Installing Egress Window Header

Complete a basic egress window well in about eight hours.

Installing egress window header.

Screw the top of the frame into the ceiling plate or joists. If you re installing a small window less than 48 in. While i prefer sunny 60 f days with a light breeze we also work in feb ruary when it s 10 f out and the ground is frozen. Wide in a wall that runs parallel to the floor joists you probably won t need the extra support of a header.

Photo 2 consult a structural engineer or architect to determine the header size. Then set the window aside and apply a generous bead of caulk to the box perimeter. It s all we do. The egress window must open into a window well outside the foundation that must be at least 36 inches wide and provide at least 9 square feet of space when the window is open.

We install about three units per week and work year round. When the basement stairs are blocked by a flaming television true story or fire and thick black smoke are racing down a hallway toward a dead end bedroom windows that are large enough for you to escape and for firefighters to enter become. There should be at least 6 inches between the windowsill and the bottom of the window well and the well needs to be equipped with a ladder if it s more than 44 inches. Place the window in the opening and have a helper on the inside center and level it while you drive galvanized nails through the mounting fins and into the surrounding box.

Partially drive 3 in 7 6 cm deck screws into the bottom of the frame and push them into the wet concrete below. Use concrete screws to anchor the sides of the frame to the concrete walls. Over the last four years we ve in stalled more than 600 egress windows. To install the window first fold the fins out.

Put the window frame into place and secure it with nails or screws.