Frost is barely a factor in Vancouver at 0.3 m. Water is. The wells that fail here fail because the base silted up and the excavation turned into a sump against the foundation, not because anything froze.
What shapes a window well in Vancouver is pre-war houses on small lots where basements were dug out later and openings are rarely standard. It is roughly 973 km by road from our plant to Vancouver, and delivery there takes 2 to 15 business days.
Every well is 20-gauge G-90 galvanized steel, rolled and formed at our own plant in Calgary and shipped direct to Vancouver. Because we manufacture rather than resell, the size you need is usually on the shelf, and a size we do not list can be built to your measurements.
Ordering a window well in Vancouver
Delivered freight anywhere in Canada is $189.99 CAD on the order as a whole. Transit is 2 to 15 business days. Because the rate does not scale with quantity, contractors fitting several openings should order them together rather than one at a time.
Drainage is the whole job
A gravel base with somewhere for water to go, ideally tied into weeping tile. In Vancouver the failure mode is a well that fills faster than it drains and holds water against the frame until the sill rots.
Covers earn their keep here
A cover with a clear polycarbonate sheet keeps the rain out while still passing daylight. On this coast that is the difference between a dry well and a standing one.
Getting the three numbers right
Width first, along the wall, with clearance past the opening on each side. Then projection, straight out from the foundation. Then height, from finished grade to the base of the excavation. An existing hole governs the size more than the window does, so measure the hole if there is one.
Do not simply match the well you are taking out. Old wells in Vancouver were often the wrong size when they went in, and a rusted one has almost always moved since.
Common questions from Vancouver
How much does shipping a window well to Vancouver cost?
Freight anywhere in Canada is $189.99 CAD per order, not per item, and transit runs 2 to 15 business days on top of the build time. Because it is charged per order, several wells ship for the same price as one.
What does Vancouver require for a basement bedroom window?
The governing document is the BC Building Code, administered locally through your municipal building department. A 30 inch projection gives 762 mm of clearance in front of the window. The window itself has its own opening requirement, so confirm both before you order.
How deep should a window well be in Vancouver?
Deep enough that the base sits below the level the excavation reaches, with the lip finishing at grade. At around 0.3 m, frost design depth here is among the shallowest in the country, so depth is usually set by the window and the grade rather than by frost. Measure from finished grade down to where the base will actually sit, not from the window.
Do you deliver to Vancouver?
Yes. We ship to every province and territory in Canada. Delivery is curbside on a liftgate truck and somebody needs to be there to receive it.
Treat this as orientation rather than a code interpretation. BC Building and Safety Standards Branch and your local building department in Vancouver set what actually applies to your build.