Windows and doors
Egress window installation cost
An egress window cut into a poured concrete basement wall is about $3,930 all in — and the window is only $600 of it. The rest is the saw cut, digging to below the sill, a window well with a ladder and a drain, the framing and waterproofing, the permit and the concrete hauled away. In a block wall it is $3,730; enlarging an existing basement window, $3,460; a same-size basement window swap, $500, but that is not egress. The code measures the opening with the window open: 5.7 sq ft, which a 30 × 48 in casement clears and a 36 × 48 in double-hung does not.
Written and edited by Pablo Ruiz Quintero
Last reviewed 2026-09-25 · Nothing you type leaves your browser
Egress window installation cost calculator
The opening, the wall and the well
The code measures the clear opening with the window open, not the window. Pick a style and a size and it is checked against the minimum.
A new hole saw-cut through the foundation, the soil dug out for a window well, a window, a well with a drain, and the inside finished.
Cut with a wall saw, both faces, the slab of concrete broken out.
The whole sash swings out, so nearly all of the window is clear opening.
Rough opening.
Opens to 24 × 41 in.
Over 44 in: a ladder.
On one visit.
Corrugated steel bolted to the foundation.
Mini-excavator access.
Open well.
Used only to pick a regional labour rate. It stays in your browser.
1 egress window, poured concrete wall
$3,930
6.8 sq ft clear · well 42 × 36 in
Meets the egress minimum
Opens to 24 × 41 in: 6.8 sq ft against 5.7, at least 24 in high and 20 in wide. Keep the sill within 44 in of the floor.
Where the money goes
The window is the cheap part.
An egress opening is a foundation job: a saw through concrete, a hole dug to below the sill, a well with a drain and a ladder, and the inside finished. The window itself is often a sixth of the price.
Swap, enlarge or cut new
1 window, by a contractor.
What the contractor charges for
- 1 × 30 × 48 in casement
The whole sash swings out, so nearly all of the window is clear opening. The standard egress window: the smallest one that complies.$600 - Cutting the poured concrete wall
Cut with a wall saw, both faces, the slab of concrete broken out. A steel or wood header is rarely needed; the concrete spans.$900 - Digging the well
The hole for the well dug by mini-excavator, the spoil spread or hauled.$700 - Galvanized steel window well
Corrugated steel bolted to the foundation. Cheap and functional. About 42 × 36 in.$300 - Well ladder
A permanent ladder fixed in the well — the code wants one deeper than 44 in.$180 - Well drain
Gravel in the bottom of the well and a drain tied to the footing drain or a dry well, so the well does not fill.$300 - Buck, header, waterproofing, trim
The pressure-treated buck in the opening, the header where needed, waterproofing on the outside, and the inside returns and trim.$500 - Permit
Cutting a foundation and adding an egress opening is permitted and inspected almost everywhere.$250 - Concrete hauled away
Several hundred pounds of cut concrete loaded and hauled away.$200
What it costs
National average. 1 30 × 48 in casement egress window cut into a poured concrete foundation, with the well, drain, framing, permit and haul-away. Not included: finishing the basement room, moving utilities in the way, or an engineer's letter on a wide block opening.
The windows upstairs, and what an insert does to an egress opening, on the window replacement page; the drain the well ties into, on the French drain page; the drywall that finishes the room behind it, on the drywall page.
Worth knowing
- A 30 × 48 in casement opens to 24 × 41 in — 6.8 sq ft clear against the code's 5.7. It complies, as long as the sill is no more than 44 in above the floor.
- The window is the cheap part: $600 of a $3,930 opening. The rest is cutting the concrete ($900), digging ($700), the well, its drain and the framing.
- The well: at least 36 in out from the wall and 36 in wide, 9 sq ft — about 42 × 36 in here (10.5 sq ft). At 54 in deep, more than 44 in, it needs a permanent ladder — in the price.
- Without a drain, a window well is a bucket against the foundation: gravel in the bottom and a pipe to the footing drain or a dry well. A cover keeps leaves and snow out, and has to open from inside without tools.
- It needs a permit almost everywhere, and a structural check on block walls or wide openings. A basement bedroom without a compliant egress opening is not a legal bedroom — and appraisers and buyers know it.
On this page — 4 sections
A foundation job with a window in it
The short version
- New egress, poured wall: $3,930. Block: $3,730.
- Enlarging a basement window: $3,460.
- A same-size swap: $500 — but not egress.
- The window is $600 of it. The rest is cutting, digging and the well.
An egress window in a basement is a foundation job. A wall saw cuts through the concrete, a hole is dug outside to below the new sill, a window well is set and drained, the window goes into a treated buck, the outside is waterproofed and the inside finished, and the inspector checks the result. The window itself is about a sixth of the price. That is also why enlarging an existing basement window saves less than people expect: the cut, the well and the drain are still new.
$3,930
New egress
Poured wall
$3,460
Enlarge
Existing window
$3,675
Each of two
Same visit
$500
Same-size swap
Not egress
MaterialsEstimator, Egress and basement window price survey · checked 2026-09-25
The clear opening, not the window
The code sets the size of the opening with the window open: at least 5.7 sq ft, 24 in high and 20 in wide, with the sill no more than 44 in above the floor. So the style of window decides how big the hole has to be. A casement swings fully open and clears the minimum at about 30 × 48 in. A slider opens only half its width and has to be about 48 in wide; a hung window opens only half its height and has to be about 66 in tall — a deeper cut and a deeper well.
| Window | Opens to | Clear | Egress? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casement 30 × 48 in | 24 × 41 in | 6.8 sq ft | Yes |
| Casement 24 × 48 in | 18 × 41 in | 5.1 sq ft | No |
| Slider 48 × 48 in | 20 × 42 in | 5.8 sq ft | Yes |
| Double-hung 36 × 66 in | 30 × 29 in | 6 sq ft | Yes |
| Double-hung 36 × 48 in | 30 × 20 in | 4.2 sq ft | No |
Clear opening estimated from the window size; the manufacturer’s egress rating is the one to check.
International Code Council, IRC R310 — Emergency escape and rescue openings (2021) · checked 2026-09-25
The well, its ladder and its drain
A below-grade egress window needs a well in front of it that someone can stand in and climb out of: at least 36 in out from the wall, 36 in wide and 9 sq ft, with a permanent ladder or steps when it is deeper than 44 in. And it needs a drain — gravel in the bottom and a pipe to the footing drain or a dry well — or it fills with water against the new opening. A steel well is the cheap version; a composite terraced well lets in more light and its steps are the ladder.
| Steel well | Composite terraced well | |
|---|---|---|
| The whole job | $3,930 | $4,700 with a cover |
| Ladder | Bolted-in ladder | Built-in steps |
| Light into the room | Some | More |
| Look | Corrugated metal | Stone-look face |
What goes wrong
Before the saw comes
- The wall chosen with room outside for a 36 in well and a machine.
- Utilities marked by 811, and nothing inside the wall at the cut.
- The window's egress rating checked, not just its size.
- Sill height within 44 in of the finished floor.
- A drain for the well planned.
- The permit pulled.
01Buying the window by its size
The code measures the clear opening, and some windows fail it.
Instead — A casement with a stated egress rating.
02Replacing a hopper and calling it egress
A same-size basement window is far below the minimum.
Instead — Enlarge the opening.
03No drain in the well
It fills against the foundation.
Instead — Gravel and a pipe to the footing drain or a dry well.
04A deep well with no ladder
It is not a way out if you cannot climb it.
Instead — A ladder or steps past 44 in.
05Sill too high
Over 44 in it fails, and a child cannot reach it.
Instead — Cut the opening low enough.
06A cover that needs tools or a key
It blocks the way out.
Instead — One that opens from inside by hand.
- 01Pick the wallWhere the outside has room for a well at least 36 in out, no utilities, and access for a mini-excavator.
- 02Check the wall typePoured concrete is saw-cut; block is cut to the course and gets a lintel.
- 03Choose the windowA casement about 30 × 48 in is the smallest that clears 5.7 sq ft; a slider has to be about 48 in wide.
- 04Measure grade to sillIt sets the well depth; deeper than 44 in and the well needs a ladder or steps.
- 05Plan the water outThe well drain ties to the footing drain or a dry well.
- 06Pull the permitCutting a foundation and adding an egress opening is permitted and inspected almost everywhere.
Bedroom windows on every floor have the same egress minimum, and an insert replacement can shrink a compliant opening below it.
The windows upstairs- Egress window
- An emergency escape and rescue opening: a window large enough to climb out of, and for a firefighter to climb in.
- Net clear opening
- The open area with the window fully open, not the size of the window. The code minimum is 5.7 sq ft.
- Sill height
- From the floor to the bottom of the clear opening. No more than 44 in for egress.
- Window well
- The excavated, retained area outside a below-grade window: at least 36 in out from the wall, 36 in wide and 9 sq ft.
- Well ladder
- A permanent ladder or steps, required in a well deeper than 44 in.
- Buck
- The pressure-treated wood frame fixed into the cut concrete that the window is fastened to.
- Lintel
- The beam over an opening in a block wall that carries the blocks above it.
- Wall saw
- A track-mounted diamond saw that cuts through a poured foundation cleanly.
- Hopper window
- The small, bottom-hinged window common in basements. Lets in light and air; not an egress window.
Common questions
- How much does an egress window cost?
- About $3,930 for a new egress window cut into a poured concrete basement wall, all in: the saw cut, digging, a steel window well with a ladder and a drain, a 30 × 48 in casement, the framing, the permit and hauling the concrete away. In a block wall, $3,730. Two on one visit are $7,350, $3,675 each.
- How much does it cost to enlarge a basement window to egress?
- About $3,460 in poured concrete: part of the opening and part of the digging already exist, but the wall is still cut down and wider, and the window well, drain and ladder are new.
- How much does it cost to replace a basement window?
- About $500 for a same-size vinyl hopper or slider in the existing opening, and $1,450 for three. No cutting and no permit — but it is not an egress window.
- What size does an egress window have to be?
- The clear opening with the window open has to be at least 5.7 sq ft, 24 in high and 20 in wide, with the sill no more than 44 in above the floor. A 30 × 48 in casement opens to about 24 × 41 in — 6.8 sq ft. A 24 in wide casement does not comply (5.1 sq ft); nor does a 36 × 48 in double-hung (4.2 sq ft).
- What is the best egress window for a basement?
- A casement: the whole sash swings open, so it clears the minimum with the smallest hole — about 30 × 48 in. A slider has to be about 48 in wide because only half opens ($3,780 here), and a hung window about 66 in tall ($3,830), which is a deep cut and a deep well.
- How much does a window well cost?
- A galvanized steel well is about $300, plus a ladder ($180) if it is deeper than 44 in and a drain in the bottom ($300). A composite terraced well with built-in steps is about $1,000, and a cover $250: that version of the whole job is $4,700.
- Does an egress window need a permit?
- Almost everywhere: it cuts the foundation, and the inspector checks the opening size, the sill height and the well. It is also what makes a basement room a legal bedroom.
- Can I install an egress window myself?
- The digging is the part people do themselves — call 811 first — which brings the job to about $3,230. Saw-cutting a foundation is for a contractor with a wall saw, and a block wall may need a structural check.
- Why is an egress window so expensive?
- Because the window is the small part: $600 of $3,930. The rest is cutting through concrete, digging a hole to below the sill, a retaining well with a drain and a ladder, framing and waterproofing the opening, and the permit. Where no machine can reach, digging by hand makes it $4,210.
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About the author
Pablo Ruiz Quintero — Editor
Editor of MaterialsEstimator. Decides which documents count as a source, what every default value is, and where the line sits between what the reader parses and what the engines compute.
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