Basements can often be dark, damp, and dingy and, well, cave-like. Not exactly the kind of place you want to spend many of your waking hours in. If you plan to renovate your basement into a media room or family room or even a bonus room, you’ll want to create a space that is as bright as possible despite the limitations of the room’s location below ground.

An easy way to create the illusion of more natural light is to paint rooms a bright color (not necessarily white, but rather light shades of yellow). But sometimes dark foundations call for the real thing—more natural light, which means more drastic measures. One way to add a lot of light to your basement is to add an egress window.

Add an output window

An egress window can serve two purposes: to add plenty of light to a dark basement, and to provide a necessary safe exit from the basement in the event of an emergency, such as a fire.

Check your local codes, but you’ll most likely need to install an egress window (or an egress door to the outside) if you’re adding a bedroom or “living space” (including living rooms, offices, media rooms, etc. ) to a basement in accordance with the requirements of the IRC-International Residential Code of 2006. Note that there are exact specifications for the side and height of the window: they must have a clear opening of at least 5.7 square feet, it is say, big enough for a firefighter (with equipment) to enter your house through the window. The window, to be eligible for egress, must also be at least 20 inches wide and 24 inches high, and 44 inches from the floor.

Manufacturers offer DIY options

There are manufacturers that offer DIY replacement window options which are; the replacement window cost for these code compliant systems is approximately $950. There are also several manufacturers that offer pre-built, code-compliant window wells.