Our Story - How we became egress window specialists

For Dave Hargrave, catastrophe has been the catalyst of success. Laid off from the finance industry during the subprime mortgage crisis of 2008, Hargrave needed to find a new way to support his new family.

“I got married and, six months later, on a Sunday night, found out we were pregnant,” says Hargrave, owner of Hargrave Contractors. “Then I got laid off on Monday morning. It was a crazy time.”

Fortunately, Hargrave found work in construction. Over the next few years, Hargrave grew his construction experience into a successful real estate career, rehabilitating and selling homes. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, radically changing the real estate market. “Inventory dropped for everyone,” says Hargrave. Without any purchasing options, homeowners were forced to use their existing homes differently. Hargrave realized that families pressed for space were expanding into basements that had previously been unfinished spaces, creating offices for remote workers or additional bedrooms. Forced by circumstances to pivot yet again, Hargrave decided to focus his construction business on reinventing these basements as useful, pleasant, and safe spaces. “COVID changed how we all used our homes,” says Hargrave. “That change opened the floodgates to all the reasons why you would need an emergency exit in your basement.” 

Hargrave Contractors, located in Turnersville, New Jersey and serving New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware area homeowners, now specializes in installing egress or “emergency escape” windows in residential homes. Most state and international building codes require egress windows in all basements. An egress window is mandatory if the room will be used as a sleeping space.

But an egress window is more than a regulatory requirement. An egress window will add light and air flow to a basement, creating a new, livable space without the cost and inconvenience of an addition. If a homeowner is considering selling, an egress window in a basement is an added element that may positively affect a potential sale.

Finally, an egress window is a key safety feature, allowing escape from an underground space in case of weather emergencies. Says Hargrave, “We had a tornado rip through South Jersey several months ago and a lot of people were huddled in their basement, looking around, thinking, ‘Hey, I’ve got nowhere to go if the basement steps get blocked.’” Home fires are another concern. “It’s unbelievable how fast you can be overwhelmed by smoke,” says Hargrave. “One of our co-worker’s neighbors had a fire. They worked overnights, and at 10 a.m. on a Saturday morning they were asleep, and smoke was coming into the kitchen from the basement.” The man grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran to the basement to put out the fire, but he was disoriented by the smoke within seconds. Happily, he was able to make his way to the back door of his basement and walked out to safety. Says Hargrave, “If it hadn’t been for that means of egress, he could have been trapped.”

The good news for homeowners is that the benefits of an egress window can be achieved in less than two days. Also, Hargrave Contractors prides itself on leaving every client’s home exactly as they found it, preserving all lawn work and landscaping. “I’m a little anal about that,” Hargrave says with a chuckle. “We drive heavy equipment, and we dig a big hole, sometimes up to eight feet deep.” But despite the work, says Hargrave, “you can’t even tell we were there.”

Hargrave Contractors also wants to offer its clients the best customer experience. “I don’t ever want to be a salesman,” says Hargrave. “I just want to be able to provide knowledge to people and have somebody else make the educated decision from there.” To facilitate the decision-making process, Hargrave has developed a thorough intake process. Compared to other contractors who may appear for initial consults and then fail to follow up, Hargrave’s employees will spend considerable time on the phone with a client, discussing needs and options, making sure the project is a good fit for both parties. The last thing he wants to do is run out to a homeowner’s property just to have to say that their work won’t adhere to a certain application. “We value our time, and we value yours,” says Hargrave.

At the end of the day, Hargrave Contractors is focused on creating safe spaces for families. As a father of three, the most rewarding part of Hargrave’s work is knowing that, after a new window is installed, there is a means for everyone to get out in an emergency. Hargrave recalled a recent project where a landlord was installing an egress window in a rental property. After the install was done, a little kid was laying on a mattress in the finished room, playing video games. “I had the feeling of knowing that I could sleep at night,” says Hargrave. “There’s no price tag to be put on that.”      

*Article Written By Melissa D. Sullivan