How much does it cost to install an egress window in a basement?

An egress window in a basement usually runs $8,000 to $15,000 installed. The spread comes down to whether your wall is poured concrete, block, or stone, and how big the window well and dig need to be. We give you a firm number after a free inspection, with a written quote inside 24 hours.

That price covers the real work, not just the window. To put a code-legal egress in below grade, somebody has to cut the foundation, dig the well outside, set the window and frame, and backfill it so water drains away instead of pooling at the glass. Skip a step and you get a leak. So the number you hear should include all of it.

Here is what moves the cost up or down.

Wall type is the biggest one. A poured concrete wall cuts clean. A block wall takes more care. A fieldstone or rubble wall is the slow job, because the opening has to be cut and re-supported without weakening the wall above it. More labor, more cost.

Size and depth come next. A deeper basement means a deeper dig and a taller window well, sometimes a tiered one with steps built in. Bigger hole, more material, more time.

Then there is what is in the way. Buried pipe, an old oil line, a packed driveway, or a deck over the spot all add steps. We would rather find that on the inspection than on the day of the dig.

And the well itself. A simple corrugated well costs less than a poured or composite one with a grate and a drain at the bottom. That drain matters here in New Hampshire. The ground around your foundation is disturbed backfill, the looser soil that got put back when the house was built, and it drains slowly and holds water. A well with no drain becomes a bucket. We tie the well drain into a path that sheds water away from your wall.

Most folks ask about an egress window for one of two reasons. You are finishing the basement and code says a sleeping room needs a way out. Or you just want a real exit and more daylight down there. Both are good reasons. If you are finishing the space, the egress is part of that bigger plan, and we pull the permit and run one of our own crews on the whole job. See our basement finishing page for how that fits together.

You do not always need an egress window. If you are not adding a bedroom and your basement already has a code-legal exit, you may be fine as is. We will tell you that on the inspection instead of selling you a hole in your wall. If you do need one, get it done before the drywall goes up, not after.

One more New Hampshire note. Frost heave pushes on foundation walls every winter, so the new opening has to be cut and headed correctly. Done right, it is solid for the life of the house. Done cheap, it can crack. This is why we do the structural side of this work in-house.

If your real worry is water, an egress window will not fix it. A wet basement gets solved with interior drainage and a sump, our Forever Dry System. The egress just gives you the exit and the light. Two different jobs.

We are 603 Basement Solutions, out of East Kingston, NH, serving New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts. Trusted by 5,000+ homeowners in New England, 4.9 stars across 250 Google reviews, BBB A+ accredited, licensed and insured. We will come look, measure, and hand you a real number.

Want to know what your egress window will actually cost? Call us at 603-610-1770 or book your free inspection and we will get you a written quote within 24 hours. Backed by the 603 guarantee!

Related questions

Do I legally need an egress window in my basement? If you are adding a bedroom or sleeping room in the basement, code requires a compliant emergency exit, and an egress window is the usual way to meet it. If you are not adding a bedroom and you already have a code-legal exit, you may not need one. We confirm what your space needs on a free inspection. See basement finishing.

Does an egress window cause basement leaks? Only if the well is built without a working drain. The well sits in disturbed backfill that holds water, so it needs a drain at the bottom tied into a path that sheds water away from your wall. Built right, it stays dry. If your basement is already wet, that is a separate fix, our Forever Dry System.

Can I add an egress window to a fieldstone foundation? Yes, but it is the harder cut. The opening has to be made and re-supported so the stone wall above stays sound. That takes more labor than a poured wall, so it costs more. We do this structural work in-house and price it after we see the wall. Start with a free inspection.

Should I do the egress window before or after finishing the basement? Before. Cut the opening and set the window while the walls are open, then finish around it. Doing it after means tearing into new drywall. If you are finishing the whole space, we fold the egress into one job. See basement finishing.