Cutting a hole in my cinder block basement

[81cutlass]

Wondering if anyone here has had experience cutting egress window well holes in their basement? Either themselves or hiring it done?

I have a bedroom in my basement that I want to make legal (it only has a small 12" tall window in currently) and add 2 additional windows in my basement shop room and living room to add some light and ventilation since there are no windows on that side of my house.

I trenched the entire house this spring due to some water seeping issues, sealed the walls and installed drain tile at the footer and window wells while I was there and had the holes dug. I need holes cut in cinder blocks and am curious if anyone has done it themselves with a gas husqvarna style demo saw.

I know I need to frame the window opening with wood and how to install a window into a rough opening, along with trimming it out on the inside, I'm just curious how bad cutting concrete would be.

The challenge I am having is finding a contractor that wants to take the project on. There are a lot of companies that will do ALL the work to install egress windows, from digging the hole to framing the window in, but I basically I already got the hard backbreaking work done that they make their profit margin on and only need them to do the work that takes the special tools. AKA the non profit margin work.

If I had a solid poured concrete basement I would 100% farm it out, but my basement is cinderblock so its a lot less weight and a lot less thickness so it might be manageable to do myself.

Anyone ever tackle this?

 

[ostrich]

My $0.02. Used gas concrete saws quite a bit for landscape bricks, very dusty. Could use a water hook up on the saw. Or, get yourself a 7-1/4" concrete blade for a circular saw and someone to hold a shop vac on the outlet. Cheap, no dust. I just made some concrete counter tops 2" thick, cut no problem. Cinder block is faily soft, cut from both sides.

 

[81cutlass]

My $0.02. Used gas concrete saws quite a bit for landscape bricks, very dusty. Could use a water hook up on the saw. Or, get yourself a 7-1/4" concrete blade for a circular saw and someone to hold a shop vac on the outlet. Cheap, no dust. I just made some concrete counter tops 2" thick, cut no problem. Cinder block is faily soft, cut from both sides.

I like that idea. I'm just worried my poor little skil saw won't survive. I don't think it has the depth of cut.

It's an excuse to spend money on a tool but I stumbled around and saw this one.
I only get 7" of cut so it would be on the inside AND outside cuts, but it has a vacuum port and if I drilled some anchors & built a simple track that attaches to the wall to guide the saw.

 

[ostrich]

I just used my run of the mill Dewalt saw, nothing special. Cinder block isn't any thicker than a 2x4.

 

[81cutlass]

So I agree if I am cutting down the red line and miss every seam, I can see how a normal circular saw will work. But, I want to cut down the blue line since my exsting window is 16" wide and the hole is 32", and it is blocked around in the normal 50% offset pattern, so one block I will cut down the morter seam and the other block will be cutting down the 'web'

I think I need 6" of depth cut minumum?

 

[ostrich]

I see. Will take a little talent to line up the inside & outside cuts but...doable.

 

[Texas82GP]

I see. Will take a little talent to line up the inside & outside cuts but...doable.

Use a long masonry drill bit from the inside and drill holes at all four corners, then connect the dots.

 

[Doug Chahoy]

I used a circular saw blade and long masonry saws-all blades for corners when I cut through my basement wall into my then new garage. I used the same process to cut my brick wall for glass block windows. The diamond blades aren’t cheap but well worth the money. I’ve been using the same one occasionally for over 20 years. I do suggest a higher amp heavy duty circular saw. Those basement windows are prone to bad leaks if you don’t install glass blocks. We just fixed my brother in laws leak problem by putting in GB.

 

[pontiacgp]

don't they concrete fill cinder blocks used for foundation walls,,,,,

 

[Streetbu]

You could also do it the redneck way. Use a chisel to go around the lines you mark where you want the hole to score the blocks. Then simply hammer the hole out. Blocks should be parged anyways so it will be covered up afterwards... Or do as said above. Gas saws really are simple. Don't overthink it. Just do it.