4 REASONS YOUR BASEMENT NEEDS AN EGRESS WINDOW

by Theo Stephens January 20, 2022

Does your home have a basement? Are you thinking about finishing or remodeling your downstairs? Then this article is for you.

In some instances, you may already have a basement layout with bedrooms, rooms, and bathrooms; in others, you just have one big dark open space. Regardless of which scenario you fall into, adding the most value to your house should always be a priority, and one way to increase your home’s market price is by installing egress windows in your basement.

What is an egress window?

In short, an egress or escape window is an operable emergency escape and rescue opening, big enough to allow the occupants to escape through the opening in case of an emergency, such as a fire, or allow firefighters or other medical personnel to enter the bedroom.

Whether you are contemplating finishing your basement with bedrooms or remodeling already existing ones, here are four reasons why it is worth it to include an egress window in your project plans.

1. Egress windows add value to your home

Many older homes, built in the 1970s and earlier, have basements that their previous owners finished to add bedrooms and other living space. Often these renovations were done without changing the size of the existing windows.

Underground bedrooms that still have these small basement windows or no windows for that matter do not qualify as “conforming bedrooms,” they are what is called “non-conforming” bedrooms, and this could have an impact on the market value of your residence. If your house has four bedrooms, but only three of them are conforming, you wouldn’t be ethically able to market it as a four-bedroom house without disclosing the details. It won’t come as a surprise that a residence with four legally qualifying bedrooms will sell faster and for likely more money than the same house with three legal bedrooms plus one that is not. All that can be avoided by replacing existing basement windows with code-compliant egress windows, and you will increase the valuation by turning your non-conforming bedrooms into conforming ones. Interested in how this could affect the price of your home? Click here to find out how much value egress windows can add to your home.

2. Safety

Better safe than sorry! Nobody ever wants to think about having a fire break out in their very own home. Yet unfortunately, these situations do happen, and what could be more horrifying than having a loved one or a tenant injured or, worse, killed in a house fire because the basement window in the bedroom was too small to allow for a safe escape?

Efficient means of egress can ensure that this scenario will never happen and you will have peace of mind.

3. ICR Building Code

The requirements for basement windows to be suitable enough to escape through in case of emergencies didn’t emerge until it was first mentioned in the updated version of the UBC (Uniform Building Code) in 1964, later in the UBC 1976, which is now known as IRC Section R310 (International Residential Code).

Several requirements have to be met to make a bedroom a legal bedroom; one of them is an operable escape route in case of emergencies, otherwise known as means of egress. What are the specified code requirements for an egress window? See here what you need to know.

Why is it essential that your home follows the building code? Here is an example, if you are renting your home and have tenants inhabiting basement bedrooms that are not equipped with the basement windows required by code, you can find yourself in a whole lot of trouble when found out by the local authorities.

4. Joie de Vivre

Bright Idea Egress - Odgen Interior Wood Sill

Would you like to spend time in a bedroom that barely allows a ray of sun to come in and is lit by artificial lighting day or night? Probably not. Aside from the value-add mentioned above, the code requirements, and safety concerns, egress windows allow lots of daylight to brighten your basement bedrooms and living areas, thereby giving your lower level a whole different living experience. Your basement is not just a dark basement any longer.

Ready to give your downstairs the window it needs? You have come to the right place. Our expert Team at Bright Idea Egress is prepared to help you with your project. Our patented Egress Window Kits with ExoFrame™ are of excellent quality, highly durable, stylish, and super easy to install. Call (303) 761-3730 now or email hello@brightideaegress.com to get you started.

Theo Stephens

Author

Entrepreneur and inventor Theo Stephens engineered a better way to install egress windows, by developing a patented process over the course of his Brighter Basements team installing thousands of escape windows. The proven innovation of his steel ExoFrame™ design saves installation time and money while providing greater structural integrity and security. He founded Bright Idea Egress to make his complete egress window kit and efficient installation process available to homeowners and installers nationwide.