There’s a story going around on Twitter right now about a homeowner who had a broken basement window that was boarded up for years, because he thought repairing it was going to be a more involved, expensive job than it ultimately turned out to be. There were several important life lessons to be recognized via viewing this basement window replacement story as a metaphor, but we’re a fairly literal bunch here. Therefore, we’re going to focus on how hard is it really to replace a basement window?
Basement windows get broken often. This is due to their position. Being low to the ground means basement windows are prone to being damaged by rocks shot out of the lawn mower, toys going astray during the kids’ play, rough housing animals, and more. Because a broken basement window presents a security hazard – animals and even bad intentioned people can gain access to your home through a broken cellar window – people often board them up right away.
But what are the drawbacks of leaving the basement window boarded up? First and foremost, you’re damaging the look of your home. A basement window may seem like a small detail, but small details have a big impact on curb appeal. In fact, in the original Twitter story, the homeowner finally got around to fixing the basement window because it was time to sell the house.
Some people are surprised to learn that boarding up the broken basement window can have a negative impact on the home’s energy efficiency. Custom built and fit energy efficient basement replacement windows outperform random pieces of wood that aren’t sealed into the existing windowsills. This means the homeowner is losing money until they replace the window.
Also, basement windows are much better at letting in light than pieces of wood. If you like to see when you’re using your basement -whether this is for storage, accessing utilities, or even as a finished living space, maximizing the amount of natural light available makes sense. Being able to open the basement window is a good idea if you want cross-ventilation or to bring fresh air into the basement.
The easiest, fastest way to replace a broken basement window is to call in the Rockland replacement window company to do it.