INSTALL AN EGRESS WINDOW

THE PAYOFF IS BIG: A BRIGHTER, SAFER BASEMENT

- MIKE BERNER

One of the best investments you can make in your home is to add finished square footage, and for many homes, the basement is the best place to do that. What many people don't know is that the new habitable space in your basement requires an egress window to provide an exit in case of an emergency. Installing one is a big job, but the larger window will flood your basement with natural light and make it code compliant.

BEFORE YOU START Adding an egress window is a big job, and it's important to plan your project to meet the building requirements in your location. Here are the steps I took before starting to excavate.

APPLY FOR A PERMIT. This process could take a few weeks. My city required detailed plans of the well, the dimensions of the window and rough opening, the size of the header and a drawing of the property, including the house.

ENGINEERED DRAWING. The retaining walls that made up our well were tall enough to require an engineer's approval. I sent my plans to a local engineer who gave me a new drawing with a stamp of approval to include with my permit application. If you buy a manufactured well, this step is likely unnecessary, but the final call is with your city's building department.

CALL THE DIGGING HOTLINE. When you're digging, even just a few inches deep, call to have underground utilities located and marked. Digging is dangerous if you don't know where the utilities are.

If you skip this step and hit a gas, water or power line underground, you'll risk the lives of yourself and others, and you'll be on the hook for the costly repairs. So be sure to call 811 before your project. The process varies by state, so call a few days ahead of your project.

DIG THE WINDOW WELL