Install a Basement Window From Menards — Hopper or Slider, Labor Only
The old steel-framed basement window is rusted shut and the vinyl one from Menards is sitting on the workbench. We cut the old frame out, set the new one square in the concrete, seal it and trim it.
You can install a basement window from Menards or Home Depot without the store: JMB Builders sets the vinyl hopper or slider you bought into your block or poured concrete wall, labor only, across the Twin Cities metro. We measure the buck or concrete opening before you order, cut out the old steel frame, set a new treated buck when needed, foam and seal the unit to the concrete, and finish the inside. Priced per window, quoted from photos.
- Priced per window, labor only
- Hopper and slider units in block or poured walls
- Old steel frame cut out, new unit sealed to concrete
- Quote from photos in 1 business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Most Twin Cities basements from the 1950s through the 1980s have steel-framed hopper windows set straight into the block or poured wall. They rust, the glass fogs or cracks, and the latch quits. Menards and Home Depot sell vinyl hoppers and sliders in the common basement sizes, and neither store installs them. That is the job on this page: your window, our labor, set into concrete the right way.
The measuring is the whole trick. Some basement windows sit in a wood buck (a treated frame cast or bolted into the concrete), and the new unit is ordered to fit inside the buck. Others are steel frames mortared directly into the block, and the new window is sized to the concrete opening after the steel is cut out, usually with a new treated buck built in first. Order to the wrong dimension and the window is either too big for the hole or floating in it. Send us photos and a tape shot before you buy and we will tell you which you have and what size to get.
Sealing to concrete is the other place these go wrong. Foam alone is not a seal. We set the unit on a bed of sealant, foam the gap, then run a polyurethane sealant at the concrete joint outside and finish the inside so water running down the wall goes past the window, not into it. Rain falling into a window well still has to drain; if the well is the problem, see our window well page.
What you supply
- The basement window: vinyl hopper or slider, sized to the buck or the concrete opening, confirmed with us before you order
- The Menards or Home Depot order or the box label so we can match it to the opening
- Your choice of interior finish: painted wood jamb and casing, PVC, or a drywall return in a finished basement
- A window well cover or a new well if the old one is rusted out or fills with water (we can supply and install; ask)
- Paint color if you want the new interior trim finished — painting is quoted as a separate line, or paint it yourself
What JMB supplies
- Removal and haul-away of the old steel frame, sash and glass, cut out with a grinder and recip saw
- New treated lumber or PVC buck when the concrete opening needs one, anchored with masonry fasteners
- Sill sealant bed, low-expansion foam, backer rod and polyurethane sealant at the concrete joint
- Masonry patching where the old frame tore out block or mortar
- Interior jamb extensions, stool and casing in wood or PVC, or a drywall return, primed and caulked
- Shims, fasteners and flashing tape at the buck
- Photos of every finished window in your job folder
- Painting of the new trim when you want it, quoted as its own line
How it is priced: per window
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Existing wood buck in good shape vs. a steel frame mortared into the block that has to be cut out
- Poured concrete wall vs. block, which changes how the old frame comes out and how the new buck anchors
- Whether a new treated or PVC buck has to be built into the opening
- Window well in the way, or a well that has to be dug back to reach the frame
- Interior finish: bare block left as is, wood or PVC trim, or a drywall return in a finished basement
- Masonry repair where the old frame damaged the block
- How many basement windows in the same visit; three or four is a normal day
Send a photo of each window from inside and from the well outside, a tape across the opening width and height, and a close-up showing whether the frame is steel in the concrete or set in a wood buck.
How long it takes
One hopper in an existing wood buck: two to three hours. A steel frame cut out of block with a new buck built in: half a day. Three or four basement windows: a full day.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
New unit into an existing wood buck
The old sash and stops come out, the buck is checked for rot and squared, and the new hopper or slider sets inside it on a sealant bed, shimmed, foamed and sealed. The fastest version of this job, and the one to order for if your buck is sound.
Steel frame cut out of block or poured wall
The old steel frame is cut at the corners and pried out of the mortar. We clean the opening, set a new treated buck with masonry anchors, patch any broken block, then install the window into the buck and seal the buck to the concrete.
Hopper vs. slider
A hopper tilts in from the top and is the standard basement unit. A slider gives a bigger clear glass area in a wide, short opening. Either one from Menards or Home Depot installs the same way; we tell you which fits the opening you have.
Not an egress window
A hopper or small slider is not an egress window. If the basement room is going to be a bedroom, the opening has to be enlarged to the code size and get a proper well and ladder; that is a different job we quote separately, and the interior finish is on our egress trim page.
Install a Basement Window From Menards — Hopper or Slider, Labor Only: questions, answered
Will you install a basement window I bought at Menards or Home Depot?
Yes. You buy the vinyl hopper or slider at Menards, Home Depot or Lowe's and JMB Builders installs it into your block or poured wall anywhere in the Twin Cities metro, labor only. We are an independent installer, not connected to either store. Send photos and a tape shot and you have a per-window quote in one business day, and we confirm the size before you buy.
How do I measure for a replacement basement window?
Look at what the old window sits in. If it is a wood frame (buck) inside the concrete, measure the inside of the buck, width and height, at both ends and use the smaller numbers. If the steel frame is mortared straight into the block, measure the concrete opening itself, because the steel is coming out and a new buck goes in. Send us those numbers with photos and we tell you the size to order.
How do you get the old steel frame out of the concrete?
We cut the frame at the corners and along the sill with a grinder and a recip saw, then pry the pieces out of the mortar joint. Any mortar or block that comes with it gets patched. It is loud and dusty for about half an hour, and we cover the area inside before we start. The new treated buck then anchors into the clean opening.
How do you seal a window to a concrete wall so it does not leak?
The unit or the buck sets on a bed of sealant, the gap is filled with low-expansion foam, and the outside joint between the frame and the concrete gets backer rod and a polyurethane sealant that stays flexible in a Minnesota winter. Foam by itself is not a seal. If the window well fills with water, the window is not the problem and we look at the well drain instead.
Can you finish the inside of the new basement window?
Yes. In an unfinished basement most people leave the block as it is and we just seal the inside joint. In a finished basement we build jamb extensions back to the drywall with a stool and casing in wood or PVC, or run a drywall return. Painting the new trim is quoted as a separate line, or leave it primed and paint it yourself.
Is a hopper window from Menards big enough for a basement bedroom?
No. A standard hopper or small slider is a light-and-vent window, not an egress window. A basement bedroom needs an opening that meets the egress rules for size and sill height, with a well and a way to climb out. That means cutting the concrete wall larger, which is a different job we quote separately after a site visit.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and for the builders and dealers we sub for. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 27, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All install what you bought pages
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