Window wells and ladders
The well is what turns a big window into a real way out. Here are the size rules, the materials and the drainage questions to ask.
When an egress window's sill sits below the ground outside, you need a well: a retaining wall around a pit that holds the soil back and gives a person room to climb up and out. A well that's too small, too deep without a ladder, or full of water defeats the purpose of the window.
How big does a window well have to be?
Under the 2020 Minnesota Residential Code, as the Department of Labor and Industry summarizes it:
- The well needs at least 9 square feet of horizontal area
- It must project at least 36 inches out from the wall and be at least 36 inches wide
- The window has to be able to open fully inside it
- A well deeper than 44 inches needs a permanently attached ladder or steps
- Ladder rungs need at least 12 inches of inside width, project at least 3 inches from the wall and be spaced no more than 18 inches apart vertically
- A ladder or steps can intrude up to 6 inches into the required well dimensions
Superior follows Wisconsin's rules, which call the well an areaway and set their own ladder trigger. See the guide.
What are wells made of?
- Corrugated galvanized steel. Common and inexpensive, with ladder rungs bolted on. Older ones rust through.
- Molded composite or plastic. Many have stepped sides that act as the ladder and a lighter look.
- Stone, block or timber. Built in place, often terraced, and useful on sloped Duluth lots.
Why does drainage matter so much here?
A well is a hole next to your foundation that catches rain, roof runoff and a winter's worth of melting snow. The Minnesota code calls for wells to connect to the foundation drainage system or an approved alternative, except on well-drained soils. Ask how the installer will handle it: a drain line to the drain tile, a gravel base, or another method that suits your soil. Keep downspouts aimed away from the well.
Replacing an old well
If an existing well is rusted, bowing, too small or keeps flooding, it can be dug out and replaced with a code-size well. That's often part of making an old basement bedroom pass a sale or rental inspection.
The installer prices the job after seeing the wall, the yard outside it and the room inside. We don't quote prices, and a number given over the phone before anyone has looked at the foundation is only a rough starting point.
Where we connect you with help
Common questions
My window well fills with water. Is that the well or the window?
Usually it's the drainage under the well or water being directed into it from the roof or grading. A blocked drain or no drain at all is a common cause. Have it checked before the next thaw.
Do stepped plastic wells count as a ladder?
They can, if the steps meet the code's spacing and size rules and stay usable with the window fully open. Ask the installer to confirm for the specific product.
Related services
- Egress window installation
- Cutting and enlarging openings
- Window well covers
- Basement bedroom code compliance
More background: Duluth egress window guide.
Finishing the basement or adding a bedroom down there?
Call now and a local egress installer will look at the wall and quote the opening, the window and the well.