ESCAPE LADDER SAFEROOM UPDATE
ESCAPE LADDER SAFEROOM CODE
ESCAPE LADDER SAFEROOM WINDOWS

The images below show a nice example of such a room. If a building is on fire, a firefighter won’t worry about delicately unlocking a window and cranking it open they’re going to knock the whole thing out of the frame. I’m not as concerned about this part of the equation.

ESCAPE LADDER SAFEROOM UPDATE

Update 7/11/18: the sizes listed above aren’t just about getting out of a building they’re also about allowing a firefighter to get into the building while wearing a big oxygen tank. There’s no need to measure the window to prove this anyone can tell just by looking at it. A home inspector should call this a safety hazard and recommend correction of this condition, or recommend not using the room as a bedroom. If a window is small and someone would have a hard time getting out of the home, it’s obvious.

ESCAPE LADDER SAFEROOM WINDOWS

I see no need for a home inspector to measure windows to justify recommendations for added safety.

We can look at a window and decide whether or not most people could get out. In my humble opinion, a home inspector doesn’t need to measure a window to decide if it’s safe or not. What should a home inspector say about egress? I’ve heard many people refer to this allowance as the ‘Renewal by Andersen exception’. The replacement window basically needs to be the same type as the original, and it needs to be the largest window that will fit in the existing opening.

Replacement windows are allowed to reduce the window opening to less than the requirements listed above.

If the home is fully protected by an automatic sprinkler system, no egress opening is required in basement bedrooms.

Here are some exceptions that are special to Minnesota: This handout also has some nice diagrams, which I’ve copied below. The City of Bloomington has a nice handout on Egress Requirements explaining these requirements.

If there’s a deck or porch above the basement window well, at least 36″ of headroom is needed.

If the window well is more than 44″ deep, it needs a ladder.

Window wells must be at least 3′ x 3′, and they must allow the window to open fully.

In those cases, the opening can be reduced to 5 square feet.

The net clear opening must be at least 5.7 square feet unless the bottom of the opening is within 44″ of the ground at the exterior.

The height of the opening must be at least 24″.

The width of the opening must be at least 20″.

The bottom of the required opening must be within 44″ of the floor.

Basements, habitable attics, and sleeping rooms need to have an egress opening.

I’m not going to explain all of these requirements, but I’ll list the basics:

ESCAPE LADDER SAFEROOM CODE

If you’re in Minnesota, check out section R310 of the Minnesota State Building Code for all of the requirements. So now that I’ve covered the proper terminology for any online trolls/word sticklers, I’m going to go back to calling it egress. It just needs to be something big enough to get people in and out. The building code definition for an Emergency Escape and Rescue Opening is “ an operable exterior window, door or similar device that provides for a means of escape and access for rescue in the event of an emergency.” I think this term is already pretty self-explanatory, but I included the definition to make it clear that the opening doesn’t need to be a window. I’ve heard people call this “ingress”, but I refuse to use that word because it sounds made-up.

It’s also there to allow for emergency rescues. This term makes it clear that this required opening in the building isn’t just for getting out (egress). Usually, when people say egress they’re referring to the Emergency Escape and Rescue Opening. What is egress?Įgress is not defined in the building code. I’ve never seen this done and I can’t imagine anyone ever wanting to do this, but it would not be a code violation. If someone wanted to build a home and have no pathway from a bedroom to the rest of the home, they could. While section R311 of the building code discusses Means of Egress at length, this section is all about people having a clear path to get out of a building, not about openings in bedrooms. I’ve heard this repeated by home inspectors in online discussions more times than I can count, and it’s based on nothing. There has to be a large group of home inspector trainers who tell home inspectors that every bedroom needs two methods of egress.

Escape ladder saferoom