Built for the Bedroom Downstairs
A basement bedroom lives or dies by its window. Without a code-sized egress window, the room is not a legal bedroom — it is a basement room with a bed in it. That matters for safety first: in a fire, the stairs fill with smoke and the window is the way out. It matters for value second: appraisers and inspectors do not count non-compliant rooms as bedrooms. Our basement egress window installs fix both problems in one project.
Sized to the Code, Not to the Catalog
We size every window to the IRC minimums with margin: at least 5.7 square feet of clear opening (5.0 at grade), 20 inches of clear width, 24 inches of clear height, and a sill within 44 inches of the floor. "With margin" matters — inspectors measure, and a window that squeaks by on paper can fail on a tape measure. Our size guide explains why clear opening is the number that counts.
Casement Is Usually the Answer
Most basement installs get a casement window: it cranks fully open, so the whole window counts as escape opening, which means a smaller wall cut and a lower price. If the well layout or your preference points to a slider, we size it wider to compensate. Read the honest comparison before you decide.
The Well and the Ladder Come With It
A basement window needs a well: at least 9 square feet, projecting 36 inches from the wall, with a fixed ladder when deeper than 44 inches — which covers most full basements in the county. Every install includes the well, the ladder where required, and drainage. A window without those is not a finished job.
From Dark Cave to Real Room
Ask our customers what surprised them most and it is not the code compliance — it is the light. A code-sized window floods a basement bedroom with daylight that the old 2-foot slider never did. The room stops feeling like a basement. That is the part you enjoy every day; the code compliance is the part that protects you every night.
How It Works: Our Process
Step 1 — Free visit. We measure the bedroom, the wall, and the outside grade. We check the current window against all five code numbers and show you where it fails.
Step 2 — Written estimate and permit. You get itemized pricing for the window, the cut, the well, drainage, and the cover. We handle the Fairfax County permit.
Step 3 — Cut and set. We protect the room, cut the code-sized opening, and set the window square, level, and sealed.
Step 4 — Well, ladder, drainage. The well goes in to code size with a fixed ladder where the depth requires it, and the drain gets connected and tested with water before we backfill.
Step 5 — Inspection and handoff. The county inspects, we clean up, and we show you how everything works — the window, the cover, the drain check.
The Five Code Numbers, Once More
It is worth memorizing these, because they are what the inspector measures: 5.7 square feet of clear opening (5.0 if the sill is within 44 inches of outside grade), 20 inches of clear width, 24 inches of clear height, and a sill no more than 44 inches above the bedroom floor. The well needs 9 square feet and 36 inches of projection, with a ladder past 44 inches of depth. Every window we set clears all five with room to spare. Our code guide explains each one in plain English.
Light, Air, and Value: What Changes Day to Day
The code is the reason for the project, but the light is what you notice every morning. A code-sized window admits several times the daylight of the small slider it replaces — the basement bedroom stops feeling like a basement. The window also opens, which means real ventilation instead of a stuffy sealed room. And on paper, the room becomes a bedroom you can list, appraise, and insure as one. Safety at night, light by day, value at resale: one project, three returns.
Already Finished? We Work Around It
Most of our basement window jobs happen in finished rooms, and we treat them that way: floors and furniture protected, dust contained with barriers, and the interior trimmed to match the room when we are done. The messiest hours are the cutting hours, and we contain them. By the time we leave, the room looks like the window was part of the original finish. Every project is different — contact us for a free written estimate.
What Inspectors Actually Check
Fairfax County inspectors check the same five numbers on every basement egress window: the clear opening meets 5.7 square feet (5.0 at grade), the width clears 20 inches, the height clears 24 inches, the sill sits within 44 inches of the floor, and the well meets the 9-square-foot and 36-inch minimums with a ladder past 44 inches of depth. They measure with a tape — which is why we build with margin, not to the exact minimum. An opening that passes by half an inch on our estimate could fail on the inspector's tape after sealant and trim. Margin is cheap insurance.
Call (301) 679-9193 or send the form for a free written estimate.