If you’ve ever had water in your basement, you know the feeling: it rains, and you immediately wonder, “Is it happening again?”
That’s exactly where Andy and Jessica Williamson found themselves—until Illumicast stepped in and fixed an egress window well that had been causing serious flooding.
The goal: turn a basement room into a safe bedroom
Andy and Jessica have lived in their west Wichita home for about 14 years. They have two boys, and as their oldest got older (he’s 13 now), he started talking about moving into a basement bedroom.
That’s when they decided to add an egress window—so the room would be safe and have a proper emergency exit.
The first install went wrong—and the basement flooded
In 2023, they hired a local company to install the egress window. It wasn’t long before the first major problem showed up.
After a hard rain, their basement flooded.
Water collected in the window well area and found its way into the house. They ended up with about three inches of muddy water in the newly finished bedroom.
The flooding caused considerable damage. They had to:
- Rip out the flooring in that room
- Cut out the bottom section of drywall
- Dry the area for weeks with dehumidifiers
- Rebuild the room again
They contacted the original window well installer, and the company attempted a few fixes, like moving a downspout farther away from the house. But the flooding happened again. Then the contractor stopped responding—and eventually went out of business.
At that point, Andy and Jessica were stuck with an egress window they didn’t trust.
A referral led them to Illumicast
A friend recommended Illumicast and told Andy they were the team to call if you want it done right.
Wes (Illumicast’s owner) came out, listened to the full story, and explained what needed to happen to fix it properly. Andy also learned Illumicast had corrected other installs from the same company—so this wasn’t an isolated case.
Communication and follow-through made a big difference
After what they’d experienced, reliability mattered.
Andy says Illumicast:
- Kept scheduled appointments
- Stayed accessible for questions
- Followed up consistently
They worked closely with Adrian, the job lead, and Andy described him as easy to reach and clearly focused on making sure they were taken care of.
The install was faster than expected—and the finish was clean
When install day came, the job moved quickly. The crew showed up Friday morning and finished the same day.
Andy appreciated the details—especially around proper tamping (packing) and backfilling. After what they’d gone through, they cared about the “unseen” parts that prevent water from becoming a problem later.
They also noticed something simple but telling: cleanup.
The first company left extra dirt piled in the yard and never came back to level it out. Illumicast didn’t do that. They moved the extra soil where it actually helped (like leveling it into a flower bed), and left the area looking finished.
When something went wrong, Illumicast owned it
During the job, one exterior pane of the double-pane window was accidentally broken.
Andy said Adrian brought it up immediately (Andy probably wouldn’t have noticed), apologized, and handled it.
Illumicast contacted a local glass company, arranged the replacement, and covered the cost.
The result: “dry as a bone” so far—and peace of mind
It’s only been about six weeks since the install, so they haven’t had a long stretch of heavy rain yet—but they’ve had rain, and they’ve checked repeatedly.
So far, Andy said it’s been “dry as a bone.”
Just as important, the Williamsons now feel confident about safety. They wanted their son to be able to sleep downstairs without worrying about leaks—or whether an emergency exit would be hard to use. Andy described the new cover as sturdier and easier to lift and prop open, which matters in a real emergency.
The lesson they learned the hard way
Andy summed it up with a line that stuck:
“Start with the best first, and you won’t have to worry about it.”
Sometimes the cheapest option isn’t cheaper—especially if you end up paying twice and repairing flood damage in the process.
For Andy and Jessica Williamson, the biggest win wasn’t just a new window well. It was getting their basement back, getting rid of the fear every time it rains, and finally feeling like the job was done right.