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.