I recently purchased a fantastic 1955 home and discovered that the finished basement lacks proper egress windows in the bedrooms. Currently, these areas have 27x17 window openings, but some previous owner installed vinyl slider windows that barely open. I'm looking for alternatives that would provide a legal way for someone to exit the basement without the hefty price tag of installing full code-compliant egress windows, which I've been quoted around $9,000 each. Any creative solutions or suggestions?
3 Answers
I had the same issue with my 1955 house! I installed two egress windows about 20 years ago. I hired someone to dig the well, but I did the rest myself, and it set me back about $4,000 total. Adjusting for inflation, that’s roughly $6,500 today. I think a similar DIY approach could work for you, especially if you can handle some of the digging yourself and just hire out the concrete cutting!
About the window sizes, the 27x17 openings are really tricky! For egress, you actually need an opening of at least 5.7 sq ft, typically around 27x30.4. It might not be super expensive to modify, just cutting a bit out of the foundation where the openings are could save you a ton, but check with a contractor about your local codes.
I feel you on the cost of the windows! Have you thought about using a fire sprinkler system as an alternative? It's not exactly cheap either, but it might be a workaround worth investigating. Just ensure it meets your local codes.