I purchased my home a couple of years ago and this year I am going to replace the deck and build a fence. The deck was in terrible condition so I completely took it down. To my surprise I found 2 below grade windows under my deck that had been dry walled over on the inside. In fact the previous owner even left the glass panes in the windows. I want to fix this permanently and fill it in so it won't ever be a problem again. What is the best way to do this?
How to seal a below-grade window permanently
windows
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I can't speak for your local codes, but in general codes (in the US anyway) require a minimum ratio of the area of window to area of the room for it to be called "living space". There are also requirements for egress in that you should have two ways to get out of any "living space" room, usually satisfied by a door and a window. An egress window has to meet minimum requirements for area and either width or height of the opening, and with a basement window, you have to have a window well that's large enough that you can climb into it from inside the house.
You'll want to use glazing compound, which comes in both oil-based, and latex, and can be found in both cans or tubes.
Once you have the glass removed, and the frame cleaned up.
- Run a bead of glazing compound around the frame (where the glass will sit).
- Set the glass in the compound giving it a little wiggle to work out any air bubbles, and to make sure the glass is set in properly (don't worry about a little excess oozing out, you can trim it off later when it cures).
- Using a putty knife push in glazing points every 6-8 in.
Install the interior trim, and wait for the glazing compound to cure.
Once the compound has cured enough (24-72 hours), using a utility knife carefully trim off any compound that has oozed out.
If you are not using interior trim, you will want to apply a bead of glazing compound to the interior side of the frame, and use a putty knife to smooth it to a nice finish.
- After 7-10 days you can paint the glazing compound to match the frame.
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Best Answer
Jeff, you didn't say what material the windows were in. poured concrete foundation wall, framed wall?? Is there siding around the windows? A concrete wall could be filled with bricks and mortar. If it is a framed wall, build a framed box, shiething, then some flashing, lots of silicon caulk and match the siding. A picture would be a great help on this one.