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Should You Build An Egress Window This Spring?

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Spring is here and it is finally beginning to warm up. Soon, the hot Central Maryland summers will arrive, and homeowners will be lowering the temperatures in their homes or looking for the coolest room in the house as a respite from the heat. 

For many people, the coolest room in the house is the basement. It is below ground, and the cool air is kept tight. It doesn’t go up into the above floors or get warm, like the top floor of the home typically does (especially in older homes.)

Since the time people stay in the basement will greatly increase, it may be time to consider what might happen if there is an emergency and you are stuck in the basement. Can you exit quickly? Is the exit large enough for everyone? Are you even able to open the window or door to get out? 

It may be time to have an egress window installed in your basement. Egress windows are essential for your family and others who are staying or visiting your home. An egress window does the following:

    1. Safety: Basements are often used as extra bedrooms. I see these all the time in my Central Maryland customers. If you or a family member is staying in your home, you should have an egress window installed immediately. Should there be a fire or other emergency, the egress window is an easy and accessible escape route for them. It also can be an entry point for emergency personnel. It is particularly helpful if there is a stairwell on the opposite side of the home where individuals are staying. 
    2. Comfortable:  Maryland building codes require egress windows to have an opening of, at least, 5.7 sq. ft. This opening brings natural light to the basement. It also can make it much more comfortable. Your basement may not be a bedroom. It could be a rec room, home office, or a living room. The egress window will add light to an otherwise dark and dingy room. 
    3. Property values are increased. Adding an egress window to your home will also increase the resale value. As this space may be used by the next owners as a closet, storage, or another type of living space. In fact, not having an egress window in your basement may be a disadvantage. The prospective new buyer may even require one to be installed. 

Also, if you install the egress window in the spring or summer, there won’t be any cold-weather drafts coming through which will keep your electricity bill down. Caulk also bonds better in warmer weather. Installing the egress window this season is a smart decision, and won’t interrupt your lifestyle or increase your living expenses. 

M Taylor Enterprise has installed many Egress windows in the Montgomery County, Maryland area. We can install them efficiently and quickly.  Contact us at (301) 649-3406 or at matt@mtaylorenterprise.com for a free consultation.

*** For more information on Maryland temperatures, visit the Maryland state website.

Foundation Repair

Egress Windows and Your Family’s Safety

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We have been hearing a lot about safety in the Age of COVID. Everyone is wearing masks and keeping a social distance from each other. It’s been a difficult adjustment for all of us.

There is another way you and your family can remain safe. We covered some of the essential aspects of Egress windows in a previous blog. 

Egress windows are a seemingly unknown feature of most homes. The International Residence Code (2012) requires an egress in basement level living spaces. This code is essential in keeping you and your family safe. 

Egress windows have two main purposes: 

  1. Allow an exit in the event of an emergency. 
  2. Provide an entrance for firefighters.

They are required in all habitable places in the home. Especially for rooms which are used for sleeping purposes. If there is no egress, these habitable rooms become a dangerous fire trap. Basements that have bedrooms, fitness rooms, recreation rooms, media rooms, or home offices, are required to have egress windows.

Homeowners who are remodeling or renovating are also required to install egress windows for safety. No egress window means that the homeowner is unknowingly putting them and their family at risk.

The egress window requirements were developed for the average, able-bodied person, to be able to fit through the window and lift themselves up, and out the window. Maryland law only requires the minimum (Window wells are Egress window wells are required where the bottom of the egress window is below ground level. It must not interfere with the egress window fully opening and the distance from the egress window to the back must be 36”.) Check with your building inspector for code requirements. 

Fifty-one people died in residential fires in 2020. That statistic is lower than in previous years. Let’s lower it, even more, this year. 

M Taylor Enterprise has installed many Egress windows in the Montgomery County, Maryland area. We can install them efficiently and quickly.  Contact us at (301) 649-3406 or at matt@mtaylorenterprise.com for a free consultation.