Basement Egress Window Cost in Illinois

Why the numbers disagree

No cost guide publishes a Rockford figure (Angi, HomeGuide, Thumbtack and Fixr have no Rockford page), so every range on this site is a national average or a Chicago-area or Columbus, Ohio guide, and each one is labelled that way.

The rows measure different scopes. Angi's $200 to $950 is for materials and install only, and its note says excavation and permits are extra. HomeGuide's $2,000 to $5,000 is installed. Angi's Chicago page is higher at $3,500 to $7,500, and the Columbus page lower. This Old House shows a total of $2,500 to $5,300. For a basement where a window must be cut into a foundation and a well dug, the installed ranges are the realistic ones.

What a full job includes

• Excavation outside the wall and a call to J.U.L.I.E. at 811 before digging, per the Village of Durand.
• Cutting the opening in the foundation wall and framing it.
• The window, sized for 5 square feet net clear opening for a below-grade opening, 24 inches high and 20 inches wide, with the sill no more than 44 inches off the floor. See the egress rules.
• The well, at least 9 square feet and 36 inches out, with a ladder or steps. See the well guide.
• Drainage for the well and backfill and grading.
• The permit. Winnebago County lists an egress window permit at $30.00 each plus a $40.00 processing fee.

Factors the sources name

The guides do not price the factors separately, but their wide ranges point to the same ones: the depth of the wall, how much concrete has to be cut, the size of the opening, whether an existing window can be enlarged, the well material and drainage. Ask a bidder to price the window and the well as two lines.

When it is required

Every sleeping room needs its own opening, and the basement needs at least one. See the legal bedroom guide. If there is no bedroom, the basement still needs an operable opening, with narrow exceptions.

Number of windows

A basement with two bedrooms needs two openings, one in each. That doubles the line. Plan the layout so the bedrooms sit on exterior walls where a well can be dug.

See the cost page for the full table, and the size guides for how an egress cut fits in the whole budget.

An add-up for a two-bedroom plan

Two bedrooms need two openings. At HomeGuide's installed range of $2,000 to $5,000 each, the pair comes to $4,000 to $10,000. Add the county's $30.00 permit and $40.00 processing fee for each, if your office uses that schedule. This is our arithmetic from a published range, not a quote.

Questions for an egress installer

• What is the net clear opening of the proposed window, in square feet and inches?
• What are the interior dimensions of the well, and what ladder or steps are included?
• How does the well drain, and what cover is proposed?
• Who calls J.U.L.I.E. and who pulls the permit?
• How is the cut patched, sealed and flashed?

Where to go next

This guide sits under Egress windows. Every price on this site, with its source and date, is on the basement finishing cost page. If this topic is on your list, these guides cover the neighbouring questions: Basement Egress Window Requirements in Illinois, Egress Window Well Size and Ladder Rules, What Makes a Basement Bedroom Legal in Illinois?, and Cost to Add a Bathroom to a Basement.