Create Extra Living Space With A Basement Egress Window

By The Home Renovator

In many localities, adding a bedroom in the basement requires a basement egress window of specific size as well as an exterior window well to allow for quick and easy emergency evacuation from the basement room ...

Planning to use part of a basement for extra living space, may require the installation of a basement egress window, allowing for emergency exit in case of fire or other emergency. In many localities, adding a bedroom in the basement requires a basement egress window of specific size as well as an exterior window well to allow for quick and easy emergency evacuation from the basement room.

In many communities, it does not matter what a room in the basement is referred to on the plans, if it meets a certain size and has a closet, most inspectors call it a bedroom and will require the installation of a basement egress window. Before beginning the renovation of an older basement, it is best to check with local code officials to determine if a basement egress window is mandated and, if so, size specifications so it can be done right the first time.

Without the necessary skill and equipment, the homeowner may have to hire someone to install a basement egress window, but installation should not take more than a day or two, depending on the position of the window and the surrounding grade. If the spot for the window is below the grade, it will have to be dug out to make room for a window well, essentially creating a space from inside the basement, through the window, up the well and leading to safety.

Size Requirements For Obvious Reasons

Different communities may have different size requirement for a basement egress window, but the other than minimum opening size, the size of the person who will likely be in the basement room should also be a factor in choosing the opening size. Many communities specify at least six-square-feet of opening, which is the size with the window opened, not the entire size. This is the size of the opening a person will have to fit through in case of fire.

The bottom of the window is typically mandated to be no more than 44-inches from the ground and the window well will also have minimum size specifications, usually about 36-inches, but it could be more in some communities. The height of the window well at the basement egress window should also be no more than 44-inches from the bottom to the top. Depending on the community if the well is deeper it may be acceptable to place a step at the bottom of the well.

When planning a room in the basement to be used as bedroom or for another purpose, it may be prudent to consider installing a basement egress window simply for the safety factor.

Next article: Home Renovation Tip - Making Your Home Environmentally Friendly

Email this page to a friend

Featured Home Renovation Product:

My Shed Plans Review - 12,000 Shed Plans And DYI Woodworking Projects image

My Shed Plans Review - 12,000 Shed Plans And DYI Woodworking Projects
Download free outdoor shed plans, garden and storage sheds plus wood working projects, designs with woodworking patterns. Comes with garage plans and projects ...

Click here for more details ...

More Articles About Home Renovation ...


Complete Your Renovation Project With Basement Ceiling Ideas
When it comes to remodeling the basement one of the toughest areas is the ceiling due to the number of pipes, wires and duct work routed across it, traveling to other areas of the house. While blocking...

Marble Bathrooms - Beauty And Elegance
The beauty and elegance of marble has long been a favorite with homeowners. Marble bathrooms have an ornate and opulent feel that is a wise home addition because it can greatly increase the value of your...

Increasing Living Space With Finished Basement Ideas
Below most houses there is a room that was constructed first as the house was being built that usually is left out when it comes to decorating. Many times utilities such as the heating system, ductwork...

Recommended Home Renovation Resources

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Finishing Your Basement: Illustrated The Complete Idiot's Guide to Finishing Your Basement: Illustrated

Provides tips on how to refinish a basement, from obtaining permits and choosing flooring, to installing lighting fixtures and picking out complimentary furniture.

Audiobook Review: The Sky's The Limit

Author Steven Gaines takes us from New York's most expensive condominiums and co-ops to the offices of its most powerful real estate brokers to reveal the outlandish displays of ego, bad behavior, and status hunger that come into play when the best addresses in the city are on the line.

With his signature elan, Gaines weaves a gossipy tapestry of brokers, buyers, co-op boards, and eccentric landlords and tells of the apartment hunting and renovating adventures of many celebrities - from Tommy Hilfiger to Donna Karan, from Jerry Seinfeld to Steven Spielberg, from Barbra Streisand to Madonna.

Here, too, is a fascinating chronicle of the changes in Manhattan's residential skyline, from the slums of the nineteenth century to the advent of the luxury building. Gaines describes how living in boxes stacked on boxes came to be seen as the ultimate in status, and how the co-operative apartment, originally conceived as a form of housing for the poor, came to be used as a legal means of blackballing undesirable neighbors.

A social history told through brick and mortar, The Sky's the Limit is the ultimate look inside one of the most exclusive and expensive enclaves in the world, and at the lengths to which people will go to get in.

For more information about Home Renovation-related resources, see our Home Improvements resources section, subscribe to our Home Improvements Newsletter containing news, updates and insider tips, or go to more articles about Basement Egress Window.

***

Related Topics ...

***

Search for more information on "basement egress window" below:

Google

You are here: Home » home-renovation » Create Extra Living Space With A Basement Egress Window

The owner, contributors and/or advertisers may derive financial benefit from sales of items advertised, reviewed or linked to from this site.