Basement Window Types for Same-Size Replacement
Most basement windows that sit above ground are small units near the top of the foundation wall, with no well outside. These are the windows that fit a same-size swap there.
Hopper Basement Windows
A hopper is hinged at the bottom and tilts in from the top. It's the most common basement window because it opens inside the house, so it needs no well and can't be blocked by a shrub, a snowbank or soil outside. Closed, a hopper looks the same as an awning. Fixr puts prefab hopper units at $100 to $250 and custom sizes at $500 to $750, before labor.
Our tip: if a hopper sits above a washer, a utility sink or storage shelving, make sure the sash has room to tip in before ordering. A slider avoids that problem.
Basement Slider Windows
A basement slider has one sash that glides sideways past a fixed one. It suits the wide, short openings in a lot of foundation walls, and opens without projecting either way. Fixr lists prefab basement sliders at $150 to $700 and custom units at $700 to $1,000. A large slider with a well can serve as an escape window; a small one that can't reach the code's clear opening can't. More on the style itself: sliding windows.
Awning-Style Basement Windows
An awning hangs from a top hinge and opens outward at the bottom. In a basement it does the same job as a hopper without taking room inside, and it sheds rain while open. It needs clear space outside, so it works best where the sill is well above grade. Fixr's prices match the hopper's. See awning windows for the style above ground.
Replacing Rusted Steel Basement Frames
If your basement still has steel frames, Fixr's guide explains the trouble: steel rusts in damp conditions and is a poor insulator. Ask the installer whether the new window will fit inside the old frame or whether the frame comes out entirely. Fixr notes that replacing the whole frame raises labor, and it also changes the glass size, so the answer belongs on the quote.
In-Swing Casements and Filling an Opening
Two less common jobs come up in basements. An in-swing casement opens into the room, so it can open fully inside a small well, though nothing can sit in front of it. And a window you no longer want can be closed up: Fixr puts filling an opening at $60 to $200 per square foot, depending on the wall, the well and the interior finish. Most old openings are easier to fit with a new window than to fill.
Basement Window Leaks and Well Drainage
If water comes in at the bottom of the window after a storm, the window may not be the cause. A well that doesn't drain can fill and spill over the sill. Wells, drains and covers are covered on the window well installation page, and leaks around a sound window on the window leak repair page.
Why Troy homeowners call Troy Windows
- Free in-home measure of every opening
- Written, itemized quote before any work
- Frames and sills checked before a price
- One local window installer, not a call list
- No charge to homeowners for the referral
Basement Window Replacement Cost in Troy
National figures from Fixr's basement window guide, updated December 2023:
| Job | National price |
|---|---|
| Typical basement window replacement | $500 to $1,000 (about $750 average) |
| Low end: small fixed glass block window | about $300 |
| Labor, hopper or awning | $200 to $300 per window |
| Labor, small slider | $150 to $250 per window |
| Window plus a new well | $2,500 to $7,000 |
Fixr also notes custom basement windows cost roughly 30% more than standard sizes, and older basements often have odd openings. Frame material moves the unit price: Fixr lists prefab vinyl at $100 to $500 and fiberglass at $200 to $800.
Basement Windows in Troy: What the Code and the House Ask For
Bedrooms Need an Escape Window
Replacing a small hopper with another small hopper is fine for a storage room. If the room is, or will be, a bedroom, it needs a code-size escape opening, and the right job is an egress window installation, with a larger opening and a well.
Glass Block as an Alternative
A glass block panel trades opening for privacy and security, and can have a small vent built in. It's not an escape window. See glass block windows.
Painted Basement Trim
Where a basement window has painted wood trim, in a pre-1978 house that paint counts under EPA's lead rule like any other window; see lead-safe window replacement.