Things To Consider When Planning A Basement Egress Window

A basement egress window is one of the major considerations you must make when remodeling your basement. Building codes require an egress window in any room used for sleeping. If this includes a newly designed basement room in your home, an egress window is required. A basement window is unique in terms of egress because it also requires an egress window well surrounding it on the outside.

Installing a basement egress window is an involved job that might require professional help if you aren’t sure exactly what you are doing. Among the considerations you must make are the code requirements to meet, dampness issues implicit in the well design, the well itself, available headroom and the type of window you will install. If you opt to do the job yourself, each of these 6 things must be carefully considered before you begin.

Start With A Plan

Installing one or more basement egress windows requires a permit. It also requires that your window meet certain specified requirements so that it provides a safe means of escape. Starting with a plan will not only help you keep the project straight, but it will also let the building inspector know what you are doing. By seeing it, the inspector can better assess the situation.

Code Requirements

It is vital that you adhere to the code or else you may have to make costly modifications to the project. An egress window may be no higher than 44 inches from the ground to the sill inside. It must be at least 20 inches wide and 24 inches high, however, those cannot be the dimensions because it must provide at least 5.7 square feet of clear space when open. The minimum dimensions are 20x41 inches or 24x34½ inches.

Egress Well

The egress well must be at least 36 inches long by 36 inches wide. If it is deeper than 44 inches, it must have a fixed ladder or staircase to exit it. You must dig out the ground around the foundation in order to install the wall sides of the well or insert a molded well. The bottom of the well should provide for proper drainage for rain water.

Dampness

On either side of the egress window frame there should be an 8-inch buffer area to prevent water from seeping in the sides. If the ground around the home is in any way sloped towards the house, water runoff might enter the egress well. In this case the ground must be heightened to slope away from the foundation. Downspouts should be relocated if they meet the ground where the window well will go, and gutters should be checked for leaks.

Headroom

Inside the basement, there must be enough headroom to allow for the installation of an egress window. The height of your basement may preclude such an installation, which is another reason why checking with a building inspector is so important.

Window Type

The last consideration to make is the type of window you use. Casement windows provide a good solution, for their total open area is maximized within a smaller frame. Double hung and gliding windows have to be bigger to provide the necessary area which may present a problem during installation.

A professional contractor is a good idea if you are not absolutely sure of what’s involved. Cutting into the concrete foundation of your home is a serious project. After all of the planning that is involved, the actual work is quite extensive. Be sure you understand the scope of it before you undertake the job yourself.

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