Many renovations involve relocating windows, but that change usually requires simply cutting into framing timbers and adding new headers.
At the Westerly, RI, project, however, the desire for a new window put TOH home builder Jeff Sweenor up against the wall: a solid-concrete foundation wall, to be exact. The existing basement’s only source of natural light was a set of windows located on the back of the house.
During the renovation, a new deck will be built back there, creating a great spot for outdoor living, but with the unfortunate side effect of covering up the basement windows. To give the homeowners the option for a finished basement with natural light, Sweenor and his crew got to work adding windows to the front of the basement.
Cutting a hole in a concrete foundation wall, however, is not a job for any old saw; in this case, they brought a purpose-built concrete hydraulic wall saw to the site just for the task. Slow yet precise, the saw did the trick, creating a 6-foot-by-2-foot opening that is plenty big enough to let in the light.
