Doors and Windows - Installing double-wide egress window into a basement

I want to install a double-wide egress crank-out window in our basement. The house is a 1954 one-floor rambler with concrete block foundation and basement walls wood construction with brick veneer on first floor.

There is a current window well where I want to put this in whcih is 32" wide. I need to get the opeining 62" wide by pulling out the old window and cutting away the foundation.

The problem I have is this...currently on the 32" window opening there are two floor joists above a single 2x12 cap plate just below the rim. Widening the window opening to 62" would mean there would be four floor joists being supported by the one 2x12. The first joist would be about 5 ro 6 inches into the opening on both sides.

Fortunately there is a large picture window above the basement window so the only weight is the floor.

So what is the best way to reenforce this cap plate. Is it simply creating a window frame box with a 2x12 so there would be two 2x12s supporting the four joists.

Alternatively...there happen to be two sets of double floor joists to support an upstairs fireplace which are on either side of the new opening. I could cut the floor joists and install a double 8x10 accross the joists and attach it to the curent double floor joists, then attach the cut joists on either side with joist hangers and nails.

I do have a picture at my website at http://family.teemaster.com/Basement/egress_window.htm

Any advice would be most appreciated...

Thanks

BB,

Great pics.....thanks....that helps a lot even though I had a pretty good idea what you were doing....

Here's what "I" would do if it were mine......

You're gonna have to do something about the brick when you widen the opening, and since it only goes up about 6 courses above the current window, ends with that rowlock course, then siding, "I" would take the brick off in a "V" or "U" sorta pattern, racking back enough to take care of the new opening, since you're gonna have to do SOMETHING about the brick anyway.....I mean, if the brick went all the way up the wall above, I probably would "tooth" the repair in, but given what you have, I'd do it that way.......for the next reason as well.

Once you get the brick taken back enough, you will also expose the outside of the box sill.......that is the 2 x ? , (the same height as your floor joists) that the floor joist butt into on the outside edge of the basement wall. I'd cut it out about 3-4" on either side of the proposed new opening.......then I'd cut the 4 floor joists back 3", then move the pc you cut out back to the ends of the cut joists, and add 2 more pcs of new material the same size, nailing the whiz out of all of them as you assemble.

Then use joist hangers on the ends of the cut joists attaching them to the new header.

This is a "flush" type header....used when you don't want the header down under the joists like is typically done......you don't want to loose the space and make your window go down the distance of a conventional header, so this is the alternative.


Now you have a nice, strong header so there is no danger of your above floor sagging ( and binding your window ) which it might IF you just let the mud sill ( the 2x12 laying flat on the foundation wall top ) .......

With the floor well supported, now cut your new opening, frame the sides and sill with 2x salt treated lumber and install your new window.

You may have to add a "well" also to get the height for an exgress window.

Nice project....good luck and post some pics back when you get done !

Excellent response, Andy,

Whew...sounds like more work than I thought. I was not planning on much brick work, so thanks for the reminder. I posted another picture (http://family.teemaster.com/Basement/egresswindow0005.jpg) showing the window above...which was not clear from the previous picture.

I looked at the current window and under the brick is a steel plate. Can I just get a longer one and place it under the current one to extend the current plate to make it easier for the brick part of this project?

As for the support suggestion...again, excellent. The bottom of the rim joist (upon which the floor joist butt) is flush with the window opening, so in order to cut that out I would have to take out probably two courses of bricks in order to gain the clearance to get all the material into the ends of the current floor joists as suggested. The thought of this scares me a litte bit.

Is my idea about installing a flush header near the inside wall and attach both sides of the 4 cut joists to the new doubled 2x10 beam any good? I just think if I mess around too much with the end of the joists and the rim joist with the bricks I'm asking for trouble.

The original builders did a similar thing on the other end of the same four joists to accomodate the fireplace (http://family.teemaster.com/Basement/egresswindow0006.jpg). I would use real joist hangers rather than the blocking method the builders used.

Is my train of though wrong here?

Thanks.

BB

The bottom of the window in your picture is too high to be an egress window. Ask the AHJ what the highest sill an egress can have is. It is usually around 40 inches off the floor. If the well ends up to deep on the outside you may have to put in a permanent ladder or stairs.

Brickeyee,

Yes, indeed I will go much deeper, probably 50" below the top of the current glass block. Shrubs nedd moving, a well will need to be dug and a step installed. I did this before on a diferent side of my home but had no bricks to contend with...and I just used the standard 32" opening and took it straight down.

This one I wanted to go double wide and with the brickwork involved.... I'm just a little confused about the brick work and supporting a much wider opening as described above.

Thank you for the response!

BB,

The only problem with building a flush header like they did at the fireplace is you wouldn't have the support where you need it....under the outside wall to bear the weight of the wall......hence you need to do what I said or loose the space to a header set down in the block.....you'd loose about 8" that way, but if you can live with that, it would be easier to do...

BUT you're going to HAVE to do something about the brick anyway I think.....that steel "plate" you see holding the brick up above the glass block window now is actually a steel angle.....you just can't see the part that turns up behind the brick. And yes, you can get a longer angle ( lintel ) to span a wider opening.....I've spaned 16' garage door openings with brick IF you get a good heavy angle like 1/4".....and sometimes you have to lag screw it to the wall also......

Be a GOOD idea to check your local brick supplier and see IF you can get matching brick.......it's about impossible to clean off brick laid with modern Portland cement base mortars....

Thanks, Andy,

My thinking was that the header currently supports the short wall below the upstairs picture window and the floor above the joists. I thought that if I put in a flush header near the wall that would relieve the weight of the floor above and all the top plate would then need to support would be the short wall whcih I thought the 2x12 current top plate could support. After thinking about it and after your words of wisom I think you're right that the plate would sag over time and pinch the new window, then I'd hove some real trouble.

I think I now understand what would be needed, and I've decided, with my new enlightenment that I'll stick with the standard single window to fit that 32" width. Would have been fun, but there is too much room to screw it up...and I UNDOUBTEDLY would, then I'd probably be forced to bring in a mason to fix it...

I'll still post the result and get it done in the next few days.

Thanks again for the insight and saving me from a real potential disaster.

BB

"My thinking was that the header currently supports the short wall below the upstairs picture window and the floor above the joists. I thought that if I put in a flush header near the wall that would relieve the weight of the floor above and all the top plate would then need to support would be the short wall whcih I thought the 2x12 current top plate could support."

You can span 30-40" with what is there.....there really IS no header, but the sill plate and the box sill ( rim joist ) will take that kinda span.....but if you open it up to 60-70", you may well be asking for trouble......

And if you stay to the same width, you can just saw down the block wall and probably not have to mess with the brick at all.....Looking at your pics, I'd guess the brick ends about the bottom of the glass block and a 12" block runs on down from there......that's how we would do it here......

IF you go with a casement window, that current width ought to give you plenty of egress IF you can get it low enough down the wall....

Good luck with it......

I've started and should get the hole cut and new unit in today.

Thanks again for all the replies.

I'll let you know when it's done and post more pictures from the project for others contemplating the same project.

BB

Now you are modifing your wall. this becomes a building code issue.your egree now has to met code. the window sill should be at 44'' stated by the 1997 ubc unifom building code.