My landlord needs to install a second egress in the basement apartment to get things up to code for insurance purposes.

I am not sure his ideas for this fix seem likely to pass inspection.

I am looking for a suggestion that will be the least expensive, and least disruptive to the downstairs tenants. ( We get along and want them to stick around)

Challenges:

1. The basement has only side windows that overlook driveways that are between the houses. One driveway landlord does not own. The other driveway is shared with a neighbor. A window well egress from these seems unlikely since we cant dig holes in the drives.

Do window well egresses ever extend inward instead of outward?

2. The back of the house currently features the basement entrance, so egress #2 must be at the front of the house (it is an open studio layout down there) But there are no windows on the basement front.

3. The only logical choice seems to be to convert all or part of MY enclosed front porch into a shared foyer and install a stair to the basement from there. I dont want to lose my sunroom.

Is it legal to have the emergency exit be through a hatch? The landlord suggested a spiral stair or ladder from the basement to this hatch we would leave unlocked for the basement tenants escape.

I do have an interior door from the sunporch we could lock. That is not really my issue, since we trust the current tenants and dont even lock our back door to our shared foyer in the back.

I am just concerned this scheme will not meet safety requirements. And my landlord isnt the type to research things. I can see him doing this cheaper options only to get shot down, and then we all must endure more disruption.

We are in Queens, NY FYI.

It is pretty much the Archie Bunker type house. The front is an enclosed porch, and note the basement does not extend under the enclosed porch. Drives are smack up against the house like Bunker’s below: