After having several rabbits, frogs and mice getting stuck in our egress window wells, Tracy and I decided we needed to do something about it.
Here are the plans I drew up prior to making the covers. They are 60" on the wide end, 50" on the narrow end, and 38" long.
/---------------------60 inch------------------------/
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I started searching at Menards and on the internet for covers that would fit our window wells. This is what I found. THEY ARE VERY EXPENSIVE!
This is what our wells look like.
The only thing I could find that would fit was a min. of $250.00 each and we needed two of them.
I went to work on coming up with something that would, keep animals from falling into the well, still allow natural light in, and look nice.
I toyed with making them out of wood and plexiglass. In order to get a piece of plexiglass thick enough to be safe was around $200.00 to make the two covers we needed.
I decided to make the covers from steel. I used Expanded metal for the top and angle iron for the frame. This kept the covers from becoming to heavy and allowed the light to pass through. This also kept the price very reasonable.
We were able to make covers for both egress windows for a total of $75.00. That is a savings of $425.00 from the cheapest ones I had found to buy.
Here are the plans I drew up prior to making the covers. They are 60" on the wide end, 50" on the narrow end, and 38" long.
/---------------------60 inch------------------------/
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/--------------------50 inches--------------/
This is one of your best ideas!!! They look nice, were cheap, and no little bunnies have to suffer, they just hop right over them!!!:)
ReplyDeleteThanks we put allot of thought into these, They have worked out great
Deletegreat idea. any thoughts on how to build a "weatherproof" cover, for our home is in the cold and snowy environment of Minnesota!
ReplyDeleteThe one I have made is very weatherproof, It is made from steel and painted, We have had them for 2 years now and have not had to repaint or repair.
DeleteThese do look great! But what do they weigh?
ReplyDeleteThanks
ReplyDeleteThe ones I made weigh about 20 lbs. They are very easy to lift off or push from inside the well.
What gauge of Exanded metal #13? Have you tested this out with an adult standing on it? Does it give in the middle at all?
ReplyDeleteIt is not made for an adult to stand on. 1/2-13 expanded metal is about 12ga.
DeleteI made these to keep small animals and the grand-kids from falling into the hole. They have worked great for that.
mike, very elegant work.
ReplyDeletebut I am newbie on this stuff. Could you expand a bit more details on how did you put the Expanded metal and angle iron together. And how did you fix the cover so that it will not move. Could you send me um8610@gmail.com
Well it is a little hard to explain. But here you go. I used 2 x 2 x 1/8 angle iron to make the frame. I cut them to length and cut angles to get the frame to come out the size I needed. I welded them together once I had the size right. Then I cut the expanded metal to fit just inside the frame. I just laid them out in the yard and spray painted them. Hope this helps.
DeleteI am responding to the last post. I would also like some info on how you constructed this.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Well it is a little hard to explain. But here you go. I used 2 x 2 x 1/8 angle iron to make the frame. I cut them to length and cut angles to get the frame to come out the size I needed. I welded them together once I had the size right. Then I cut the expanded metal to fit just inside the frame. I just laid them out in the yard and spray painted them. Hope this helps.
DeleteTo make the frame fit the well profile a little better, you could have done 45 degree angles at the outer corners. Also, with the expanded steel providing the strength, a piece of thinner, less expensive plexiglas could be secured to the top to reduce water infiltration.
ReplyDelete