Finished-Basement Bedroom Windows to Egress Size
The basement was finished with a bedroom, but the window is the same small hopper the house was built with.
Reply within one business day. Or call / text 763-250-3621.
Finished-basement bedroom windows to egress size: JMB Builders cuts the small bedroom window's opening down to code size, sets an egress window and a well outside, and replaces the other basement windows on the same order so they match. One egress and a few hoppers is a normal job for us, priced per opening, with the finished walls patched. Twin Cities metro. Send photos and we reply within one business day, or book a free in-home estimate.
- Bedroom window enlarged to egress, with a well
- Other basement windows on the same order, priced per opening
- Finished drywall and trim patched after the cut
A lot of basements were finished with a bedroom and no egress window. Sometimes the finisher skipped it, sometimes the room was a den that became a bedroom later. Either way, someone sleeps in a room whose only window is a hopper the size of a shoebox, and that is a problem for safety, for a home inspection when you sell, and for the permit if you ever pull one.
The fix is to enlarge that one opening. The block or poured wall is cut down to the size the code calls for, a window with a clear opening big enough to climb through goes in, and a well with a ladder or steps is set outside so the window can swing or slide open below grade. Inside, the finished drywall and trim around the old hopper are cut back and patched.
While that is happening, the other basement windows are usually the same age and the same shape. The two to five hoppers and sliders in the family room, the laundry and the utility room go on the same order as the egress window, in the same frame color and glass. Mixed styles on one order is normal: an egress casement or slider, hoppers where they fit, a fixed unit in the utility room. If some basement windows were already replaced, we check them at the measure and match the new ones.
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 763-250-3621.
What you supply
- A photo of the bedroom window from inside and from outside at grade
- A photo of each other basement window, labeled by room
- A photo of the wall outside the bedroom window showing the ground, deck or sidewalk there
- Furniture out of the bedroom and plastic-friendly access down the stairs the morning of the cut
- Paint color for the drywall patch and new trim: painting is quoted as a separate line, or leave it primed and caulked and paint it yourself
What JMB supplies
- A line-item quote: the egress window and well on their own lines, the other basement windows priced per opening
- One in-person measure with the egress opening sized against the code and a check of any windows you keep
- All basement windows on one order through our supplier so they match
- Cutting the block or poured wall, a new sill, and the egress window set, flashed and sealed
- The well set and backfilled with drainage, with a cover if you want one
- The other basement windows removed, bucks rebuilt where rotted, new units sealed to the wall
- Drywall and trim patched around the egress opening, cleanup and photos in your job folder
How it is priced: per opening
Quoted in writing from your photos, with a reply within one business day. What moves the number:
- Block or poured concrete wall, and how far the opening is cut down
- Egress window style, casement or slider, and the well size and depth needed below grade
- What is outside the bedroom wall: lawn, a deck, a sidewalk or a gas meter
- How many other basement windows go on the order and their sizes
- Rotted wood bucks behind the old hoppers
- How much finished drywall, insulation and trim has to be cut back and patched
- Interior finish: new jamb and casing at each window, PVC or painted wood
Tell us what is outside the bedroom wall. A deck or a sidewalk over the spot where the well has to go changes the plan more than anything else.
How long it takes
Lead time depends on the egress window and well. The cut, egress window and well: one to two working days. The other basement windows add a day. Drywall patching after.
How your project works
- 1
Photos or a free in-home estimate
Send photos of the bedroom window inside and out and of the other basement windows, and we reply within one business day, or book a free in-home estimate.
- 2
Measure, egress check and quote
The bedroom opening is sized against the egress rules, the spot for the well is checked outside, and the other windows are measured. The quote lists the egress window, the well and each other window on its own line.
- 3
Permit and order
Cutting a foundation opening needs a permit in most cities, and we pull it. All basement windows go on one order so they match.
- 4
Cut, set and backfill
The wall is cut, the new sill and egress window go in, the well is set and backfilled with drainage. The other basement windows are swapped the same day or the next.
- 5
Patch and walkthrough
Drywall and trim are patched around the egress opening, every window is opened and locked with you, and the photos go in your job folder.
Situations and options
Egress window only
The bedroom opening cut and the egress window and well set, nothing else touched. The frame color is matched to the other basement windows you keep, checked at the measure.
Egress plus the rest of the basement
The egress window and every other basement window on one order. One cut, one trip for the small windows, and the whole lower level matches.
Egress with a built-in well cover
A clear cover over the well keeps snow and leaves out and still opens from inside. Useful under a deck or on the side where the snow piles.
Finished-Basement Bedroom Windows to Egress Size: questions, answered
Does a finished basement bedroom need an egress window?
If someone sleeps there, yes. The room needs a second way out, which for a basement means a window with a clear opening big enough to climb through, low enough to reach, with a well outside if it sits below grade. A small hopper does not meet that, no matter how nice the room is.
Can you add an egress window to a basement that is already finished?
Yes. The drywall and trim around the old window are cut back, the block or poured wall is cut down to size, the egress window and well go in, and the wall inside is patched. The room is dusty for a day and the patch is painted after. It is a normal job for JMB Builders in the Twin Cities metro.
Should I replace the other basement windows at the same time?
Usually, yes. They are the same age as the old bedroom hopper and in the same shape, and on the same order they match the new egress window in frame color and glass. Each is priced per opening, and the trip is already paid for by the egress job.
Can the egress window be a slider and the others hoppers?
Yes. Mixed styles on one order is normal. The egress opening gets a casement or a slider big enough to climb through, the laundry and utility rooms get hoppers or small sliders, and all of them come from one line in one color and glass.
Do I need a permit to cut an egress window into my basement?
In most Twin Cities cities, yes, because a foundation wall is being cut. JMB Builders checks with your city and pulls the permit. The inspector usually wants to see the opening size and the well before it is backfilled. It is listed on the quote.
Where does the well go if there is a deck outside the bedroom?
Sometimes under the deck with a cover, if there is headroom to climb out. Sometimes the opening is shifted along the same wall to clear the deck, or a different bedroom wall is used. We look at what is outside at the measure and quote the spot that works.
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 25, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All windows pages
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