What Is Egress?
Monday, February 11th, 2008
So what is meant by Egress? Egress by definition means a path or opening for going out; an exit; to go out; emerge.” Windows with an egress rating are required for all bedrooms of a home as a way to escape in case of a fire emergency. Each bedroom should have at least one window that would permit an escape route and/or allow entrance by fire emergency personnel. The IRC (International Residential Code) states that an egress rated window must have a minimum opening width of 20”, a minimum opening height of 24”, and have a net clear opening of 5.7 square feet. They also need to have a sill height of no more than 44” above the floor.
One-way to satisfy egress requirements when planning a bedroom for an above-garage bonus area, loft or finished attic space is to consider a roof window by Velux. Velux has designed the GPL model to exceed egress emergency escape requirements by creating a roof window that opens to a 45-degree angle. A roof window is ideal for spaces like these because of the steep slope of the roofline. And the bonus is that the sash rotates inward for easy glass cleaning.
Tags: egress approved skylight, egress window, finished attic, Skylights, Velux, venting roof window