Stock and custom covers measured to your well and built to carry Nebraska snow. Over an egress well, they still push open from inside.
A window well cover keeps rain, leaves, and snow out of the pit and keeps kids and pets from falling in. It also sits over what may be the only way out of a basement bedroom. We measure, fit, and replace window well covers in Lincoln and the surrounding towns, on standard galvanized wells and on oversized or odd-shaped egress wells that no stock cover fits.
Most covers run $150 to $600 installed. Custom covers are quoted per well once we've measured it. Call (402) 261-0485 for a free written estimate. If the cover is fine and the well behind it is the real problem, we'll tell you that too.
Polycarbonate covers that let daylight into the basement. Flat sheets suit narrow wells. Domed bubble covers shed snow and leave more headroom over deeper wells.
Steel grates take more weight and stand up to foot traffic near walkways, but rain and leaves fall straight through them.
Extra-wide egress wells, tiered wells, and non-standard shapes get a cover built to the measured outline. These are quoted per well.
Covers over an egress window that lift or swing open from below, so someone inside can get out without a key or a tool.
Sun and cold leave polycarbonate yellow and brittle. A cracked sheet won't hold snow or a person's weight, so we replace it rather than patch it.
A cover that rattles, slides off, or won't sit flat often needs its hinges or fasteners reset, not a whole new cover.
If the well serves an egress window, the cover is part of the escape route. IRC R310.4, the code Nebraska uses, says a cover over a well that serves an emergency escape opening has to be releasable or removable from the inside without a key, a tool, special knowledge, or more force than it takes to open the window itself. The cover also can't shrink the clear opening the window and well are required to give.
We check how every cover over an egress well opens from below before we leave the job. If you're not sure about the one you have now, we can look at it during a free estimate.
Most covers we install land between $150 and $600. Where yours falls depends on the size of the well, the material, and whether the cover needs a hinge or a support frame to carry snow. A small stock cover on a standard well sits at the low end. A wide egress well with a hinged, load-rated cover sits toward the top.
Custom covers for odd-shaped, tiered, or extra-wide wells are quoted per well, because the price depends on the outline we measure. If the well itself is rusted through, bowed, or settled, a new cover won't seat properly. The fix then is a well replacement at $600 to $1,500, with the cover fitted to the new well. Our window well cover cost guide breaks the range down further, and the egress window cost page covers the bigger jobs.
Lincoln winters put real weight on a cover. A thin flat sheet over a narrow well usually holds up. Stretch that same sheet over a wide egress well and it sags under wet snow, then cracks. Wider wells need a domed shape, a thicker sheet, or a frame underneath, so we size the cover to the span of the well, not just its outline.
Fit matters too. A cover that's an inch short lets water and leaves in around the edge and can slide off. We measure the width, the projection from the foundation, and the shape of the well rim before ordering anything. If you'd like to compare options first, these guides go deeper:
A cover problem is often a well problem. If water still collects in the pit with a good cover on, the gravel base or drain is usually clogged or missing. If the cover won't sit flat because the well wall has bowed inward, no cover will fix it.
In those cases the right job is a new or rebuilt well, and our window well installation page explains what that involves. We do window wells, covers, and egress windows. If water is coming through the foundation wall itself, you need a waterproofing contractor, and we'll say so.
Most covers run $150 to $600 installed, depending on the size of the well, the material, and whether the cover needs a hinge or a support frame. A custom cover for an odd-shaped or oversized well is quoted per well after we measure it. If the well itself is rusted or bowed, a well replacement runs $600 to $1,500 and the cover goes on with it.
Yes, as long as someone inside can open or remove it without a key, a tool, special knowledge, or more force than it takes to open the window. That is the rule in IRC R310.4, which Nebraska uses. A cover that is screwed down, padlocked, or too heavy to push up turns the egress window into a trap, so we check how every cover over an egress well releases from below.
It depends on what failed. A loose fastener or a bent hinge can often be reset. A cracked, yellowed, or brittle polycarbonate sheet has to be replaced, because a patched sheet will not carry snow or a person's weight. We will tell you which one you are looking at before we price anything.
A small flat sheet over a narrow well usually does. Wider egress wells need a domed shape, a thicker sheet, or a support frame underneath, or the cover sags and cracks under wet snow. We size the cover to the well span rather than just the outline.
We measure it during the free estimate, which avoids ordering a cover that is an inch short. If you want a rough number first, our guide on how to measure a window well cover walks through the width, projection, and shape you need.
Free written estimates. We measure the well and give you a number before any work starts.
