Building codes require a basement bedroom has a window for fire escape purposes.
Basement bedroom window laws.
The minimum egress window opening height is 24 high.
The minimum opening area of the egress window is 5 7 square feet.
Michigan s residential code section r310 1 states that egress windows are required in all habitable spaces and sleeping areas in a basement that is below the fourth floor of the building.
A window well keeps the earth away from the basement window.
To qualify a basement window as an egress you may also have to install window wells to enlarge windows and allow access.
No matter where in the house a bedroom is it must meet all the safety regulations.
Larger is better not only to make escape easier but also to allow firefighters packing tools and breathing equipment to enter the area quickly.
Minimum 20 inches of net clear width opening.
The trickiest part is the window egress.
This requirement applies to all buildings regardless if they are newly contrasted or older homes that have been remodeled.
Window wells serving an egress window shall not be less than 9 square feet in area with a horizontal length width of no less than 36 inches.
At a minimum the bottom of the window must be no more than 44 inches from the floor and that the actual opening be a minimum of 20 inches wide and 24 inches high.
The main thing buyers are worried about is whether the bedroom has enough room for it to count as a bedroom.
Egress a way out 3.
A basement window can be of any style that meets code requirements.
A lot more than square footage rules for a bedroom.
If the sill is below ground the window itself will need larger dimensions 9 square feet.
Maximum 44 inches to window sill measured from finished floor.
The bottom of the egress window opening can t exceed 44 from the finished floor.
It can be bolted to a buck or if a remodel to the foundation wall.