Egress Window Safety Article

January 25, 2008

According to the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, thousands of fires occur in homes each year. Many of the fires take place at night when your loved ones are sleeping and unaware. Tragically, the occupants are usually asphyxiated long before the fire would have even reached them. Thankfully such loss is easily preventable by incorporating operable smoke detectors and egress windows.

Minnesota State Building Code requires basements and every sleeping room to have at least one operable emergency egress opening. Windows must have a minimum net clear opening of 5.7 square feet. At Brenne Builders we typically install casement windows that are at a minimum 29”W x 48”L to give a net clear opening of more than 9 square feet. The window well must be at least 9 square feet with a minimum projection of 3 feet from the window. At Brenne Builders we install permanent ladders in all our egress windows, whether they are required or not to give you and your loved ones peace of mind.

Brenne Builders provides many options for your egress window well needs. Our more custom work usually incorporates cedar or green treat 4×4 timbers. Recently I have started installing high quality pre-manufactured plastic window wells by Wellcraft. These are not like the cheap plastic or galvanized wells you have probably seen in the past. I have been very impressed with these window wells because they combine looks, safety (built in ladders), and longevity (won’t rot).

2008 Brenne Buliders

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