Make the Most of Your Basement: The Darkroom TAGS: Adding egress windows | basement remodel ideas | building codes | Egress windows | emergeny escape | finishing a basement | Refinishing your basement

Fashion photographer Danny turned his unfinished basement into a darkroom – and added a basement window well for several important reasons. “Film photography isn’t dead,” explains Danny Patterson, a fashion photographer from New Jersey. “It’s still a medium used in high art, and a lot of fashion magazines still love the look of a photograph taken on real 35mm film.” But Danny, who specializes in photographs taken on real film, admits that the digital revolution has changed a lot of things. “Everything that used to be commonplace has got more difficult to get hold of now, though,” he admits. “You …Continue reading →

April is National Safe Digging Month TAGS: Dial 811 | Dig Safe | Egress windows | Installing an Egress Window

EgressWindows.com is a big supporters of the notion of safety first.  That is why we want to create awareness of National Safe Digging Month.  April is the time of year many homeowners are venturing back out into the yard to do projects.  Before you pick up a shovel and start that project by digging, ask yourself; what is under there?  Are there power lines?  Gas lines?  Communication lines?  Water lines?  Sewer lines?  The list of potential hazards just under the surface are many. There is a free service that can help you.  A few days prior to digging simply dial 811 …Continue reading →

Basement Window Wells Saved a Book Collector’s Life TAGS: basement egress windows | basement remodel ideas | building codes | Egress windows | emergeny escape | means of egress | safe basement exit

Bruno Holmes is a rare book collector, who remembers vividly why he is passionate about fire safety in his new basement library. “Back when I was working in England,” explains Bruno Holmes, a rare book dealer for a prestigious auction house in New York City, “I was caught in a fire once that nearly claimed my life.” Born and raised in the south coast of England, Bruno’s first foray into collector’s books was running a second hand bookshop in a basement-level store in greater London. “It was an old Georgian building, accessible by steps in the front, and a little …Continue reading →

How Secure are Basement Windows? TAGS: basement egress windows | Basement Windows | Egress windows | means of egress

Adding a means of egress to your basement is required by national building code – but do they make your home more vulnerable? Sadly, criminals are opportunistic. Whether it’s an unlatched window, an oversized doggy door or a spare key hidden under a mat, enterprising thieves are always finding ways to bypass home security and rob homeowners. Which is one concern many have about adding a basement window to their home. After all, a basement window is at ground level – perfect for thieves to access – and most are hidden in the backyard, or in a basement window well, …Continue reading →

If you can’t stand the heat, can you get out of the kitchen? TAGS: Adding egress windows | basement | Egress windows | emergeny escape | means of egress | safe basement exit

I thought it would be a good idea to look at one of the most important reasons why a basement window well is important – kitchen fires. Basement apartments are a great option for homeowners looking to bring in a little extra money, and for renters looking for an affordable and well-located place to live. There are drawbacks that need to be addressed, though – and one of them is safety. Adding a fully functional kitchen into a basement apartment presents the risk (fortunately a small one) of a fire breaking out down there. And if that happens, how will …Continue reading →

Fire Prevention Safety Week: Prevent Kitchen Fires TAGS: basement egress windows | Egress windows | emergency escape | means of egress | safe basement exit

This week is national Fire Prevention Safety Week – and this year they’re striking out against the leading cause of fires at home. “More fires start in the kitchen than in any other part of the home,” warn the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), during their Fire Prevention Safety Week. “Cooking is the leading cause home fires and home fire injuries. Between 2007 and 2011, U.S. Fire Departments responded to an estimated annual average of 156,600 cooking-related fires – resulting in 400 civilian deaths, 5,080 civilian injuries and $853 million in direct damage.” Kitchen fires hit particularly close to home …Continue reading →

Install a Dry Well to Prevent Window Well Flooding TAGS: Adding egress windows | basement remodel ideas | damp basement | Egress windows

One concern residents in flood-zones have about their basement window wells is that they could leak water into their finished basements. Here’s some advice. We’ve already blogged about the importance of where you install your basement window well to prevent flooding. But that’s not the only thing you can do to help ensure water stays out of your basement during the rainy season. If you’re in an area prone to flooding, there’s more you can do too.When installing a window well, it’s very important to backfill it with pea gravel or other rock material to help with drainage – especially …Continue reading →

The Home Gym: Making the Most of Your Basement Space TAGS: basement | basement egress windows | basement remodel ideas | building codes | finishing a basement | means of egress | Refinishing your basement

One popular way to maximize the space of a finished basement is to convert it into a home gym. While the initial outlay can be expensive, it’s one of the few investments that literally “pays for itself” in the gym dues you save every month – not to mention your improved health! Home exercise equipment tends not to get a lot of use. Some people even joke “it’s the most expensive clothesline you’ll ever have!” This is largely because home exercise equipment is large, bulky and needs a lot of room to use it effectively. Which is where a basement …Continue reading →

The Home Office: Making the Most of your Basement Space TAGS: Adding egress windows | basement | basement egress windows | basement remodel ideas | Egress windows | means of egress

While Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer recently made waves by banning working from home, flexible hours and work-from-home initiatives are becoming significantly more common across America. As a result, more and more homeowners are looking to find space in their home for an office. The basement is a logical choice. Working from home isn’t easy. Even if you don’t have kids or pets to contend with, it’s often difficult to get into the “work” headspace when you have the opportunity to send your emails and work on your presentations without even clambering out of bed. That’s why people like Yahoo!’s CEO …Continue reading →

A Kid’s Playroom: Making the Most of your Basement Space TAGS: basement | basement remodel ideas | Basement Windows | Egress windows | Refinishing your basement

Somebody once equated having young kids to owning a blender, but not having a lid for it. The metaphor is accurate – most parents know how messy and chaotic kids can be! This is why finishing a basement and turning it into a kid’s playroom is an idea that appeals to a lot of parents. There are a lot of advantages. Firstly, it’s totally secure. There are no exterior doors and patio windows to worry about, so parents can leave their kids to play in the basement without them worrying about wondering off. Secondly, it’s self-contained. Kids can make an …Continue reading →