Egress Window Installation in Zimmerman, MN
You are finishing the basement of a Zimmerman house built in the 1990s or 2000s and the bedroom down there needs a way out.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-204-2099.
Egress window installation in Zimmerman is mostly basement-bedroom work in 1990s and 2000s homes whose basements were left unfinished. JMB Builders is based in Zimmerman: we dig out the wall, cut or enlarge the opening, set the window and well with drainage gravel, and trim the inside. We check with the City of Zimmerman building department and pull the permit. Priced per window, quoted from photos.
- Based in Zimmerman, Sherburne County
- Priced per window: cut, window, well, trim
- Permit checked with the City of Zimmerman
Zimmerman grew fast through the 1990s and 2000s, and a lot of those houses went up with the basement left as concrete and studs for later. Later is now. When the basement gets finished, the room that becomes a bedroom needs an egress window, and the small high hopper the builder put in does not come close.
This is our home town, so the drive is short and the site visit is easy to fit in. The job is the same every time: utilities located, the outside dug out, the foundation wall cut with a wet saw, a header over the opening where the wall needs one, the window set on a treated buck in a sill pan, the well anchored with drainage gravel, and the inside trimmed with returns or jamb extensions. Every dimension is checked against code before the saw starts.
Most cities require a permit to cut a foundation wall for egress. We check with the City of Zimmerman building department for your address and pull the permit, then schedule the inspection.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough: a reply within one business day, or ask for a free in-home estimate. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
What you supply
- Where the bedroom will be and which wall you would like the window in
- A clear path in the yard for the dig and for the cut concrete to come out
- Your pick of casement or slider, color, and well style
- Interior paint color, or leave the trim primed and caulked and paint it yourself
What JMB supplies
- Gopher State One Call locate before any digging
- Permit application with the City of Zimmerman where it is required
- Excavation, wet-saw cut of the poured or block wall, and concrete haul-away
- Header over the opening where the wall needs one; engineer sizing when the wall calls for it
- Treated buck, egress window, sill pan, flashing, foam and sealant
- Window well anchored to the wall, drainage gravel, and backfill
- Drywall returns or wood jamb extensions and casing inside
- Photos of the finished window and well in your job folder
How it is priced: per window
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Enlarging the existing basement window vs. cutting a new opening in solid wall
- Poured concrete vs. block wall
- How deep below grade the sill sits, which sets the well size
- What is over the dig: a deck, AC unit, gas meter or landscaping
- Well choice: galvanized, composite or stone-look, with or without a cover
- Basement already framed and drywalled vs. still open studs
- Permit fee where the city requires one
Send a photo of the wall from inside and outside, and say whether the basement is finished yet. That is usually enough for a firm number.
How long it takes
One egress window: usually two to three days from dig to trim, plus the inspection. The wall is closed up before we leave on cutting day.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized reply within one business day. Prefer a look in person? A free in-home estimate is always an option.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Before the basement is finished
The easiest time: open studs, no drywall to cut or patch, and the returns are framed with the rest of the room. If you are planning a basement finish in Zimmerman, call before the framing goes up.
After the basement is finished
Still a common job. We protect the room, cut back the drywall around the old window, cut the wall from outside and in, and finish the new opening with returns or jamb extensions so it looks like it was always there.
Egress Window Installation in Zimmerman, MN: questions, answered
Do I need a permit for an egress window in Zimmerman?
Most Minnesota cities require a building permit to cut or enlarge a basement window opening for egress. We check with the City of Zimmerman building department for your address before we quote, pull the permit when it is needed, and schedule the inspection. The permit fee shows on the quote as its own line.
Why do so many Zimmerman basements need egress windows?
A large share of Zimmerman homes were built in the 1990s and 2000s with unfinished basements and small, high basement windows. When owners finish those basements and add a bedroom, that room needs an emergency escape opening that meets code. Enlarging one of the original basement windows is the usual way to get there.
Is it better to add an egress window before or after finishing the basement?
Before is simpler: there is no drywall to protect or patch, and the window returns get framed with the room. After works too. We cut back the finished wall around the old window, make the cut, and trim the new opening to match the room.
Can you enlarge the small basement window I already have?
Yes, and it is the most common version of this job. The old window comes out, the opening is cut wider and lower to egress size, and a new window and well go in. Part of the wall is already open, so it is usually less cutting than a brand-new opening.
How close is JMB Builders to Zimmerman?
JMB Builders is based in Zimmerman, so a site visit and the work days are short drives for us. We also cut egress windows in Elk River, Big Lake, Princeton and the rest of the north metro. You can send photos for a reply within one business day or book a free in-home estimate.
What kind of window well do you put in?
The well is anchored to the foundation and set on drainage gravel so water soaks away instead of pooling at the glass. You choose galvanized steel, composite or a stone-look well, with or without a cover. A cover has to open from inside without tools, and a deep well needs a ladder or steps.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and the builders we work with. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
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Read morePage reviewed October 9, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All by city pages
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