How Much Does an Egress Window Cost?

What is an Egress Window?

An egress window transforms a dark unventilated basement space into a livable area with fresh air and natural light. Also known as an escape window, an egress solution provides a safe way to exit from a basement space in the event of a fire, while keeping your home secure. 

Three Options for Installing An Egress Window:

Three paths to install an escape window provide solutions for every budget. The Bright Idea egress window kit is uniquely engineered to save you time and money. Feel free to ask us questions after you read through the available options.

Option 1) Professional Installation

The price for a fully outsourced egress window installation varies by geography, but the total project cost for a professional installer typically starts at $4000 and ranges up to $7000 including the cost of a smaller window and other components. Larger windows add more to the total cost, of course, for both the materials and additional labor of digging a bigger window well.

Option 2) You Dig, the Pro Installs

The most labor intensive part of an egress window installation is excavating the hole for the window well. And then you need to backfill your window well and additionally compact the soil to minimize impact on your foundation. If you do the dig, but outsource the foundation cut and egress kit installation to a contractor, a total installation cost using one of our kits typically starts at $3300. The biggest risk we see is that sometimes homeowners don’t dig deep enough below grade to allow for sufficient drainage, but pay mind to the specifications and you should be fine.

Option 3) Do-It-Yourself

If you're a capable DIY handyman and complete all the work, you can save a lot of money for this fairly simple project. You can either rent a concrete saw to cut the aperture for your window in your basement wall, or subcontract that particular chore out to a local concrete cutter. Our complete egress window kit includes everything you need and starts at $1795 for a smaller window plus shipping. We engineered the solution to eliminate human error as much as possible. 

What’s Included in the Bright Idea Egress Window Kit

Our egress window kit is a complete integrated solution which includes some unique innovations in escape window design:

• Impact-resistant European-style tilt & turn window
• Patented steel ExoFrame™ to reinforce foundation
• St. Paul corrugated window well with interior flanges to streamline installation
• Premium German hardware
• 3M sealing gasket
• Window well escape ladder
• All required fasteners

You may optionally purchase:

• Weather resistant window well cover
• Interior trim kit which fits precisely into the ExoFrame

The Bright Idea Difference

The Bright Idea Egress window kit is a uniquely engineered innovation which offers two primary advantages over traditional solutions. First, our patented window well is the only solution on the market with flanges on the inside of the well, therefore requiring 30-40% less excavation below ground than any other solution. It’s also significantly easier to attach to your foundation, no need to hang upside down in the hole. Remember that anytime you dig the dirt, you also have to backfill and compact it, not to mention haul away what’s left over. The amount of dirt removed not only translates  additional cost and effort, but also into potential risk to your foundation. The next advantage of our complete egress window kit is our patented steel ExoFrame, which makes ours the only solution to make your foundation stronger rather than weaker. Sized precisely to our European tilt & turn windows, the ExoFrame provides a tight fit between your foundation and window. The kit includes everything you need to eliminate guesswork and installation errors.

Please note that costs above are estimated against our smallest egress window kit, using a high quality impact resistant 29″ x 47″ European tilt & turn window, and do not account for construction cost variances across local markets. Our biggest window size goes up to 48” x 48”. We are happy to clarify any details of these estimates and answer any questions, please do not hesitate to ask!

Are Egress Windows Worth It?

An egress window can add substantial value to your home. It depends on your house and your local real estate market, but read our analysis of how much value an egress window adds to your house. Egress windows are, however, one of the only projects in which you will fully recover your cost in resale value. Even if you’re spending up to $6000 dollars for professional installation, you can market your new space as an additional bedroom (assuming you meet qualifications such as a closet and minimum 10’ by 10’ area) when it comes time to sell your house. Research the current average value for livable space in your community to calculate the potential added value for the new living space in your home.

Other Benefits of Egress Windows

• Safety
• Legally market a basement space as a bedroom
• Increased natural lighting
• Increased ventilation
• Replacing an existing basement window with more secure window
• Can be installed almost anywhere in your basement

Consider installing an egress window to your home if you would like to add livable space and value to your home, make your home safer and increase the ambiance of your basement. If you have any questions, please contact Bright Idea Egress, where proven innovation in egress window design saves you time and money.