An egress window, by definition, is any window that provides an escape means from your home in case of a fire. It also serves the purpose of providing a means of entry for emergency personnel. As such they are an essential and important requirement in your home. In addition, if you are placing an egress window in your basement, you’ll not only bring in natural ventilation and light into your basement but you are also increasing the value of your home. In this article we’ll be looking at the pros and cons of egress windows.
The Pros Of Egress Windows
Everything about an egress window is good. As stated above, they increase the value of your home because by installing an egress window in your basement, you increase the plinth area of your home and can include them in the calculation of overall square footage.
In the point of view of safety, they provide proper escape plans and routes. Provision of egress windows in all your bedrooms and in the basement drastically increases your chances of escape in case f a major fire. They also provide convenient entry points for emergency personnel.
An additional advantage is that these windows provide additional comfort. An egress window in a basement dramatically improves the lighting in an otherwise dingy and dark room. This is not surprising since the minimum codal requirement of an egress window is 5.60 square feet.
The provision of an egress window also increases the look of your home. It is not necessary that the window should be made of corrugated iron. You can build it with wood or other material that look similar to natural material. The place where the egress window juts out into the open from the basement could also be landscaped with some flower beds to make it look attractive.
The Cons Of Egress Windows
Short of budgetary considerations there is no reason at all for not installing egress windows. The major disadvantages of installing egress windows is that they have to stick to stringent local building codes. They require a 5.70 square foot width and should be at least 44″ above ground. The codal provisions, of course, vary from locality to locality and you’ll have to check with your local municipal office to find out just what they are.
Another disadvantage is the problem of moisture from basement egress windows. More so if your home is already plagued with basement moisture problems. So ensure that the window well is dug to the proper depth and take other precautionary measures. Providing an effective drainage system will reduce this problem to a large extent.
Yet another disadvantage is the unavoidable inconvenience that will be caused while putting up an egress window as an addition to an already built home as it is a major project.
Cost Of Egress Windows
A number of factors dictate the overall cost of putting up egress windows such as your choice of windows, the design and the number of windows that you intend to put up. The installation of a single, plain window will come to about $3,000 to $4,000 while more elaborate ones will cost almost double the figure. But considering the advantages that these windows provide, it can be safely said that it is worth every penny spent.
