Old houses and egress windows

[JayneEVHI]

Oh, I get it now. Thank's Jim. This is a good thread for newbs like me, who are trying to learn more. 

[John Dirks Jr]

When looking at replacement windows in older houses you should always consider this;

Many, if not most replacement window installers are not tearing the opening down to the original framed opening.   Instead they are removing the inner components of a window and leaving the outer frame of that old window in place. They then install a new complete window including a new frame inside of the older existing frame.  The result is a smaller window opening.  

So,  if the older window was smaller than today’s egress requirements,  this new replacement makes the condition worse.  

Edited October 24, 2019 by John Dirks Jr

[Jim Katen]

53 minutes ago, John Dirks Jr said:

So,  if the older window was smaller than today’s egress requirements,  this new replacement makes the condition worse.  

Unless you replace an old double-hung, single-hung, or sliding window with a new casement window, in which case, the open portion of the window is made substantially larger.