Making a Forever Home Safer with an Egress Window in Stanwood, MI

From Vacation Home to Forever Home

A safe place for friends and family to stay was an important part of Cathy and her husband's plans for their Stanwood, Michigan home. What had once been their vacation getaway was becoming their forever home, and they wanted to make sure their basement was ready to welcome guests.

Although the basement already had a window, it wasn't designed to serve as an emergency exit. Installing a proper egress window would give their guests a safer way out in an emergency. But there was one detail that made this project a little more unique: Cathy's beautiful flower garden.

How Can You Minimize Landscaping Damage During Egress Window Installation?

Installing an egress window requires excavation outside the foundation to create space for the larger window and window well. For Cathy's home, the equipment needed to travel along the side of the house to reach the installation area in the back. With limited access and a flower bed directly along the route, some disturbance to her landscaping was unavoidable.

Rather than asking Cathy to sacrifice her summer flowers, our team was happy to work around her schedule. We planned the installation for October, giving her the opportunity to enjoy her flowers all summer and move them when the season came to an end. When the time came, the crew created an equipment access path along the side of the house, taking precautions to minimize damage to the surrounding lawn, neighboring property, and sprinkler system. With her flowers safely moved before installation, Cathy could look forward to replanting her garden in the spring without missing a summer of blooms.

Why Is an Egress Window Important for Basement Safety?

Not every basement window is designed to serve as an emergency exit. Traditional basement windows have minimal natural light and ventilation, and they're often too small or difficult to access in an emergency. A properly installed egress window provides an emergency escape opening that meets applicable building code requirements.

Egress windows can also offer several additional benefits:

• Emergency escape: Provides another way out of the basement in an emergency.
• Safer guest accommodations: Helps create a basement space that better meets safety requirements for sleeping areas.
• Natural light and ventilation: A larger, operable window can make the basement feel more comfortable.
• Future flexibility: Can help homeowners prepare their basement for additional living space, subject to other applicable code requirements.

For Cathy and her husband, the biggest benefit was peace of mind. As they prepared to welcome friends and family into their forever home, they wanted to know their guests had a safer way out if an emergency occurred.

How Was Cathy's Egress Window Installed?

System Design Specialist Dan A. helped Cathy and her husband plan the project around their home's layout, landscaping, and goals for the basement. When installation day arrived, Foreman Tyler and crew member Gabe completed the excavation and installed the new egress window and window well.

With the egress window in place, Foreman Jesse and crew member Matt stepped in to complete the interior finishing work, including custom trim and drywall around the new window. By coordinating both crews, the team kept the project on schedule and minimized disruption to Cathy and her husband's home.

A Safer Basement and Peace of Mind for Years to Come

With the new egress window installed and the finishing work complete, Cathy and her husband were one step closer to making their vacation home their forever home. And the extra care taken throughout the project didn't go unnoticed.

In her five-star review, Cathy shared:

"We were very satisfied with all the work they performed (egress installation, finishing work after and basement insulation) and how quickly done. All of the workers were very friendly and knowledgeable with their job. Jobs were done in the time frame that was originally scheduled for. Great communication. They took precautions as to not dirty carpeting or surrounding areas of work in house. Cleaned up after! They took extra concern with not damaging neighbor’s lawn or sprinkler system when driving vehicles (a big concern of ours). We would highly recommend Ayers to anyone."

From scheduling around Cathy's flower garden to protecting the surrounding property, this project was about more than installing a basement window. It was about listening to what mattered to the homeowners and helping them create a safer space for the people they love.

Ready to make your basement safer? Learn more about egress window installation from Ayers Basement Systems and schedule a free estimate to explore the right solution for your home.