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 - Utilizing The Underground Potential Of Basements

Email this page to a friend


Featured Home Renovation Product:

Handywoman's Guide To Home Repairs image

Handywoman's Guide To Home Repairs

If you're a woman, learn how to stop waiting for Prince Charming to get those odd jobs done around the house and start fixing them yourself like a professional repairwoman ...

Click here for more details ...


More Articles About Home Renovation ...


Dealing With Contractors

As you walk down the cavernous aisles of various home improvement stores, you can see the seeds of great ideas that, for some that would attempt a project, turn into a nightmare. We all have ideas of things...

Add Value To Your Home With Basement Finishing Ideas

Basements are often undiscovered gems in a family home. They can consist of various sizes, heights and shapes and although most are designed for uses such as storage or laundry rooms, basement finishing...

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...


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