Snow, a problem for Egress TAGS: Egress windows | emergeny escape | means of egress | safe basement exit

  This year it seems that everyone is shoveling snow.  No matter where you live in the country.  There seems to be snow EVERYWHERE!  My question; is that snow making it impossible to use your Egress Window?  Please be sure to clear off your egress well cover so that lifting it in case of an emergency is easy.  Too much weight from accumulated snow on top of your cover can make it difficult or impossible to open.  More house fires occur during the winter than any other time of the year.  So now is the time to be sure to keep …Continue reading →

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 →

When Can Finishing A Basement HURT Your Home Value? TAGS: basement | basement egress windows | basement remodel ideas | Egress windows | finishing a basement | means of egress | Refinishing your basement

Finishing your basement will increase the value of your home, right? Not if you don’t do it right. With the housing market on the road to recovery, a lot of homeowners are looking to see how they can leap-frog the competition and get their houses back to full market value as quickly as possible. Finishing any available basement space is a smart way to do just that. Just think about it – creating a basement apartment, or just extra livable space in a basement, can easily add hundreds of square feet to a home’s footprint; and offer great options for …Continue reading →

Safety First – Egress Windows, Fire Extinguishers & More in Basement Apartments TAGS: Egress windows | emergeny escape | means of egress | safe basement exit

Let’s take a quick look at the basement safety essentials. Renovating or refinishing a basement is a fantastic way to increase the livable space in your home, and increase your property values. However, it’s a project worth doing right – if your basement space isn’t completed to match building code, it can actually hurt your home’s value – and, even worse, pose a life-threatening risk to anybody occupying it. Basement apartments are at the top of the list when it comes to basement projects that require attention to safety details. Features like kitchens and water-heaters pose the same risk of …Continue reading →

The Utility of Basement Window Wells TAGS: Adding egress windows | basement remodel ideas | Egress windows | emergeny escape | means of egress | safe basement exit

Many household utilities are located in the basement – which is why a window well is an important addition to your finished basement. Basements are one of the most functional areas of any home – a great place to locate important utilities like a furnace, hot water heater and electric boxes out of sight, and away from children. But utilities are one of the leading causes of fires – so placing them downstairs, in a basement, increases the risk of a basement fire. If one breaks out – does your basement have a means of egress? A means of egress …Continue reading →

Wooden Stairs Pose a Risk During Basement Fires TAGS: Egress windows | emergeny escape | Installing an Egress Window | means of egress | Refinishing your basement | safe basement exit

If the stairs to your basement are made from wood, a means of egress is especially important. The vast majority of American homes are made using simple wooden framing in their construction – and while this is an affordable, durable and versatile material; it’s also vulnerable to fire. As a result, one of the “hot spots” of fire risk has always been basement stairs. If they’re made of wood, they can quickly become inaccessible and unsafe in the event of a fire; trapping people downstairs. This is why adding a means of egress to your basement is so important – …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 →

10% Off Sale on all St. Paul items TAGS: basement remodel ideas | Egress windows | finishing a basement | means of egress

For the entire month of May receive 10% off the entire line of St. Paul products.  Including all StoneWall Egress Kits, StoneWall Egress Wells, Safe-T-View Covers, and Life Step Egress Ladders.   Start shopping here – 10% Off St. Paul Tweet

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 →