How Much Does a Window Well Replacement Cost? [2025 Data]

Window well replacement costs an average of $2,200, but your total could fall anywhere between $1,800 and $3,000 depending on a few factors. Window wells are an invaluable addition to basements that can brighten up the space and act as an emergency exit. However, maintaining the window well is essential to avoid window leaks and foundation damage. In this guide, we’ll discuss the cost of window well replacement to help you budget for your project.

Window Well Replacement Cost Factors

Window well replacement costs can fall anywhere between $1,200 and $4,200 based on a few key factors that influence the total.

Materials

The materials you choose as a retaining wall will play a major role in your total replacement costs. The most common options are plastic, fiberglass, steel, and concrete. Plastic is the most affordable option when it comes to materials, costing an average of $800, while custom concrete retaining walls can bring your materials cost to $2,500 or more.

It’s important to choose the right material for your area, as it will act as the primary defense against expanding soil and rainwater. You should also consider the appearance of the material you pick, as it’s what will be visible directly outside your basement windows.

Labor

You can expect around 50%, or an average of $900 to $1,500, of your total window well replacement cost to go toward labor. The labor includes removing your old window well, excavating the area if necessary, and installing the new material.

Labor costs can sit as low as around $500 for a simple one-to-one replacement, but they can climb up to about $1,500 if you need your installer to build a custom concrete window well.

Window Well Size

The sizes of both your old window well and the new one will play a big part in your replacement costs. The larger your window well, the more you’ll pay for both materials and labor. You can expect to pay between $500 and $1,000 or more for excavation if you’re making your window well larger. Otherwise, the required excavation is included in the labor cost.

Permits

Most municipalities have strict requirements regarding both the size and type of the egress window installed in your window well, as well as the size and location of the window well itself. Your building department ensures that all requirements are met by requiring permits for window well installation and replacement.

Permits cost between $50 and $100 for window well replacement in most cases, although prices can climb as high as $300 in some areas.

Location

The location of the window well on your property will affect your costs because it dictates how easy it is for your professionals to access the area. A window well in a tight spot between your house and a landscaping feature, like a deck or fence, can make it more difficult to access with the excavation machinery. If your installers need to dig using manual tools, it will take longer and cost a few hundred more.

Additionally, your professionals will need to remove the old window well material. For single-piece window wells, like those made of plastic, fiberglass, or steel, the location won’t have much impact. But if you’re replacing an old concrete window well, your labor costs can go up by between $100 and $300 if the removal and haul away is more difficult because of the window location.

Debris Removal

Some professionals will include debris removal in their estimates, while others charge extra for haul-away services and dumping fees. This accounts for just a small part of your total, often around $50, but you might be on the hook for dumping fees totaling up to $300 or more for disposing of large concrete window wells.

Window Well Replacement Ongoing Expenses

Window wells sit below the ground and tirelessly work to keep water and other debris away from your basement window. You should budget for ongoing repairs and maintenance to ensure they’re functioning properly.

Repairs

On occasion, you might need to pay for window well repairs, typically only if you have a concrete window well. These last for decades in most cases, but you might need to patch cracks or leaks during their life span to keep water away from your foundation. Concrete repair costs between $3 and $9 per square foot, but travel, trip fees, and labor will bring your repair total to between $150 and $300.

Maintenance

Window wells require minimal maintenance, but you may need to pay between $50 and $100 to clear the window well drain if you have one. You can do this as needed, and the frequency will largely depend on whether you have window well covers installed and the number of trees in your yard that drop leaves and other debris that can cause clogs.

Luckily, you can clear a window well drain as a simple DIY project, so you can save some money over time by doing the work yourself.

Cost of Common Window Well Add-Ons

There are three main add-on services you can choose when replacing your window well, all of which will have an impact on your total replacement cost.

Window Replacement

In many cases, homeowners replace their window wells when they have an issue with the old well or a leak in the window inside the well, so you might need to budget for window replacement costs in addition to the actual well.

Window replacement costs an average of $850, but you could pay anywhere between $100 and $1,000 or more for this portion of the job. The total depends on the size and type of window, as well as frame and glass materials.

Why You Should Hire a Window Well Pro

Window well replacement is best handled by a local egress window installer. Here’s what you should know when planning out your window changes.

Why it’s ideal to hire a window well installation pro

This isn’t a project that homeowners can handle themselves—here’s why it’s a good idea to hire a local window pro:

• Window wells require significant digging to replace, especially deeper wells, and the pros use equipment like mini tractors that can handle the project.

• Pros can handle large well inserts and gravel that would otherwise take homeowners significant labor to move.

• Window wells typically require drilled connections to the foundation, which the pros can handle without damaging the foundation or compromising its materials. 

• Window well replacement requires carefully designed drainage to avoid flooding issues, and homeowners may not have the know-how to add drainage features for their climate.

If you want to DIY a window well replacement

You may be able to DIY some parts of a window well replacement, depending on your experience and access to equipment. Consider these steps:

• For shallow window wells, you can often handle digging out the existing window well yourself, with significant time and effort commitment.

• Purchase prefabricated wells from a local home goods store. Do not try to build your own window well from scratch, as that’s a project best left to the pros. 

• When placing a new window well, keep it at least eight inches below the windowand three inches above the surface of the ground. 

Window Well Cover Installation

Window well covers keep leaves and other debris out of your window well, but many are clear and will still let light pass through to brighten up your basement. You can expect to pay between $70 and $700 per window well cover for the materials and labor to install them, largely depending on the material you choose and whether or not you want custom designs.

Adding Drainage

Some window wells aren’t connected to an underground drainage system. Instead, they have a base of gravel or crushed stone to collect runoff and let it drain naturally into the soil below. If you’ve run into window well drainage problems in the past, you might want to have your window contractor connect the window well to an existing drainage system, like a French drain or an interior sump pump.

Connecting your window well to a drainage system will add between $500 and $1,000 in labor and material costs. However, this price could increase significantly depending on how close your window well is to an existing drainage system.

How To Save Money on Window Well Replacement

Window well replacement can get expensive, but there are a few things you can do to help keep your costs down.

• Choose your material carefully. Opting for a plastic window well over a custom concrete one can save you over $1,000 on the cost of installing a window well, on average. Plastic won’t last as long and may not look as nice, but if you’re on a tight budget, choosing more affordable materials is a great way to save.

• Keep your window well the same size. You’ll spend between $500 and $1,000 on additional excavation to enlarge your window well. Keep your new well the same size and shape as the old one to keep your costs low.

• Choose natural drainage. Connecting to a drainage system might be a good idea and even necessary based on your location and climate. If you speak with your professional about the option and deem it unnecessary, you can save another $500 to $1,000 by opting for natural drainage, like partially filling the well with gravel.

• Haul away debris yourself. You can save between $50 and $300 by hauling away the old window well material yourself. You might still be on the hook for dumping fees, but they’ll almost always be lower than paying your professional to remove and dump the material.

Next Steps: Finalize Your Project With a Pro

How Angi Gets Its Cost Data

Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We survey real Angi customers about their project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects. 

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