garden ho: window well

J and I have been slowly but surely installing window wells around all of our basement windows. This requires digging them all out of the years of weeds that have been allowed to flourish around them as well as digging the hole to place them in. The one we were working on all yesterday evening is in a hidden spot behind our patio so it was well forgotten. (So forgotten that I didn't take before pictures when we moved in three years ago and I took pictures of EVERYTHING).

So this picture was taken after I finished weeding. I quickly realized how wet this little corner garden is which makes sense because we have serious problems with moisture in our basement. This particular corner of our basement had a finished bar with tons of paneling. The whole thing was sort of cool and retro but after realizing that the 50 year old dry lock was probably failing us now we decided we have to gut the basement and start from scratch (more on that later). This window was actually boarded up on the other side with insulation and paneling.

Anyway, window well. When I was digging the spot for the new window well I realized how low this bed is from the patio which may be increasing the water flow TO the house instead of FROM the house. J agreed. Problem solved.

When he got home from work (and the eye doctor) I explained the situation and he just went into "Go" mode. He dug up these edgers that were half covered with grass and moss and not really noticeable in the ground unless you were looking for them and built them up level with the window well. Yay, free labor! Now we just have to find some dirt to fill in the giant hole that was dug in the bed to lift the edgers but I'm pretty sure our town offers free soil, stone and mulch to residents...now to figure out where to get it and how to get it home in my little car...