Fire Prevention Week TAGS: basement | building codes | Egress windows | emergeny escape | means of egress | safe basement exit

Last week was Notional Fire Prevention Week in the United States and Canada – an event we always take serious at Egresswindows.com because of the nature of what we sell; a product that has been proven to save lives during fires time after time. National Fire Prevention Week dates back to 1922, and occurs every year during the week that includes October 9th. The reason October 9th was picked it because it’s the date of the Great Chicago Fire – one of the greatest fires in modern history, which destroyed more than 17,000 structures in 1871, and left over 100,000 …Continue reading →

Egress Windows More Important Than Ever TAGS: basement egress windows | building codes | Egress windows | emergeny escape | means of egress | safe basement exit

There are a whole host of reasons why basement egress windows are a good addition to your home – including better air circulation, more natural light and simply better aesthetics. But as this recent story from St. Paul, Minnesota reminds us – the most important reason for having them is to save lives. The St. Paul Star Tribune recently published an article that serves as a chilling reminder of the importance of a safe means of egress. It reported the narrow escape of a St. Mary’s University graduate, who was trapped inside her parent’s basement when the house caught fire. …Continue reading →

Basement Window Well Adds To Inheritance TAGS: basement | basement remodel ideas | building codes | Egress windows | finishing a basement | Installing an Egress Window

Investing in a basement window well is one way to look after your loved ones. 2008 was a rough year for a lot of Americans – but for Dave Buchanan, it was harder than most. That was the year he was due to retire, and unfortunately cashing in his 401k coincided with one of the worst stock market crashes in American history. “I ended up getting less out of my 401k than what I’d paid into it,” Dave explains. “I was gutted.” Fortunately, Dave’s canny financial planning meant that he and his wife weren’t reduced to eating Ramen noodles as …Continue reading →

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 →

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 →

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 →

Meeting Egress Requirements with a Basement Rental Apartment: Making the Most of your Space TAGS: Adding egress windows | basement egress windows | building codes | Egress windows | emergeny escape | means of egress | safe basement exit

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 this post we will address the right way to meet egress requirements for a finished basement turned rental apartment. America is in the midst of a crisis right now – even a couple of years after the recession supposedly ended. The problem is that millions of American homeowners have been hit hard by the housing crash and now owe more on their homes than their properties are actually worth. One …Continue reading →

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 →

The Station Nightclub Fire Highlights the Importance of Safe Means of Egress TAGS: building codes | emergeny escape | means of egress | safe basement exit

Remembering a tragedy also reminds us of the importance of fire safety. This week marked the 10th anniversary of The Station nightclub fire – a horrific blaze that claimed the lives of 100 people in February of 2003. The fire – caused by on-stage pyrotechnics set up by rock band Great White – engulfed the small Rhode Island nightclub in seconds; trapping hundreds in the blazing building. It’s a chilling reminder of the importance of a “means of egress” in any enclosed space. Marking the occasion is the official launch of The Station Documentary – a web series created by …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 →