An egress window is actually a basement window that’s enlarged to allow a safe exit from a building in the case of fire or emergency.
There are a couple problems with the original builder-grade basement window:
1. There’s very little natural light that comes through.
2. There’s no safe way to get out of this basement in the event of a fire or an emergency.
A Bowman Kemp Easy Well™ is going to allow streams of natural light to come through, and is also going to allow a legal egress from the building in the event of fire or emergency.
An Egress Window can also allow the homeowner to add value to their home. They can call it a finished bedroom space, as long as they have a legal egress window.
The Boman Kemp system being used is a corrugated steel well, and the window is made by a sister company of Bowman Kemp called Safe Basements. It’s specifically designed to meet egress code, which is 28 inches wide and 54 inches in length.
The Boman Kemp Well System, with the Safe Basements Window, uses a clear plastic Cover, which will meant to hold majority of the water out, and also underneath of that is a grate that can hold up to 600 pounds (although not meant for foot traffic). They slide off and on a rubber grommet very easily. Even a small child could remove it in the event of an emergency.
From the inside, if you need to get out, a simple lever comes up, and then you climb out the window where you can use the Escape Ladder system to climb out to safety.
It also allows fireman or other emergency personnel to be able to get in with gear.
It can also be used as a normal window. There’s a screen inside to allow a cross-breeze and natural air down in the basement.
This is an entry-level package. There were some restrictions in terms of the width, the building configuration and on the outside the setback from the property line.