Will a basement awning window pass as the egress window on second-unit drawings?

Rarely. A small awning tilts out from the top and leaves little clear space to climb through, and a bedroom window has to meet the code's minimum opening without tools. Your designer marks the egress windows on the drawings, and a bedroom usually needs a larger window, often a casement. Awnings still suit rec rooms, laundry and storage.

Is an awning the right window for a basement-suite bathroom?

Usually, yes. It lets steam out, sheds rain while open and can sit high on the wall for privacy. Frosted or textured glass adds privacy. If the bathroom has no window, a fan vented outside is the other route; a new opening in the foundation needs a building permit.

What's involved in making a small basement awning opening bigger?

The foundation is cut to the new size, a lintel goes in above it, and the outside is dug out for a larger window well with drainage. It needs a City building permit with lintel details. It's a bigger project than a window swap, so get a written quote that lists each part.

Can a window be added to a basement wall that has none?

Often, yes, if there's room outside to dig a well and the wall can take a lintel. It's a new opening, so it needs a City building permit, a lintel and drainage. If it will serve a bedroom, check our basement unit window guide before you settle on a size.

Top-hinged windows

Awning windows for bathrooms, kitchens and basement units

An awning window tilts out from its top edge, so the open sash forms a small roof over the gap: air in, rain out. That suits bathrooms, kitchens and high basement walls. We're a free referral service that matches you with an independent local window pro, who checks the window and quotes. It's one of the window types we help with.

Fresh air, even in the rain
Operator and seal repairs
Straight answers on basement egress

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How it works

How an awning window works and why it's good for wet weather

Like a casement it cranks open and seals when locked; only the hinge line differs.

Venting in a shower

Rain runs down the outside of the open sash, so a bathroom awning can stay cracked open through a summer downpour.

Wind and freezing rain

Gusty days and freezing rain are part of most Brampton winters. Close the sash before a storm, and don't crank it hard if ice has sealed the edge.

Kitchens and baths

Bathrooms and kitchens

In a full household these rooms make moisture all day. An awning lets damp air out without letting rain in, and set high it keeps a bathroom private. The same goes for a basement-unit bathroom or kitchenette, where a small awning may be the only window. The trade-off is reach: one over a deep counter or tub gets forced, and its operator wears first.

Basement awnings

Basement awnings: fresh air versus a way out

Small awnings high in the foundation wall give light and air to a rec room, laundry or storage space. The City's Basement Finish Package notes that a recreation room doesn't need a window at all.

A bedroom is different. The Ontario Building Code expects a bedroom window that opens wide enough to climb through without tools, which a small top-hinged sash rarely does. When a basement is registered as a second unit, the City's two-unit drawings must show the egress windows, so it's settled on paper first. For a bedroom, read basement and egress windows before replacing the awning like for like.

Repairs

Repairing operators and seals on awning windows

The frame usually outlasts the moving parts, so a pro checks these first.

Operator

A slipping handle or a sash that stops part way usually needs a matched new operator.

Stay arms

Worn side arms let the sash drop or close crooked.

Seal and lock

A draft along the bottom edge points to flattened weatherstripping or a worn keeper. Window repair covers hardware on other styles.

Foggy glass

A failed sealed unit can be replaced in the existing sash. See foggy window repair.

Bigger or new

Replacing or upsizing a basement awning

A same-size replacement is the simpler job: a new unit in the existing opening, plus a check of the well and caulking.

Making the opening bigger means cutting the foundation, setting a lintel above and often a larger window well. The City requires a building permit for new or enlarged openings, with a survey, elevations and lintel details. In a bedroom, the new window is usually a style that swings wide open; casement windows explains why.

What affects the quote

What shapes an awning window quote

A part (operator, arm, seal) or the whole window
Sash size, and frosted or textured glass
Reach: over a tub, a counter or below grade
Condition of the window well and caulking outside
For a bigger opening: cutting, lintel, well and permit drawings

Photos from inside and outside help.

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Questions

Awning window questions

Explore your options

Local pros repair and replace awning windows across Brampton, including in Bramalea, Peel Village, Heart Lake and Springdale.

Tell us where the awning is

Say which room it's in, which floor, its rough size, and whether the room is or will be a bedroom. We'll pass it to a local window pro who'll follow up with a quote.