All about my “ivy” window well & how I did it

 

In my basement, I’ve got a window well that I added an ivy background to to improve the view.

Prior to looking like this, the view out this window was a steel corrugated window well – nothing exciting. Several companies make window well pictures, which wrap around the interior of the well, to give you a better view.

Window Well Pictures is where I ordered this ivy window well mural. They have several scenes to choose from, but I picked the ivy because it seemed the most realistic to me. (UPDATE: This company no longer appears to sell the window well pictures.)

Window Well Scenes is another company that makes window well murals. If you’re in Illinois, some Menards, Lowe’s, and Ace Hardware stores have these in stock too! Here’s a list of which stores carry them.

Window Well Expressions also carries window well murals.

Who knew — you can buy window well pictures on Amazon too!

It’s been a few years since I purchased my ivy mural, but I want to say it was around $65. It is printed on a very thick, stiff plastic which you unroll in the well, then trim to size. Mine was about a foot wider than it needed to be. I cut it with a tin snips because it was too thick to cut with a pair of scissors. The printing on it is a raised ink that you can feel on the plastic.

The mural came with an adhesive kit – thick strips of a rubberized foam tape kind of adhesive. I cleaned the inside of the steel window well out very well before putting the mural in. Then, you just peel the tape off, stick it to the steel well, then press the window well mural in. The instructions also tell you to pull any rocks away from the outer wall so that you can push them back once the mural’s in. It helps hold the bottom edge against the well wall too.

Once I installed it, I also got a few bags of white landscape marble rocks to cover the standard gravel that was already in the well. The white rocks reflect a LOT of light back into the room. The silk plants came from our church rummage sale – if they ever get really dirty, I can just toss them and get new ones.

This window well does have a plexiglas cover on top, so rain, snow and leaves don’t fall in the well. Other than spiders, which seem to love to nest in here over the winter, the well stays pretty clean.

One other thing to note – if your window is an egress window, it will also have a fire escape ladder inside. This window did. I took the ladder out, spray-painted it green to blend in with the ivy, then moved the ladder to the far side of the well, so you really don’t see it unless you’re looking in the window from the side.

That’s it! I love the view out this window now. Yes, it’s fake, but it’s much more pleasant to look at versus the steel well interior. And, even in the dead of winter, when I come into the office, I’m greeted with a sunny window and a “green” view. Love it!

 

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2016 update: This year, when we did our annual cleaning and cobweb-sweep of the window well, we installed two solar lights in the rocks near the silk plants.  These are the inexpensive kinds you can pick up for $1 at Walmart or dollar stores. You barely see them unless you’re looking for them, but they charge all day from the sunlight above, then give the well a soft glow at night.
 

In the event that we ever had to use this window at night in an emergency, it’s now got enough light to make unlatching the well cover and climbing up the ladder a little easier too.