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 →

A Basement Game Room: Making the Most of Your Space TAGS: basement | basement remodel ideas | Egress windows | finishing a basement | Refinishing your basement | Sunlight into a basement

A basement game room is a popular use of your additional lower-level space. Here are some pointers: For President Truman’s birthday in 1947, a bowling alley was installed in the basement of the White House, under the North Portico. That started the American tradition of basement game rooms – which continues to this day. In many ways, a game room is one of the best uses of finished basement space. Because basements tend to have large areas of open space, it allows for easy installation of a pool table (or even a bowling alley) that wouldn’t fit upstairs. You can …Continue reading →

Flatscreen or Projector? The Basement Home Theater Dilemma TAGS: basement remodel ideas | Egress windows | finishing a basement | Refinishing your basement

One of the advantages of a basement home theater is the ability to completely control the lighting; for a true cinema-like experience. But that creates another problem; do you stick with flatscreen technology, or really take advantage and invest in a projector? Projectors used to be exclusively found in boardrooms, classrooms and movie theaters – but now they’re making a big impact at home. Projecting a tiny image onto a blank wall, blowing it up in the process, they offer home cinema enthusiasts a true “big screen” experience. But many people still prefer to stick with more traditional technology, like …Continue reading →

Basement Room Ideas: Making the Most of Your Space TAGS: basement egress windows | basement remodel ideas | Egress windows | finishing a basement | Refinishing your basement

Over the course of the next few blog posts, we’ll be examining some of the best ways to expand your home and make use of your available basement space. In our first post: Finishing your basement to be a fully-featured media room, home theater or family room. Whether grabbing popcorn for the big movie, or hot dogs for the big game, one popular venue is a basement media room. It’s an increasingly popular use for finished basement space. In many ways, a basement is the perfect space for installing a big-screen TV – one of the few places in the …Continue reading →