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The Challenge:

Finished Egress

This was a 1960 home that was built well with foundations that were formed on both sides. The owner wanted to have his kids live in the basement but was worried about not having a way out in the event of an emergency. He also wanted the advantage of adding more natural light. The existing windows were placed very high, above the ceiling. Doing both windows at the same time saved our client $500.

The Idea:

Use the existing window width and extend down at the same width to achieve an egress qualified opening.

The Solution:

We found a way to use casement windows to extend low enough to meet all of the requirements and used 5′ deep metal surrounds to keep cost down as well as reflect light. Ladders were installed as part of the requirement.

The Details:

We found lots of clay to dig through. We waterproofed with a tar emulsion and used a sheet drain. The window was a tan vinyl double pane gridded low-e casement style with a double lock system and screens. The interior was left unfinished.

Investment Range $5,500

Time Frame 2 weeks