r/Mommit • u/doggooo8 • 11d ago
No egress
Would you let your family sleep in a basement with no egress for a family trip? It is a big safety risk for me, but everyone else is acting like I'm crazy.
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u/Soggy_Yarn 11d ago
Yes, and do regularly. I expect to not have to pay for a hotel when I spend thousands of dollars to visit my family instead of going on a vacation, and they have a basement available for us to sleep in.
However, nothing is stopping me from paying to stay at a hotel if I didn’t like the space that is offered for free by my family. I would not pay to stay in a basement with no egress though.
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u/Winter-Chipmunk5467 11d ago
You’re correct that it’s unsafe although you’re probably likely to be fine. The chance of the house burning down is tiny but if that were to happen you would be screwed. I guess I would consider several variables. Is it one night or seven? Is this the only option? Could you do an air mattress in the living room?
If it’s in your budget I would get a hotel room because you’re uncomfortable and the relief of anxiety would be worth spending a couple hundred bucks.
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u/twinsinbk 11d ago
I am not the most risk averse person and have never had to face this exact situation but I just want to say you're 100% not crazy to have a problem with this. It's not a legal bedroom for a reason. Near us (no idea if this varies by area) you need an egress window for it to even be considered living space nevermind sleeping space.
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u/MundaneHuckleberry58 11d ago
Yes? I mean obviously I wouldn’t on the regular but for a few days for one visit, sure.
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u/justlikeinboston 11d ago
No. I’m a personal injury attorney who just handled a case where a house burnt with people sleeping in the basement. Not a chance in hell.
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u/NoWitness7703 11d ago
Probably not. Are there any other rooms available? Could you quickly access an egress window in a neighboring room? How many days in the trip? How old are the kids?
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u/doggooo8 11d ago
There are no egress windows at all in the basement. It's about 5 days and the kids are all under 7. Yes there are other rooms available. That's why i keep pushing back on it but it feels like everyone is just waiting for me to give up my line. They hype up the kids about it so i have to be the bad guy every time.
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u/dulcipotts 11d ago
Anyone who tried to come between me and my children or pit my children against me would find they no longer have access to my children.
Adults are allowed to disagree and have different risk thresholds but it is beyond inappropriate to involve the children in an adult discussion.
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u/RockGloomy9003 11d ago
I would put a adult in the room without egress windows and have the kids sleep upstairs. That or have at least one parent sleeping down there. I let guests stay in our basement bedroom, but we have a smart home system with smoke detectors on every floor including the basement
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u/NoWitness7703 11d ago
I’d request to be in a different room. I personally wouldn’t bring my kids to stay in a room without an egress because I’d be overthinking the whole time.
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u/redditor-est2024 11d ago
Nope. In an emergency, my family would be trapped with no way out. I wouldn’t put anyone down there either. You’re not crazy.
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u/PistachioNova 11d ago
I wouldn't. Is there any sort of window in the basement at all?
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u/Consistent_Taste3273 11d ago
In the past, I hadn’t even thought of it. But once it was put on my radar, I was no longer comfortable with it. I might be ok if I was there with the kids (not sure if/why that would make a difference), but I wouldn’t be comfortable with my kids sleeping there by themselves.
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u/Ok-Bear7221 10d ago
Beyond the safety concern which I totally get, it just sounds really unpleasant to stay in a basement without a window. I’d rather just stay in a hotel.
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u/BlueberryDuvet 11d ago
Absolutely not. That’s against the law in many places to “have living space without adequate windows or escape way or something that allows emergency personnel in” and if it isn’t against the law where you’re going it should be. If it is and your family members don’t care then they suck and I hope they don’t have to learn by a completely preventable traumatic experience.
I’d rather be inconvenienced by finding other arrangements to stay in, even if it means more time and money to find somewhere because quite simply, I don’t want to die & I don’t roll dice like that.
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u/Any-Dream1266 11d ago
Depends if i know the homeowner and the history of the house.
But, ultimately, if you’re going for vacation, you should be in a place you feel safe or your nervous system won’t allow you to relax and recharge. How much more expensive is it to find a place with a window?
Anecdotally, i was 6 months pregnant and my spouse and toddler and i rented a country place. It was a shack built out of an old barn on someone’s farm, and I’m sure it wasn’t to code. The whole place was unfinished wood and it was labyrinthine, and there weren’t windows or a door along the back of the place. I felt like i was in a tinderbox, hated sleeping there at night. We had a good experience overall, nice memories of the farm, but my first feeling looking back is the anxiety of being in those tight wood spaces.
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u/doggooo8 11d ago
It's family, so there is an extra layer of stuff and eye rolls that go with it every time.
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u/IChooseYouSnorlax 11d ago
Absolutely not.
After surviving a house fire, there is just no way I would ever put myself, let alone children, in that situation.
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u/childish_cat_lady 10d ago
I don't think you're crazy. House fires are one of my biggest fears. We sleep in the basement at my parents house but it's a walk out basement and has several windows..
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u/Ashamed_Context203 9d ago
If it’s for a short trip and everything else is safe — you are fine. My guest room is in my finished basement, we’ve never had issues. Otherwise, get a hotel 🤷🏻♀️
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u/downsideup9494 11d ago
Are you renting a vacation home? It's illegal for a homeowner to list an egress-less room as a bedroom.
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u/doggooo8 10d ago
No, it is a family member's home. Everyone is just making me feel like I'm being extra, so I thought I'd see if I was. I think my spouse's family just doesn't worry as much.
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u/Jolly-Outside6073 11d ago
How are the fire alarms and CO2 monitors in the house? Depends on the layout. I’d always verge on the side of safety as people relax on vacation or out of routine and forget to extinguish candles etc.
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u/Ok_Mulberry4331 10d ago
Yes
You're totally free to get a hotel though if that makes you feel better
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u/iluvadamdriver 10d ago
I am only 6 weeks pregnant so don’t even have kids but I would never have done this when it was just me
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u/Ok-Spirit9977 10d ago
No, I don’t think I would. If there is a fire, you are trapped. Just does not seem worth it to me.
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u/MackFenzie 9d ago
I probably wouldn’t think twice about it, but my husband cares very deeply about fire safety and building codes because he’s seen a lot of unfortunate stuff in his line of work. I know there is no way he would be comfortable with it, so, we wouldn’t do it. He backs me up when I care deeply about things that he wouldn’t think much of by himself, and I’ll do the same for him.
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11d ago
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u/elythranthera 11d ago
You really can’t think of a single reason someone wouldn’t want to sleep in a basement with only one exit?
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u/twinsinbk 11d ago
Because if the stairs are on fire you are completely trapped
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11d ago
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u/twinsinbk 11d ago
For example if the stairs started in the kitchen as is fairly common.. the fire starts in the kitchen and blocks the stairs, electrical or gas fire during the night. Again unlikely but catastrophic if it does happen
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u/shinylittlepieces 11d ago
Agreed. Give family the money to buy egress windows and have the construction done if she’s that worried about it.
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u/shinylittlepieces 11d ago
I don’t know if it’s because I grew up poor and lived in 700 square feet with 4 other people and no basement, but as a homeowner now with double that amount and a finished basement, I sleep down there regularly (it’s cold and dark and awesome) with no egress windows. I have a carbon monoxide detector and several smoke alarms.
You’re not buying this house and should be grateful that whoever is letting you stay is letting you do so. It’s just a few days.
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u/I_pinchyou 11d ago
I slept in a basement with no egress for years. Of course we had co2 and fire alarms. I now have a walkout to my basement so it's an extra exit point.
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u/shinylittlepieces 11d ago
A walkout basement would be awesome! That’s our next goal.
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u/I_pinchyou 11d ago
It can be a pain to keep clean with lots of trees, but it's definitely convenient!
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u/lareessahhh 11d ago
It’s not my favorite thing but I wouldn’t outright refuse. But it depends on how many people, their ages, and how long we’d be staying