Installing Egress Window Header

Screw the top of the frame into the ceiling plate or joists.

Installing egress window header.

We install about three units per week and work year round. Use concrete screws to anchor the sides of the frame to the concrete walls. Egress window logic and the building code. But if you install the window in a load bearing wall perpendicular to the floor joists.

Partially drive 3 in 7 6 cm deck screws into the bottom of the frame and push them into the wet concrete below. 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. 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. Complete a basic egress window well in about eight hours.

Photo 2 consult a structural engineer or architect to determine the header size. Put the window frame into place and secure it with nails or screws. Over the last four years we ve in stalled more than 600 egress windows. 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.

Then set the window aside and apply a generous bead of caulk to the box perimeter. 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. It s all we do. The old saying always leave yourself an out is especially true when it comes to home fires.

Wide in a wall that runs parallel to the floor joists you probably won t need the extra support of a header.