Egress windows are an important (and required) feature for any home in the Columbia, MD area that has a basement. They offer many benefits to homeowners and their families, here are just a few.
They increase the safety of your home by creating a safe exit from basements as well as any room in your home. Thousands of Americans die every year due to the lack of an escape route. If you have a nonfunctioning window or no window at all, you will be unable to escape in an emergency, or have easy access for emergency personnel to enter and save you. Egress windows provide this life-saving need.
In addition to saving lives, egress windows in your code compliant basement living space or bedroom will add value to your home. Without an egress window, a required safety measure, you can not include the square footage of a basement when listing your home. Though the cost of adding an egress window can be costly at first, the additional value to your home will far exceed the initial investment when you decide to sell.
Egress windows also add much needed natural light and ventilation to basements. The usual requirement from building code requires the egress window to be a minimum of 5.7 square feet of clear space. This size window will naturally increase the lighting in your basement bedroom or living area, as well as help, prevent mold and mildew to form.
Don’t like the look of traditional basement egress window wells? There are plenty of options available now. Dependent on your budget, you can get away from corrugated tin and use more natural materials like stone, brick, wood, or even use your landscape to add color and design.
If you would like to add or upgrade your egress windows to your Howard County, MD home, give us a call today at 1-800-673-3034.
