Elburn Window Well Covers & Basement Windows
Elburn took the single heaviest rainfall of any town we serve. In the September 13–15, 2008 storm, the village recorded 10.51 inches — among the highest totals in the entire National Weather Service summary for the event, higher than West Chicago's 9.02 inches and the Geneva area's 8.52 to 9.15. That storm produced widespread basement flooding across the region.
Elburn is also the newest town on our list. The median home was built in 2000, 51.2% of the housing stock went up between 1990 and 2009, and another 24.2% arrived in 2010 or later. The population more than doubled between 2000 and 2010 and has grown 130% since 2000.
New homes mean deep, well-built window wells. They also mean a lot of homeowners who have never thought about what is sitting in them until a ten-inch rain arrives.
The Village's Own Basement Flooding Advice
Elburn publishes a Basement Flooding Prevention page, and it is worth reading because it tells you exactly what the village expects of a homeowner.
On sump pumps: make sure the pump is plugged in and working, and it is a good idea to have a battery backup in case of a power failure. A permit is required for sump pump installation. On downspouts: direct water at least six feet away from the foundation, and keep gutters and downspouts clear. A permit is also required to install a backwater valve or check valve, and the village recommends a licensed plumber.
What the page does not mention is the window well — and that is the gap. A six-foot downspout extension is the village's standard for keeping roof water away from the foundation. An uncovered window well sits at zero feet from the foundation and collects rain directly. A cover is the same idea applied at the wall.
Metra, Blackberry Creek And A Doubled Village
Elburn's growth has a clear cause. The village was settled in 1834 and got the Chicago and North Western's Blackberry Station in 1854, renamed Elburn in 1886. It stayed small — 1,275 residents in 1990. Then large tract home developments arrived in the 1990s, and in January 2006 Elburn became the western terminus of Metra's Union Pacific West line. The population reached 6,175 by 2020.
Blackberry Creek is the village's namesake waterway; there is a USGS gage named Blackberry Creek near Elburn. Elburn spans four townships — Blackberry, Campton, Kaneville and St. Charles — across 3.73 square miles at an elevation of 814 feet.
Construction has not stopped. Elburn Station is a 505-acre master-planned community north of Anderson and Keslinger Roads. Blackberry Creek Subdivision Unit 15 adds 282 single-family homes south of Keslinger Road. Williams Ridge Phase 5 adds 34 lots, with Phases 6 and 7 adding 60 multi-family units. Every one of those homes gets window wells.
Permits In Elburn
Elburn's Building and Zoning Department, at 301 E North Street, handles projects from plan review through final inspections, including zoning, engineering and health department review. The Building Commissioner is Tom Brennan, and the department can be reached at 630-365-5061, weekdays 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The village's published permit types include building permits for additions, remodels and improvements, new construction, decks, detached garages, driveways, fences, lawn sprinkler installation, reroofing, residing, sheds, stoops and swimming pools, with applications running through BSA Online. Window replacement is not a listed standalone permit type, and we will not tell you whether your job needs one — call the department and ask.
What we can tell you is what we build. Every cover is measured to the well on site, carries snow load rather than collapsing under it, and over an egress well opens from inside without a key, a tool or special knowledge. Confirm the current code edition and the egress dimensions that apply to your project with the village at 630-365-5061 before you order a window.
All our covers:
Elburn Window Well Covers | Elburn Window Wells | Elburn Egress Window Wells | Elburn Well Covers | Elburn Basement Window Well Covers