How to install a basement egress window yourself

Most of the bill is labor, not the window. Here is what the code actually requires, the one thing that decides whether this is a weekend or a contractor, and what the parts really cost.

The window, bought direct

$500–$1,000

Manufacturer list price across 5 models, 3 of them code-compliant for egress.

See which models clear egress code

The job, done by a contractor

$2,500–$20,000

Range across installer prices we verified.

See every published price

An excavated window well against a foundation wall, before the window is set — Photo: The Great Egress Co.

Read this before anything else

If concrete has to be cut, stop.

If there is no opening in the foundation yet, someone has to cut reinforced concrete and temporarily carry the load above it. That is not a DIY step, whatever a video tells you. Cutting an opening is the line between a weekend project and a contractor, and it is the single question that decides your path.

Take the four-question check

International Residential Code (IRC), 2021 edition

What the code requires

An egress window is a legal exit, so it is dimensioned by code rather than by taste. The opening has to clear all of these at once, with the window fully open.

5.7 sq ft Net clear opening area. Drops to 5 sq ft for grade-floor and below-grade openings. R310.2.1
24 in Minimum net clear opening height. Measured with the window in its normal open position. R310.2.2
20 in Minimum net clear opening width. Height and width both have to be met, and together they still h