Adding Basement Egress Window

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Irrespective of its present size, we all like to add a couple of extra square feet to the present house. One way to get that extra space for better utilization is your basement. And you can use it for many purposes by including a basement egress window.

How can this help you? This simply expands your living area and converts the basement to a warmer more inviting area, while bringing in more of light. Over the years a lot of changes have been brought in to basement egress windows. They are essentially required for safety and protection. You literally get everything in one package.



Egress windows - while facilitating more of incoming light and fresh air, provide an escape route too. The availability of light and air throws out many opportunities for using your basement for different purposes. You may house your office in there or convert that to a bedroom for self or make a guest room for visitors. You could have it as an extension of the family room. Depending upon the size of your family and other needs you may exploit the additional available area.

The State of Michigan has a legal code for installation of egress windows that enables you to convert your basement to a bedroom. Though smoke detectors are there to warn you of the emergencies, they would be of little help unless you an escape route. Egress windows provide a safe and dependable escape route. These are the defined specifications for such windows: minimum height to be 24 inches and open space width to be 20 inches. Basements converted to a bedroom or for being used as a living room must be provided with such windows.

Basements being used for habitation must have at least one operational emergency escape route, be it in the form of a widow or a door. Such openings shall have a still height of not more than 44 inches or 1118 mm above floor. This is to facilitate the entry of firemen in case of a fire.

The escape windows are easy to install and the emergency latch opens easily and quickly. It is very important to ensure that grills or bars if placed on the egress window should be easily removable and be detached without the use of any tools or a key. As these windows perform a vital part of the safety measures for your home, make sure that they conform to the right size, are easy to operate in case of emergencies, yet facilitate more of light.



Each and every sleeping room should be provided with at least one operational emergency egress opening in addition to the interior doorway. The only permissible exception being a small basement with a floor area of less than 200 square feet or 18.58 square meters that is being used for storage of mechanical equipment. Once upon a time such windows used to be small spaces that allowed some amount of sunlight to the basement but the new safety codes have rendered such windows obsolete.

Basement Glass Block Windows

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It’s high time that you started having second thoughts about that small little window with a thin glass in your basement, though you never had the need to ever open it over the years. But, with the cost of energy going up all the times and changed environmental conditions having already raised the level of water to the extent of causing floods in some parts of the country, you would better be considered on its application and efficiency. View this article as a means of exploring the usefulness and available present options of replacing you existing arrangements with a basement glass block window.

Glass Block Window Benefits for your lower level space



Here are the five best reasons to prompt you to replace your present basement windows:

1. Reduce High Energy Costs - lower level windows being old, have either rusted metal frames or rotten wooden frames with a piece of thin glass sandwiched in between. They rarely serve any useful purpose and proven to be inefficient. Block glass windows on the other hand, are nearly ten times as efficient as their predecessors.

2. Increased Security/Ease of Gaining Entry into the Home - Existing window are weak and too easily broken. These are held in place with caulk and are thus vulnerable to an easy r break in. New glass brick windows are mortared into the foundation that would discourage attempted break through.

3. Increased privacy - It's easy to see thru the clear glass of your present lower level window, whereas a glass block window offers almost complete privacy depending on the glass-pattern you choose. You may have a high privacy pattern like Icescapes or Delphi from Pittsburgh Corning or Ice or Pristal from Mulia that lets the light in, yet prevents outsiders to view inside your room.

4. Cut Maintenance time, money and energy - Single pane metal and wood windows require repainting and need to be caulked up for keeping the elements out and prevent it from getting rusted or eroded. No such hassles with glass block basement windows as these are mortared into the foundation.

5. Windows will become easy to operate - Lower level windows are difficult to open as more often than not they get rusted too soon. Lack of fresh air and sunlight makes the basement smell mushy and encourages growth of mold spores to grow. New block windows can easily be provided with fresh air vents or power exhaust fans thus keeping the environments of your basement healthier for its occupants.



Lower Level Window and Wall Hot Trends and Product Options
Of course basement windows have been in there since ages, but like most other products the options have varied and the design changes incorporated keeping in mind the needs of present day families. Here are a few of the latest trends in lower level living spaces and product options for you to choose from:

- Trend 1-

Remodeling the Lower Level to Add Cost Effective Space with Egress Windows. It makes a better economic sense to remodel your basement than constructing an additional room or having an extra new floor in case you are considering having an additional space for yourself. You could have an additional bedroom in the basement by digging out around the foundation and putting in an egress window to get a better air flow. It further facilitates getting out of the place in the case of an emergency. Explore the viability of a functional acrylic block egress window to get the desired results.

- Trend 2 -

Convert your lower level space into a "Man Den” and create the desired effect by making use of readily available colored glass block windows and walls. That allows you to have an exclusive place for hanging around with friends to watch any big sport event on a big screen. If you're looking for a place to hang out with friends to watch some great sporting events on a big screen TV, it’s here. Perhaps that college going youngster of the family would love to have the place to him and enjoy the freedom to decorate the same with the colors of his favorite team. That would give him the needed privacy with the exclusive style at the same time.

- Trend 3 -

If you belong to the “do it yourself category” of people, you may use the basement for working with your tools and have a small home-workshop within the privacy and security of your home in healthier environments. You could further your hobbies for crafts, sewing, and even wood working by moving in some of the heavier equipment. Basement glass block windows permit the inclusion of exhaust fans for an additional air flow - thus prompting you to keep going with your hobbies and experiments.

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