An egress window is a basement window big enough to escape through. In Sioux Falls that means at least 5.0 sq ft of clear opening, 24 in tall and 20 in wide, with the sill no higher than 48 in off the floor. Adding one means cutting a new or larger opening in the foundation, digging and setting a window well, and finishing the opening inside. Indigo Construction does all of it, in Sioux Falls and across eastern South Dakota.
What a cut-in actually involves
Most basements in the Sioux Falls area were built with small hopper or slider windows set high in the wall. They let in a little light, and none of them are an escape route. Making a basement bedroom legal usually means replacing one of those with a full egress opening, or cutting a brand new one where the room needs it.
- Site check. We look at which wall works for the room, what's buried on that side of the house (gas, electric, water and sprinkler lines are located before any digging), the grade, and how water moves across the yard.
- Excavation. A hole is dug outside the wall, wide and deep enough for the well plus working room.
- Cutting the foundation. The opening is sawn out of the poured concrete or block wall. Where the opening is widened, a header carries the load above it.
- Window and well. The window is set, flashed and sealed. The well is anchored to the foundation and drained. Sioux Falls requires the well to connect to the foundation drainage system or an approved alternative.
- Backfill and finish. Soil is compacted back around the well and graded away from the house. Inside, the opening gets returns and trim so it looks built-in.
Choosing the window
The code measures the clear opening, the space you can actually climb through with the window fully open, not the size of the frame. That makes the style of window matter as much as its size.
| Style | Clear opening | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Casement (side-hinged, cranks out) | Most per inch | The whole sash swings clear, so a casement meets the minimums in the smallest rough opening. The usual choice for a cut-in. |
| Sliding (gliding) | About half | Only one sash moves, so the unit has to be roughly twice as wide as the clear width you need. Works where a wide, short opening suits the wall. |
| Single or double hung | About half | Opens vertically, so the unit gets tall quickly. Rarely a good fit below grade. |
Whichever you choose, check the manufacturer's published clear-opening numbers. Two windows with the same outside dimensions can differ by an inch or two of clear opening, and that inch can be the difference between passing and failing.
The well matters as much as the window
A window that meets code is no use if the well in front of it is a narrow slot. The well needs at least 9 sq ft of area, 36 in of projection and 36 in of width, and in Sioux Falls it needs a permanent ladder or steps once it's more than 48 in deep. See window wells and covers for the options.
Permits
Sioux Falls requires a building permit to construct, enlarge or alter a building, and it only issues residential permits to licensed contractors. Indigo holds a City of Sioux Falls Residential Building Contractor license (#16860), so we pull the permit and schedule the inspection as part of the job. Outside the city, we check what the town or county requires before we start.
Why people add egress
- A legal bedroom. A basement room without an escape opening shouldn't be called a bedroom when you sell or rent the house. New bedrooms in an existing basement need one.
- A way out. The point of the rule. If a fire blocks the stairs, the window is the exit, and the way in for a firefighter.
- Daylight. An egress window lets in far more light than the original basement window, which changes how the whole room feels.