Installing an Egress Window? We Take the Guesswork Out TAGS: Adding egress windows | basement egress windows | building codes | Egress windows | finishing a basement

If you’re thinking of installing an egress window in your home, we can help you get everything you need with a single click. Last Christmas, I bought a new iPhone, and a whole load of accessories that were on sale. And what did I discover when I got home? That none of the on-sale accessories worked with this season’s latest iPhone. It’s a perennial problem – making sure the accessories and extras you buy fit the product you intend them for – and it extends far beyond just mobile phones. It even extends to home construction supplies (I can’t be …Continue reading →

Cavemen Were Smart. Live Like One in a Finished Basement TAGS: Adding egress windows | basement egress windows | basement remodel ideas | Egress windows | finishing a basement

A finished basement gives all the benefits cavemen used to rave about. Take advantage. Back in prehistoric times, our early ancestors used to live in caves. This wasn’t just a matter of sheltering from the elements – at also made a lot more sense than building huts or lean-tos; which required a lot of work and materials to construct, and didn’t provide nearly as much shelter as mother nature did. Caves – built as they were from meters of impenetrable rock – were incredibly well insulted. As a result, they were a place cavemen could shelter from the heat in …Continue reading →

Basement Egress Window Code Saves Lives – But It Almost Didn’t Happen TAGS: basement egress windows | building codes | Egress windows | means of egress

Basement egress window code saves many lives each and every year – but there were many who tried to prevent a means of egress being part of the building requirements. In 2000, the International Residential Code (IRC) was changed to require all basement dwellings to have a means of egress; in case of fire or other emergency. That inspired politicians to move on similar legal requirements in the United States – but contrary to what you might expect, it wasn’t easy to get them passed. You might wonder why people would resist adding a life-saving measure to the national building …Continue reading →

Bring a Small Basement Apartment Up to Code with a Space Saving Egress Window TAGS: Adding egress windows | basement egress windows | Egress windows | means of egress

National building code requires that all basement apartments have a means of egress installed – but where space is at a premium, that can be difficult to make happen. One solution is a space-saving egress window well. The 2009 IRC Building Code brought in regulations that made it mandatory to fit some means of egress into basement windows – a vital safety feature to allow basement residents to escape if there’s a fire or other disaster. But for thousands of American homeowners, bringing their basements up to code has not been easy. While it’s always a good investment to finish …Continue reading →

Stay EPA Compliant When Installing Egress Windows TAGS: Adding egress windows | basement egress windows | building codes | Egress windows | finishing a basement | means of egress

We’ve found a great product contractors will love; which helps them stick to new Environmental Protection Agency regulations when installing egress windows in the basement. Installing egress windows is a straightforward job – but it’s also a messy one. Contractors and homeowners looking to cut through brick, stone, masonry and wood to install their windows are going to churn out a lot of dust, grit and sawdust when they do so. Unfortunately, dealing with this debris isn’t as simple as throwing a tarp down. Because paint chips, sanding, grinding and cutting can throw up a lot of dangerous materials (including lead, …Continue reading →

Window Boxes to Brighten Up Your Basement TAGS: basement egress windows | building codes | Egress windows | fixing smelly basements | means of egress

Britney made her basement blossom with window boxes added to her egress well. Philadelphia resident Britney Clark is loving living on her own for the first time – and hasn’t let any of the stereotypes about nightmarish “first apartments” come true. “My parents thought I was crazy when I said I was going to move out and into a basement apartment near my new job,” she admits. “They thought it would be dark and dank – just some smelly basement.” But Britney lucked out – the husband and wife who rented the apartment, and lived upstairs, had recently renovated it …Continue reading →

Window Well Pictures – Before and After TAGS: basement egress windows | Basement Windows | Egress windows | Photos

Before and after pictures of Elite window wells by RockWell installed for a newly constructed home’s finished basement. Tweet

Let the Sunshine In with an Egress Basement Window TAGS: basement | basement egress windows | large basement windows | Sunlight into a basement

Adding an egress basement window to your remodeled basement makes a lot of financial sense – but there’s another advantage you might not have thought of. As 60s pop icons The 5th Dimension sang, egress windows “let the sun shine in.” “Let the sunshine in! Oh, open up your heart and let it shine on in!” Scot Krauser has been singing that a lot recently. A 41-year-old music teacher from Easy Brunswick, NJ, he literally “let the sun shine in” when he added egress windows to the basement of his three bedroom ranch. “I love that song,” Scot beams. “Hair! has …Continue reading →