves

Basement windows sit in concrete, block or stone instead of a wood wall, so the job is mostly about the old frame. Steel frames are often rusted into the masonry and have to be cut out in pieces. Glass block has to be broken out along with its mortar. Old wood frames usually pull out easily but leave rot behind that needs cleaning up.

Once the opening is clean, a new vinyl window made to its measurements is set in, shimmed level, fastened to the masonry and sealed with foam and sealant inside and out. Common choices are:

• Hopper windows, hinged at the bottom and tipping in from the top. The usual fit for short, wide basement openings.
• Sliders, with one sash that slides sideways, for wider openings.
• Fixed windows where you only want light, or where an opening can't safely open.

Obscure or textured glass is an option for privacy in bathrooms or laundry areas.

Signs your basement windows need replacing

• Steel frames swollen with rust, or rust stains running down the wall below them.
• Windows that won't open, won't latch or have lost their latch entirely.
• Water at the sill after a hard rain, or damp marks on the wall underneath.
• Single-pane glass that frosts over in winter and lets cold air pour onto the floor.
• Cracked glass block or crumbling mortar around it.
• Wood frames soft enough to push a screwdriver into.

Why basement windows wear out faster than the rest

They sit right at the ground, where rain splashes, snow piles up and leaves collect. Steel frames rust from the bottom up, wood frames rot from moisture wicking out of the concrete, and the putty around single-pane glass dries out and falls away. When a window well doesn't drain, water stands against the glass and finds its way in.

What affects the cost of basement windows

• How the old frame comes out: steel cut out of concrete and glass block removal take the most time.
• Size, and whether the opening is a standard size or custom.
• Style: fixed, hopper or slider.
• Glass: double pane, low-E, obscure.
• Repairs to the masonry around the opening, and exterior trim.
• How many you do at once.

Replacing a window versus adding an egress opening

Everything on this page is replacement in the opening you already have. Cutting a larger opening for an egress window is a different job, with concrete cutting, a dug well and a permit. If you're finishing a basement bedroom and need one, that's the place to start, and it's worth asking the city's Building Development Services early what applies to your house.

Replacing windows upstairs too? See vinyl replacement windows; doing basement and main-floor windows on one order can save a separate trip.