The Inside Outside Guys: Understanding Egress Doors and Windows

(CONTINUED) Every home must have at least one egress door that allows someone in the home to negotiate an unobstructed and continuous path of travel from any point in the home to the door.

This door, like all means of egress in the building, must be operable without special knowledge or tools and open to a yard or court that extends to an open public way.

In order to meet the minimum 32-inch net clear opening width with standard side jambs and stops, you must have at least a 36-inch-wide door.

A sliding door does not meet the requirements for a home’s primary egress door, though it might meet the specifications for a means of egress from a habitable basement or sleeping room.

Though each state may be different in terms of its requirements for additional means of egress from below grade spaces, many have simply mandated at least one such exit path in any basement, while others restrict that requirement to one in the habitable portion of a basement.

Each bedroom, what the code calls a sleeping area, must have a separate means of egress, usually a window. This applies no matter where in the building the sleeping area is located.

The openings of these windows cannot begin higher than 44 inches from the adjacent finished floor.

Additionally, the window must open to a net clear 20-inch minimum width and net clear 24-inch height.

Note these are minimums. The actual net clear opening width times the net clear opening height must equal at least 5.7 square feet of unobstructed opening. Typical screen installations are allowed since these are easily removed or knocked out in an emergency.

The idea here is to not only allow persons of various ages, sizes and abilities to exit, but to possibly allow entrance by rescue personnel who may be wearing safety gear, including oxygen tanks.

An egress window located at or below grade, while meeting the minimum net clear opening width and height requirements, may have its net clear opening area reduced to 5.0 square feet.

The opening for windows above grade is required to be larger, in part, because the opening may be partially obstructed during a rescue by a ladder.

When such a window is located below grade, it must exit to a well or areaway with a minimum base floor that is 3-feet square, and the window must be able to fully open into the well as in the case of a crank-out or casement type unit.

Wells that are more than 44-inches deep must have a ladder that meets specific criteria. Prefabricated wells of various widths and depths can be readily purchased for new or retrofit installations.

The floor drains of these wells should be connected to the basement footing drains, and various types of easily removed lids are available for them.

If such an installation has you exiting the home below a deck, a minimum 36-inch headroom is required from top of ground to bottom of deck.

Companies such as SPS Glass Block in Ypsilanti and Basements Plus in Commerce Township specialize in retrofitting these units to existing homes where owners may be finishing the below grade space.

Properly done, these units can provide an additional level of natural light, ventilation and safety while adding value to the home.

As in the case of any improvements to your home, depend on the professionals you can trust at Insideoutsideguys.com.

For more advice, listen to “The Inside Outside Guys” every Saturday and Sunday on 760 WJR from 10 a.m. to noon or contact them at InsideOutsideGuys.com.