Why Muscatine Homes Add Egress Windows
Code requires a code-sized egress window in any basement bedroom or finished living space — the safe way out in a fire and a way in for first responders. In Muscatine’s older stone foundations, cutting the opening cleanly and draining the well properly are what keep the new opening from becoming a leak — and what turn the basement into livable space.
Done Cleanly, Done to Code
Cutting the Opening
Precise cutting of the foundation wall — poured or block — to the code-required opening size, with the wall properly supported and finished.
Window & Well
A code-sized egress window and a sturdy window well with a built-in ladder or steps, sized so it’s a true, usable exit.
Drainage That Works
A gravel base and proper drainage at the bottom of the well so the new opening never becomes a place for water to collect and leak in.
Clean Finish
Sealed, trimmed, and cleaned up so the finished result looks like it was always meant to be there — inside and out.
A Bad Egress Install Is a Leak Waiting to Happen
Egress windows are only as good as the drainage and sealing behind them. When they’re put in wrong, the well fills with water and sends it straight into your basement. If you’ve got an existing egress window that leaks or settles, we’ll find out why and fix it — not just sell you a new one.
Adding a Bedroom or Finishing Your Basement?
We’ll measure your space, confirm what code requires, and give you a clear written quote to add a safe, dry egress window — usually within one business day.
The failures we get called to fix
When an egress is done on the cheap, the call-backs are predictable: wells that pond water with nowhere to drain, openings cut a little undersized so they don’t actually meet code, and missing well drainage. Done right, the opening is properly supported, sized to code, and the well drains — so you don’t trade one problem for another.
— The Behncke crew · since 1948
Your next step
“I got a low bid — what could go wrong?”
Know what a real egress includes:
- Egress windows — the done-right standard, not the cut-corners version
- Well drainage — why the well has to drain, or it becomes a bathtub
Real customers · real reviews
What Quad Cities homeowners say
“We had our basement joists replaced. Reasonable quote, booked in a timely manner, great communication with expectations and the contract. We could park a semi on our new floors. The owner was a doll.”
“Behncke built an egress window for our home. From the initial scheduling through the conclusion everything was precise and the craftsmanship was perfect. We would highly recommend Behncke for your every need.”