Egress Window Well Installation in Maryland

Why Window Well Drainage Is Not Optional in Maryland

Maryland clay soils — particularly the Piedmont clay common across Baltimore, Harford, Carroll, and Cecil counties — drain slowly. When 2 inches of rain falls in an afternoon, the soil around your home is already near saturation. Without a drain at the base of the window well, that water has one option: pooling until it finds a gap in your window frame or the surrounding concrete.

A properly installed window well includes a gravel bed at least 6 inches deep at the base, a perforated drain pipe tied into your foundation drainage system, and the well itself set tight against the foundation wall with waterproof sealant at every contact point. The well cover (optional but recommended) reduces debris accumulation and limits how much rainwater enters the well in the first place.

Window Well Sizing for Egress Code

Maryland IRC requires that egress window wells have a minimum horizontal projection of 36 inches and a minimum width of 36 inches to allow emergency exit. The well must allow the window to open fully. If your existing well is too small — a common issue in homes where egress windows were added without a permit — we can excavate, remove, and replace it with a properly sized prefabricated steel or concrete well.

Our Installation Process

We excavate below the window, remove any existing well or gravel that's clogged or undersized, and set the new well to proper depth and horizontal clearance. We backfill the base with clean 57-stone for drainage, install a perforated 4-inch drain pipe sloped to daylight or tied into your foundation drain system, and anchor the well to the foundation wall. We then apply butyl sealant along the top edge where the well meets the siding, backfill the sides with clean material, and grade the soil away from the well to direct surface water elsewhere.