Egress Window Installation

If a basement room is going to be called a bedroom, code says a person must be able to climb out of it and a firefighter must be able to climb in. That is the whole job in one sentence. An egress window is what legally separates a basement bedroom from a room that happens to contain a bed, and it is the difference between counting that room at resale and apologizing for it. We cut and install egress windows across Lancaster County and Chester County, usually as part of a [basement finishing](/services/basement-finishing) project and often as a standalone job for homeowners fixing a basement that was finished without one. The same window also floods the room with daylight, which is why plenty of people add one even when code does not force the issue.

The code numbers are specific. The window needs at least 5.7 square feet of net clear opening, at least 24 inches of clear height, at least 20 inches of clear width, and a sill no more than 44 inches off the floor. Plenty of existing basement windows fail every one of those tests. Getting a compliant window in means cutting the foundation: we saw a precise opening in the concrete or block, set a treated buck, flash it, and install the window plumb and sealed. Outside, a window well holds back the soil, and wells deeper than 44 inches get a fixed ladder. Excavation happens the same day the concrete is cut, so the foundation is never left open overnight. The well drains to gravel below and ties into footing drainage where the site calls for it, because a well that holds rainwater turns your escape hatch into an aquarium. A cover keeps kids, pets and snow out without blocking the exit.

Beyond the code box checking, the window changes the room. Natural light is the thing basements are starving for, and a full size egress window with a clean well delivers more of it than any fixture we could install. Permits and inspections are part of our price, not your homework. Structural cuts in a foundation should always be inspected, and we schedule that ourselves. Most installs take two to three days from the first shovel to the final inspection. Two honest notes before you book: if your basement wall sits mostly above grade on one side, a standard full size window may satisfy egress without deep excavation, which costs less, and we will say so. And if you are not creating a sleeping room, code may not require egress at all, though many people add it anyway for the light and the resale story. We put the numbers and the requirements in our [egress requirements and cost guide](/blog/egress-window-requirements-cost-pa). Free estimates across Lancaster County and Chester County.