Basement Bedroom Requirements
You can arrange the bedroom so that one of the exterior walls has a properly sized egress window or exterior door in it.
Basement bedroom requirements. A window with a minimum width of opening of 20 inches. Doing so will increase your home s square footage functionality and resale value down the road making it a great option especially if you re looking to sell in the near. It covers such things as square footage ceiling height electrical outlets lighting and ventilation closets and emergency exits. The units must be operable from the inside to a full clear opening without the use of a key or tool.
Most municipalities require a plan submission for all finished basements with a bedroom. There are several options that you can use to achieve the egress requirements for a bedroom in a basement. Egress opening requirements include. Window requirements the sill of an egress window must be within 44 inches of a finished floor a minimum of 20 inches in width providing a clear opening and 24 inches in height providing a clear opening.
What is a bedroom may seem like an obvious question but in real estate there are certain details that differentiate a bedroom from a regular room. Every bedroom shall have at least one operable window or exterior door approved for emergency egress or rescue. What you need to know before adding a bedroom to your basement so you re looking to add a bedroom to the basement space in your home. Doing so can confuse buyers and their agents and making the windows in a basement quality as emergency egress can be difficult as well.
Building codes require a basement bedroom has a window for fire escape purposes. All things building related are codified and bedrooms are no exception. It must also follow code requirements for the height and width of basement egress windows. At a minimum the bottom of the window must be no more than 44 inches from the floor and that the actual opening be a minimum of 20 inches wide and 24 inches high larger is better not only to make escape easier but also to allow firefighters packing tools and breathing equipment to enter the area quickly.
However keep in mind that calling a basement a bedroom can get tricky. Meeting egress window code to meet building code an egress window must be easy to open and big enough for escape or for a firefighter to climb into the house. But for purposes of meeting code a basement bedroom requires a legal egress window an escape route in case of fire. Making a basement a bedroom.
Areas in a basement with habitable spaces only are required to implement egress windows or rescue openings.