3 Reasons to Install an Egress Window

If you’ve already finished your spring cleaning, you might have your sights set on your basement. It’s usually the last area of the house we think about improving, and that makes it the space with the most potential. One of the easiest projects you can do to unlock your basement’s potential - whether it’s already finished or not - is to install an egress window. Here’s why.

It adds light

Even an immaculately finished basement will look dark and dreary with standard basement windows. You know the ones - the small rectangular windows near the ceiling, usually at least half obscured by grass. Depending on what type of windows you have, the average size varies from 12”x30” (2.5 square feet) to around 20”x30” (3.75 square feet). That’s...not very big. Also, as I mentioned, they’re up at the ceiling and often at least partly obscured.

An egress window, on the other hand, has a minimum size of 5.7 square feet, and is often larger - around 30”x36” is a common size. The window also sit much lower, as building code says they can’t be more than 44” from the floor. That’s a ton of light coming in to brighten up your basement. Even if you don’t have aspirations to add a rec room or a bedroom, it would certainly make doing laundry more pleasant.

It adds value

Adding a bedroom in your basement increases the value of your home. This puts extra money in your pocket when you sell or even take out a home equity loan. Even if you don’t want to put in a bedroom, having a bright, airy finished basement will increase the price buyers are willing to pay.

It’s the law

If you add a bedroom to your basement, it legally has to have two escape routes in the event of a fire. Up the stairs is one, so an egress window is the obvious second. Outside of fire code regulations, it’s just smart to have a secondary exit point in any finished space for safety.

Whether your basement is already finished, you want to finish it in the future, or you just want more light down there, egress windows make a huge impact with a relatively short turnaround time. Call today to schedule your free inspection and find out how an egress window would improve your home.