Egress window in basement completely underground? (Chicago: buying a house, buying, tile)

[Jamsify1]

We're in the process of buying a house. The basement is completely underground, there are no windows.

Half of the basement is finished and we will be using that as our living room, and we wanted to build a playroom/bonus room on the other side. I know an egress window isn't mandatory for this, but I would feel a lot better if we had one since we will be spending so much time down there. I have 3 kids under 5 years of age so I'm a bit paranoid.

My question is, if the basement is completely underground, can an egress window still be added? Can we place it where ever we want? The back of the house is covered by the deck and patio so it would have to go on the side or front of the house.

[linicx]

It is not unusual to find a split level house with a basement underground. The majority of these houses, however, have outside access. I look at basements as a death trap if you cannot get out, or get to a safe place in case of fire or furnace failure/gas leak. Because of the number of tornadoes in Illinois, I look at my basement as a safe haven.

One of the biggest problems of the Illinois basement is water. It is only a problem because the weeping system was not installed or not installed properly. There is nothing like a basement full of wet carpet to convince you something went wrong.

[froglipz]

Egress window / well info: http://www.egresswindows.com/categor...ss-window-kits

[chet everett]

Only a lunatic would consider a basement a "deathtrap", a very larger percentage of homes in the greater Chicago region have living space in their completely below grade basements.

There is no requirement for such space to have an egress window (if there were a bedroom in the basement that WOULD require either egress window or exterior stairway...) but it is a good idea to add the egress window for not just life-safety but natural light. The placement of the egress window may be dictated by local codes, typically the side yard is preferable but if the required "window well" intrudes into the non-buildable area you may be forced to reconfigure the deck if you still want the egress window.

There are firms that specialize in the kinds of window wells that make an egress window secure and functional -- Egress Window Wells - Compact Series at Redi Exit When you install such a unit it is also a great time to verify / upgrade any weeping tiles that will surround the entire foundation and ensure that it remains dry in even the heaviest rain. Sadly there are many people that do not understand how modern weeping tiles can eliminate seepage from most any basement -- as this Canadian site clearly explains a well designed weeping tile system is key to protecting a finished basement from water damage -- Prevent water damage to your home Option 14

[yousah]

It's somewhat easy to hire a company that can cut an opening in the foundation wall and excavate outside to provide proper egress. I think Perma Seal might do that also.

[Jamsify1]

Thank you everyone. We decided against that house so we aren't concerned with this issue now.