Basements and sleeping rooms
Two tests apply to a basement: it needs one operable emergency escape and rescue opening, and any bedroom in it needs one as well. Where the opening leads matters too: directly into a public way, or to a yard or court.
Egress Window Installation in Taylorsville
Typical cost in Taylorsville
- One egress window and well$3,500 – $7,000+
- Two windows, for two bedrooms$7,000 – $14,000+
- A harder cut: a thick foundation wall, or a well that must clear a step or porch$7,000 – $12,000+
Taylorsville Basement Finishing installs egress windows in Taylorsville basements when a new bedroom, an apartment or an inspector calls for one. Sizing is the catch: a 24 by 20 inch opening does not meet the area rule on its own.
We serve Taylorsville, West Jordan and South Jordan. The opening is cut into a foundation wall, so every job starts with what is outside that wall: the yard, the grade and where the well can go.
When a basement needs an egress window
New bedrooms and apartments
Where a basement gets a new bedroom or accessory dwelling unit, that new space has to be provided with the opening. The same section says other alterations and repairs to an existing basement need not add one, so a finish without a bedroom or apartment does not itself require a new window.
Existing small windows
An existing bedroom with an undersized window has one protection in Utah code: if the window met the code in force when the bedroom was finished, it can stay when enlarging it would compromise the structure or breach setback and well rules. It applies to existing rooms only, not new bedrooms.
Window and well sizes
The test for any window is the net clear opening: 820.8 square inches (a grade-floor opening may be 720), at least 24 inches tall and 20 inches wide in clear dimensions, with its lower edge no more than 44 inches off the floor.
Do the arithmetic before you shop. 5.7 square feet is 820.8 square inches. A window 24 inches high must therefore be about 34.2 inches wide, and one 20 inches wide must be about 41 inches high. A 24 by 20 inch opening is only 3.3 square feet, so meeting the two minimum dimensions alone does not meet the area rule.
Before ordering a well, check three things: depth (steps or a ladder once it passes 44 inches), drainage (it ties into the foundation drain unless the soil is well drained) and release (bars, grilles and covers must be removable from the inside with no key or tool). Size comes first: at least 9 square feet, projecting and wide at least 36 inches.
Cutting into the foundation wall
Opening a foundation wall is a structural job. Whether the opening must meet the residential code’s span tables or have an engineer’s design is a question for Taylorsville’s building office. Cutting method and header size are not covered by any source we read, so we say nothing about them.
What you can ask for is simple: who checks the opening, which inspection covers it and what the permit plan shows for the wall.
Reading the size rules at home
Measure the clear opening of the window you have, not the frame. Open the sash fully, measure the height and width of the space a person could pass through and multiply. If the result is under 820.8 square inches, the window is under the 5.7 square foot rule, and the answer is a larger window or a different type.
Taylorsville’s permit steps for a window opening were not readable, so confirm them with the city building office before anything is cut.
Questions and answers
Is it illegal to sleep in a basement without an egress window?
Sleeping in a basement room with no escape opening is what the code is written to prevent: every sleeping room needs one, and a bedroom added to an existing basement must get it. For a room already there, the building official decides.
Can I install my own egress window?
A foundation cut is structural, so ask Taylorsville’s building office who may do the work and whether an engineer’s design is required.
How much does an egress window cost?
Price moves with window size, wall material, well depth, drainage and the inside finish. We quote after seeing the wall and yard.
A window exists for a room, so the next read is basement bedroom or basement apartment. To see where a window fits in a whole job, from first visit to final walk-through, open the Taylorsville Basement Finishing home page.
Request a free basement finishing quote
Which wall would the window go in, and what is outside it? We'll get back to you soon with an estimate or any questions we have. Estimates are free and there's no obligation.
Call (385) 527-2591