Our New Window to the World - United Exterminating Company

The local Cherry Hill, New Joisey Fire Marshal paid us a visit last year.... He said we had to construct (or rather, DEstruct) our old basement window, and CONstruct a new window in our basement.

What happened, was our friendly, neighborhood Fire Marshall showed up at our door one day. At first, we thought he just wanted a donation or something. But no, he was there to issue a CITATION! A citation for not having a window in our basement. (Actually we DO have basement windows, but read on....)

The way he explained it, since we are a "commercial building," we have to have a window large enough for a fireman to fit in - ours are just regular basement windows that everybody has. Seems as though (by regulation) our window must be at least 36 inches square. That's a pretty big fireman. Methinks that maybe a fireman that big should be on a diet, eh?

Anyway, our 'friendly, neighborhood Fire Marshall' was oblivious and unappreciative to my comment to just "let it burn...." He said we had to do it (put a larger window in) since they have a fine of $1000 per day for non-compliance. A pretty stiff sentence for our small outfit. So anyway, without breaking into the piggy bank or going to jail, here's what we had to do....

Check out our new $3000 window. Thanks, Mr. Fire Marshal...

First, we had to dig (actually, Andy, here) a DEEP hole. Far deeper than I would have thought it should be. Then, as you can see, Andy started bashing out our brick foundation wall after cutting a slot with a carbide saw. (I didn't get a picture of him sawing, I was out working, trying to pay for the window.)

You might think an old (135 years) foundation might be easy. It wasn't. It was hard. (Figures.) They couldn't make it easy, there were two rows of bricks, and they came out hard.

Finally, after all the bricks were trimmed, Andy packed the opening out so that it would accept our new window. After that, he constructed a ledge on a poured concrete base and installed a gravel base, for drainage. After the rocks were in, he built a wall of decorative stone block, up to ground level. These blocks are not mortared in, they are held together with slots cast into the block and stones poured inside the hollow block. The very top block is solid and sits on top of the hollow block, and forms a ledge.

Finally, our window is finished. The window has a sliding glass pane (with an insect screen) that allows us to open it for ventilation and also let our fat firemen in if (or when) they need to get in.

Actually, I like the window. It brightens up our grim basement and does let the air in. I just didn't like spending a hard-earned $3000 on it! Oh, well, anything for our hard-working, fat firemen....