Egress windows and the home inspection, what the home buyer needs to know.

Conducting home cottage and commercial inspections in the Orillia, Bracebridge, Gravenhurst and all of Muskoka areas I will often come across basements and attic spaces that have been converted to living space in particular bedrooms. Many, many, homes listed now are specified as 2+ 1 or as 3+1  bedroom home The plus unit is a bedroom on another level like the former attic or basement. All bedrooms in Ontario must have a door to exit into the home and a direct exit to the exterior of the home. They cannot exit into another room nor can they exit into an enclosed space such as a porch or garage. Here is what I look for and what the homeowner should know about proper Egress or exit windows.

Basement living areas require an emergency escape and rescue egress doors and windows. It’s the law. Homeowners may come up with all sorts of reasons why they don’t think they need an it however if you have a sleeping area in the basement for family, friends, or a basement rental apartment or room; it is important to have a means of escape in case of a fire or other emergency. Small basement windows do not allow for escape and can easily create a death trap in the basement. Many basements have only one real means of escape inside, to climb up a set of wooden stairs to the main floor. If the fire is on the main floor such as in the kitchen you would be trapped in the basement. There would be no means to get to you by emergency services such as the fire department. If the fire started in the furnace or mechanical room you could easily be blocked and trapped.

For both peace of mind for your loved ones, not to mention your liability if someone did get hurt or lost their life in a fire,  investing in a basement egress window and doing it right is well worth it.

If you rent out a granny suite or maybe rent out a room in the basement it is your responsibility as the homeowner/ landlord to insure a safe means of escape from a fire, you are liable and responsible to insure that means of escape is there and meets local building code requirements for a basement egress window.

Installing a basement egress window may sound easy, but there is a lot more to it than just cutting a hole and installing the new window. There are structural concerns when increasing the windows width, the wall and header must be addressed to meet building code requirements for a egress window there may also be concerns with height from the floor. There are drainage concerns as the egress window area has to be excavated all the way down to the base of the homes foundation or footing to tie into your homes existing drainage system. A  drainage tile from the egress window well  must be installed into the existing drainage system to prevent the window well from flooding into the basement or holding water that could freeze a window shut in the winter. This can be a real hazard in the Bracebridge Gravenhurst and Muskoka area. Car window tint