BASEMENT DAYLIGHT

BRIGHTEN A DARK ROOM WITH AN LED "WINDOW"

- BRAD HOLDEN

Want to bring daylight into a finished basement, but don't want the labor and cost of adding an egress window? If you don't need an egress window to meet code, here's a way to gain the light along with the illusion of a beautiful new window. You won't get an outdoor view, but a basement window rarely gives much of a view anyway.

We used thin LED panels with adjustable color temperature, set in easy-to-build window frames. 

Getting power to the panels takes a little electrical work, but the lights are operated by remote control or a battery-powered switch that fits in a junction box, so you don't have to hard-wire a switch.

1 BUILD THE FRONT FRAME

The frame consists of a front and a back, each cut from 3/4-in. MDF. Determine the frame size needed for your light panel, and then cut the front and back frame pieces. We chose to make a 4-in. wide frame for our LED panel. You will have to decide what looks best in your room.