Articles - Egress Windows

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So an egress window is one that allows for an escape if there is an emergency. For our home the emergency that would warrant an emergency exit is fire. Anyone who has experienced the panic in a fire and the smoke and confusion associated with it, can appreciate the best quality of a basement egress window. </div> <div> There is a lot more to installing an egress window then digging a hole and cutting a hole. Careful planning and help of a contractor that has experience in this area will avoid many pitfalls of a novice.</div> <div> First of all, the position of the window must be carefully planned. What is the proximity to buried utility lines? What sprinkler lines will be in the way? You must map out the final window well it is 3 feet out from the wall, and 5 feet wide. Is there room, where will all that dirt go? What about the 600 to 1000 pound piece of concrete? Will there be ample drainage, or will that need to be addressed? Is it a weight bearing wall, will their need to be a structural header? And how does that affect how deep to dig. Where does it line up on the inside of the house? What kind of window well will you want? Do you want it covered, or do you need a rain gutter installed to stop a possible water problem in the event of a storm?</div> <div> Most of these will be taken care of when you get the contractor involved, but you should be ready for some of the tough questions. Like what kind of well you want. The standard steel window well can be spruced up with escape ladders, and covers that each raises the cost. The gradual landscaped well could be something you can do yourself, if there is room in the yard. Not only is a gradual slope nice, the view from the window is greatly improved. There are other options with decorative plastic wells, or landscape blocks, or even stone boulders. But remember that the cost of a decorative window well can double or even triple the cost of the job, so it is good to prepare for the question of what kind of window well.</div> <div> The CUT can be the easiest thing to mess up on. Wet saws can ruin walls and carpet; dry ones come with lots of fine cement dust that can also ruin those things. Most rental saws will require you to cut on the outside, and then go inside and cut, trying to match the cuts perfectly. When you are done cutting, you have a huge slab that can cause serious injury, or death if not handled properly.</div> <div> Is there access for the excavation equipment to get there? There are sometimes costs for removing a fence, or gate. The Hole will seem HUGE! I plan on a foot wider on each side then the window, and 2 feet deeper, as well as 5 feet out from the house. The dirt pile is always much larger then most homeowners realize. Most of that dirt will be used in backfill, but there is still a lot leftover. Hauling it away will cost you, of you have a place on your property for the dirt, and it is usually easier for everyone.</div> <div> Now the costs, pricing has gone up and can be greatly influenced by many factors including the type of finishing you want on the inside, etc. Simple or multiple simple jobs with easy finish interior, and customer doing their own landscaping on the window well, can start below $1800.00 (per window) the average jobs range in the neighborhood of $2000.00 to 2300.00. And with special window wells and other problems, can easily rise to $3000 up to more then $6000, for each window, depending on the taste of the homeowner and the situation.</div> <div> If you choose a good contractor, Egress windows will not only add beauty and safety to your home, but usually it will increase the value of your home even more then the investment. To me it sounds like a win - win situation.</div> <bR> <div> <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#800000" FACE="Arial" ><B>About the author:</B></FONT> Myron Judkins is Owner of White Knight Home Repair, a specialty contractor and handyman. He is a 3rd generation contractor, and also Webmaster of his business website ( <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="http://www.whiteknighthomerepair.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.whiteknighthomerepair.com"><U><U>www.whiteknighthomerepair.com</U></U></A></FONT>.) Please leave article in tact with links to the website when publishing this article.</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>