How to Make a Hardware Cloth Window Well Cover (Framed, Hinged & Egress-Safe Spec)
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Build a 2×2 or 1×3 wood frame 2–3 inches larger than the well rim, skin it with 1/2-inch, 19-gauge galvanized hardware cloth, brace it every 18–24 inches, and hinge it at the wall side so it pushes open from inside the well. Add a 3-inch mesh flap against the foundation and never lock it down over an egress window.
The mesh choice lines up with UC IPM’s rat pest note, which specifies 19-gauge, 1/2-inch galvanized wire cloth for windows that open near the ground.
An open well is a pit trap. Toads, rabbits, chipmunks, young skunks, and opossums fall onto the gravel and cannot climb the smooth walls, while leaves and snow pile against the glass and mice use it as a sheltered landing.
Plastic bubble covers crack in the sun, trap moisture, and rarely fit a corrugated well. A framed mesh lid breathes, sheds leaves, and lasts.
When You Need This
Use this when you are:
- Finding toads, frogs, rabbits, chipmunks, or young skunks trapped in a window well
- Cleaning leaves, trash, and snow out of basement window wells every season
- Seeing mouse droppings on a basement sill and want to remove the sheltered approach to the window
- Replacing a cracked plastic bubble cover with something that breathes and lasts
Skip this if animals are denning in the open space under a deck, porch, or stoop—that perimeter needs a buried L-footer, covered in the under-deck skirting guide. This build is only the cover that sits on top of the well.
Why Window Wells Trap Animals (and Why Bubble Covers Fail)
A window well is usually a corrugated galvanized steel or molded plastic half-circle bolted to the foundation, 12 to 24 inches deep from the grade to the gravel, sometimes deeper. Small animals walk across the yard at night, step off the rim, and land on gravel with smooth, vertical walls all around them. Many cannot jump or climb out.
Leaves blow in, rot, and hold moisture against the window frame. In winter, snow fills the well and melts against the glass.
Plastic bubble covers solve the falling-in problem but create new ones: they turn brittle in the sun and crack, they block airflow so the well stays damp, they fog and yellow, and the stock sizes rarely seal against an odd-shaped well. Many are also screwed down, which defeats the purpose of an egress window.
Rules of thumb that fail:
- Laying a loose sheet of chicken wire across the well (it sags, rusts, and catches leaves in a pile)
- Using window screen or plastic garden mesh (animals and weather tear it within a season)
- Unframed hardware cloth with raw cut edges sitting on the rim (it shifts, curls, and cuts anyone who reaches for it)
- A cover that stops short of the foundation wall, leaving a 1–2 inch gap animals slip through
- Screwing, padlocking, or latching a cover over a basement bedroom window
Spec: Mesh, Frame, Brace, Fit
| Spec | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Default mesh | 1/2-inch welded hardware cloth, 19 gauge, hot-dipped galvanized | Stops toads, rabbits, chipmunks, skunks, opossums, and leaves; stiff enough to span a well |
| Step down | 1/4-inch mesh | Only if mice, voles, or small snakes are the problem |
| Skip | Chicken wire, window screen, plastic garden mesh, unframed mesh | Too soft, rusts, tears, or curls |
| Frame | 2×2 or 1×3 cedar or pressure-treated lumber, screwed corners | Keeps mesh flat and edges covered |
| Rim overlap | 2–3 inches past the outside of the well rim on the sides and front | Cover cannot slip into the well |
| Cross brace | One brace every 18–24 inches of span | Stops sag that collects leaves and snow |
| Mesh fastening | Staples every 2–3 inches, then a 1×2 batten screwed every 6 inches over the edges | Holds mesh tight; hides sharp ends |
| Wall gap | Mesh flap 3 inches wide bent down against the foundation | Closes the gap between cover and wall |
| Opening | Hinged at the wall side, front edge resting free on the rim | Pushes up from inside without tools |
| Hold-down | Hand-release only (gravity, a short bungee hooked from below, or a turn button you can reach inside) | Never a lock, screw, or tool-only latch |
Do not lock a cover over an egress window. Do not leave mesh edges raw. Do not stop the cover short of the wall.
Egress safety comes first
Many basement windows are emergency exits, and a bedroom egress window must open—and the well cover must open—from inside without keys, tools, or special force. A hardware cloth cover passes that test only if it is light, hinged or loose, and held down by nothing you need a tool to release.
Under IRC section R310.4.4, as summarized in Boulder County’s egress opening handout, covers and screens over a well that serves an escape opening must be releasable or removable from inside without a key, tool, or more force than it takes to open the window. Check your local code before you add any hold-down.
The same handout requires a permanently affixed ladder or steps in any well deeper than 44 inches. Your cover cannot block that ladder or the swing of the open window.
A mesh cover also is not a walking surface. It keeps animals and leaves out; it is not rated to hold the weight of a person. If a child could step onto the well, use a commercially rated well grate in that location instead.
Window well cover vs deck skirting vs coop vents
- Window well cover: a framed mesh lid on a basement window well that keeps animals from falling in and still opens from below
- Deck skirting: a buried L-footer around an open deck or porch perimeter, linked above
- Coop vents: small 1/4-inch screens fastened over openings in the walls of a chicken house, not a lid over a pit
Install Path (Hardware Cloth Window Well Cover)
1. Check the well and get anything out
Look into the well before you build. If a toad, frog, or small mammal is stuck, lean a rough board or a branch from the gravel to the rim so it can climb out on its own overnight, then remove the board.
Clear leaves and trash, and make sure the gravel drains. If the well holds standing water, fix the drain before you add a cover.
2. Measure the rim
Measure the width of the well along the wall at its widest point, outside edge to outside edge of the rim. Then measure the projection—how far the rim sticks out from the foundation at its farthest point. Corrugated half-round wells are usually 37–44 inches wide and 13–24 inches out from the wall.
Add 2–3 inches on each side and the front. A 40 × 18 inch well gets a frame about 45 × 21 inches.
3. Build the frame
Cut 2×2 or 1×3 boards to the outside dimensions and screw the corners with two exterior screws each. Add a cross brace every 18–24 inches across the short direction.
A 45-inch frame gets one brace in the middle; a 60-inch frame gets two. For a curved well, a rectangle that covers the whole half-circle is easier and stronger than trying to cut a curve.
4. Cut and fasten the mesh
Cut the 1/2-inch mesh to the outside size of the frame. On a 36-inch roll, run the roll across the projection direction and cut the length to the well width, so most covers come from one piece with no seam. Wear gloves and cut with aviation snips.
Lay the mesh on top of the frame, pull it tight, and staple every 2–3 inches along every rail and brace. Finish by screwing a 1×2 batten over the outer edges every 6 inches so no wire ends stick out.
5. Add the wall flap
Along the edge that meets the foundation, staple on a strip of mesh 3 inches wide so it hangs down. When the cover sits in place, bend that flap down flat against the wall or siding. It closes the gap a chipmunk or mouse would otherwise use, and it flexes when the cover opens.
6. Hinge it at the wall side
Set the cover on the rim. Attach two galvanized strap or T-hinges to the wall side of the frame and fasten the other leaf to the well flange or to a short ledger board screwed to the rim, so the cover swings up and away from the house.
Use masonry anchors only if you must fasten into the foundation, and keep them out of any siding seams. The front edge rests freely on the rim.
7. Choose a hand-release hold-down (or none)
Most framed covers are heavy enough that wind does not lift them. If yours lifts, hook a short bungee or a hand-turn button that can be released from inside the well.
Do not padlock it, screw it down, or use a latch that needs a key or a tool. Test it: from the gravel, you should be able to push the cover up with one hand.
8. Check drainage and light
Rain and snowmelt still pass through the mesh, so the drain at the bottom of the well matters. Keep the gravel clean and 4–6 inches below the window sill. If water inside the well is the real problem, a clear rigid cover may suit that window better than mesh.
9. Inspect each season
Lift the cover in spring and fall. Brush off leaves, check for rusted staples, tighten the hinges, and confirm the wall flap still lies flat. Look for fresh digging at the rim where an animal tried to get underneath.
How Much Mesh for Window Well Covers
| Well size (width × projection) | Frame size | Mesh needed (with wall flap) |
|---|---|---|
| 37 × 13 in small well | ~42 × 16 in | ~5–6 sq ft |
| 40 × 18 in standard well | ~45 × 21 in | ~7–8 sq ft |
| 44 × 24 in large well | ~49 × 27 in | ~10–11 sq ft |
| 60 × 36 in egress well | ~65 × 39 in | ~18–20 sq ft (may need a seam) |
A typical house with four standard window wells needs about 30–35 sq ft. A 36-inch × 100-foot roll (about 300 sq ft) covers every window well on most houses with plenty left over for other jobs around the yard. The 36-inch width spans the projection of most wells in one piece.
Required Hardware
This VEVOR roll is 1/2-inch welded mesh in 19 gauge, hot-dipped galvanized, 36 inches wide and 100 feet long. The 19-gauge wire is stiff enough to span a braced frame without sagging, the 36-inch width covers the projection of most corrugated wells in one cut, and 100 feet handles every well on the house. Cut it with aviation snips, staple it to the frame, and cover the edges with a batten.
Use it when: you are building framed covers for basement window wells and want 1/2-inch mesh that holds its shape rather than chicken wire or screen.
Common Window Well Cover Mistakes
- Covering a well before checking that nothing is trapped inside.
- Laying loose chicken wire or screen across the rim.
- Leaving raw cut wire along the frame edges.
- Skipping the cross brace, so the mesh sags and collects a leaf pile.
- Stopping the cover short of the foundation and leaving a gap at the wall.
- Screwing down, latching, or locking a cover over an egress window.
- Treating the cover as something to stand or walk on.
- Ignoring a clogged well drain because the mesh now hides the gravel.
FAQ
What size hardware cloth should I use for a window well cover?
1/2-inch welded mesh in 19 gauge for most wells. It keeps out toads, rabbits, chipmunks, skunks, opossums, and leaves, and it stays flat over a braced frame. Use 1/4-inch only if mice or small snakes are the specific problem.
Will a mesh cover keep snow out of a window well?
It keeps most drifting snow and all leaves out, but fine snow and rain still pass through. That is usually fine as long as the well drains. If you need the well completely dry, a clear rigid cover is the better fit.
Is a hardware cloth cover safe on an egress window?
Only if it opens from inside the well without keys, tools, or extra force. Hinge it at the wall side, leave the front edge free, and use no hold-down you cannot release by hand from below. Push-test it from the gravel before you call it done.
How do I keep the cut edges from scratching hands?
Cover every outer edge with a 1×2 batten screwed over the mesh. When you cut, snip right next to a cross wire so you leave short stubs instead of long points, and fold any stubs inward under the batten.
Can I make the cover without a wood frame?
You can bend a mesh dome over the well and pin it to the rim, but it shifts, sags, and leaves sharp edges where you can reach them. A light wood frame takes an hour and lasts years.
Quick Window Well Cover Checklist
- Well checked; nothing trapped; drain clear
- 1/2-inch 19-gauge welded mesh (1/4-inch only for mice or snakes)
- Frame 2–3 inches past the rim on sides and front
- Cross brace every 18–24 inches
- Staples every 2–3 inches; batten over edges every 6 inches
- 3-inch mesh flap against the foundation wall
- Hinged at the wall; front edge free
- Hand-release hold-down only—never locked on an egress window
- Seasonal lift, brush-off, and hinge check
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