During this time of increased working from home and remote learning, additional space in your home is at a premium. An egress window converts your basement space into more livable space for an additional bedroom, a home office or a family room. Not only does it create more comfortable space to live, it can also significantly contribute to the resale value of your home.
Are Egress Windows Worth It?
Worried that your basement bedroom does not legally qualify as a bedroom? There is a fix for that, but is it really worth it? We attempt to answer that question by analyzing the value egress windows add to your home resale value across different markets.
An egress window can add substantial value to your home and allows you to legally market a basement space as a bedroom. How much value does an escape window add? It depends on your house and your location. Egress windows are, however, one of the few projects in which you can fully recover your cost, and then some, 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.
Calculating the Value of Egress Windows?
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. It’s a given that an additional bedroom contributes to the marketability of your home. Our formula multiplies the square footage of the additional livable space with the average home price per square foot in your market, and then divide that total in half to recognize that finished basement bedrooms usually appraise for between 50-70% of the above-ground value. This given value is determined by a range of factors such as the quality of the finishes, if there is a walk-out or not, and how the space stacks up to other homes in the area.
The formula is expressed as:
(Average Home Price per square foot) X (New Basement Square Footage) X (O.5)
Using this formula, we analyzed the value egress windows add to home resale values across different markets.
| City | Average Home Sales Price / Sq. Ft. | Average Value Added from 12x12 Basement Bedroom |
| Seattle, WA | $488 | $35,136 |
| Denver, CO | $311 | $22,392 |
| Chicago, IL | $223 | $16,056 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $144 | $10,368 |
| Atlanta, GA | $214 | $14,408 |
| San Jose, CA | $685 | $49,320 |
| Des Moines, IA | $146 | $10,512 |
| Madison, WI | $170 | $12,240 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $185 | $13,320 |
| Boise, ID | $225 | $16,200 |
| Birmingham, MI | $280 | $20,160 |
Additional Benefits of Egress Windows
- Safety
- Legally market basement space as a bedroom
- Increased natural lighting
- Better ventilation
- Replacing an existing basement window with more secure window
- More comfortable space for work from home & remote schooling
- 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 brighten the ambiance of your basement. Our DIY egress window kits cost only a fraction of the value you will see in the return on your investment.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
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Bright Idea featured in Extreme How-To
Bright Idea founder Theo Stephens offers a step-by-step guide to egress window installation in Extreme How-To magazine, a top destination for the latest information on tools, techniques, building materials, and home-improvement products.
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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.