Waterproofing the basement windows can be the biggest obstacle besides the very bottom of the foundation of the basement wall.

Anytime you have an obstacle like a window or door in the basement walls you could have problems, these windows and doors provide cracks and gaps for moisture to leak into the basement eventually if not properly sealed.

The half round galvanized metal (you see in the picture above) is called a basement window well and this allows the window to be located below ground level, while preventing dirt from touching the window, which would eventually damage the window over time.

This window well will provide some protection for the window, but I would have liked to have seen it a little longer or running deeper into the ground.

If this basement window well was twice as long, you could have backfilled the dirt, until you reached the bottom of the metal window well protector and then backfilled the inside with gravel until you were about 10 inches from the bottom of the window.

This would have provided the window well with better drainage.

Home Repair Tip - Windows are a necessity in basements to provide much-needed light and ventilation. If you have a leaking basement window, it wouldn't be that difficult to remove some of the dirt on the outside of the window and install a basement window well, with some gravel to provide some drainage.

This task could easily be done by your average homeowner.