This is a small townhouse in Dundalk Maryland. The client is renovating this to rent it as section 8 housing, in order to get the maximum return, he needed an extra bedroom in the finished basement. The egress window provides the legal escape for the bedroom but also the government is very particular and follows all of the codes not only just the safety codes for fire escape window, which are the window must be no less than 5 ft.² of net clear opening, no less than 20 inches in width, no less than 24 inches in height, no higher than 44 inches off the floor, and must open quickly with no tools. The government for section 8 housing follows the code by the book, and one of the other codes that is very rarely enforced is a light and  ventilation ode that states:  the aggregate glazing width in a room or the total amount of glass added together in the room from windows and doors,  has to be at least 8% of the floor area of the room. In this case, we have a 48“ x 48“ single hung European tilt and turn window. This window has no astragal or plastic in the middle of the window so you get one big clear piece of glass. This window barely fit in this location, the well and the window take up every last inch of usable space in the wall and in the yard. But it was necessary to meet the light and ventilation code for the client to get all the potential money out of the rental. So essentially the window itself was just over 8% of the floor area of the basement, allowing for it to be a habitable space. With careful calculation and planning JDS Home Improvement the Maryland Egress Specialists were able to get it done. Creating yet another safe basement bedroom and another dark basement totally changed by the natural light and ventilation the window allows. I hope whoever lives here enjoys the fresh air and sunshine.  God forbid they ever have to use it in the event of a fire or emergency, but if so, I’m sure it will make for an easy escape. We truly enjoy bringing light into peoples lives.