Posted on 08/24/2016 11:33:58 AM PDT by mowowie
VANITY: Any FReeper have any idea how much it might cost to have a contractor cut a hole into a basement concrete foundation and install a relatively full size window?
Just curious... Thank you for your input.
$225 if you use illegal aliens from south of the border; $1.2 million if you use union labor.
Around here you cannot have a legal bedroom without window egress that a nice big adult can leave.
Does the house already have access to the outside from the basement? Isn’t that common in New England? If the real/only issue is stuffiness and not view or escape, you might want to look at having an exhaust type fan put in, instead of the window. Depending on the home’s layout for the basement and first floor, you might be able to have a fan put in the lower first floor, which is vented to/from the basement. Just another thought.
i suppose that i could turn it into a month long hobby using a chisel and a hammer...
Maybe wear some headphones or watch Star Trek reruns while i relentlessly hammer...
Actually doesn’t sound like a bad idea, it’s the flat,straight edges that i’m concerned about.
Maybe i could just use filler and hide it with trim...
Only kidding.....not really.
Joking aside i wonder if i could actually pull it off..
You may also need a closet (not that expensive if you have space) for code. You probably need to start by looking for what the inspectors will require, and work backwards toward what it is going to cost.
A lot of time you can do interior work without bothering code enforcement, but when you start digging out below grade and cutting through structural concrete, you are a lot more likely to have interactions with them.
thank you for that suggestion
i was thinking the same thing.
a wall separates the bedroom from the bathroom which happens to have a small basement style window in it.
Maybe i could set up some kind of vent system or even cut a hole in the wall for one of those portable ac units.
What you’re thinking of is called an egress window.
I’ve heard that to have it done usually runs around $5000. I’ve done my own for about $250.
If you want to meet fire code, the openable part of the window must be at least 5.7 sq. ft and the sill no more than 44” off the ground. Mine was very cheap because it’s not that large of a window.
For the first one, I rented a ring saw for about $200. It’s a water cooled, gas operated concrete saw. I dug out the hole, dug down to the drain tile to put in a pipe for drainage then cut the hole. I started with an existing window.
Cutting the hole was tough. I have a friend now who is a concrete cutter by trade so he did my second one for me. Installing the window was pretty straightforward.
I then built a wood retaining wall. We don’t have any young kids and the hole is only 3’ deep so I don’t have a cover on it.
It’s a lot of work, but adds a level of safety and tons of light to the basement.
Ding, ding, ding - we have a winnah! (And while you're at it ask the structural engineer what he thinks the 'price range' will be for getting the job done.)
I actually live in Norwood and had to do this a few years back but unfortunately the cost was included in the cost of a new foundation for an addition so I don’t have the exact price, but I’m thinking $400 for a 42” x 8’ cut, done in an hour and broken up into blocks and buried under the pour.
The Building Department here is very easy to work with, but I would say “office” rather than bedroom anywhere in MA when using a basement or attic space.
“What will be expensive will be labor and permits.”
It’s usually much easier to bribe your neighbors into keeping their mouth shut than it is to get a permit :)
thank you for that info
Ask a local RE agent, they would probably know.
And a sump pump
and a closet
I would recommend getting a legitimate licensed contractor, not some day laborers from outside of Home Depot.
I think it is important to get a good job done, otherwise you will regret, have problems and will cost you more later.
If you have full access to the house now, get some estimates from legitimate local contractors.
If it is an escape/egress window mandated for a basement bedroom, it was about $4000 in total to make it up to current code for these things.
Take a picture of the outside of the house where you want the window. Try not to require digging next to the window because then you’ll need to plan for drainage. That could be your larger problem.
Are you familiar with the use of a SKILL SAW? If the answer is yes, then yes you probably could do the work yourself. Look at this video CUTTING CONCRETE FOUNDATION WALL FOR EGRESS WINDOWS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eG6ls4bkf0A and this one Craigo Construction, egress window install, 5 hours, Rockwell Window Well, concrete cutting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta0eEVX6GWM
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