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Anybody ever built or intalled a storm shelter in their house? I've been tossing around some ideas to include in a new house, including a storm shelter, or a concrete safe room, or maybe a built-in gun safe/storm shelter. Mainly just thinking out loud right now but wanted to see if anybody else had done anything like this or had any good ideas to share.

Tossing it around myself. I know there is a grant available (if the application deadline hasn't passed) from a branch of FEMA (I think) if you build a saferoom. I think they will pay up to $4000 toward it.

Saw pictures a few years ago of storm shelter that had been built in before garage of house was constructed, if I remember correctly it was easier to vent to outside that way. Think it had regular top door, etc. Can't remember where I saw pics but do wished I would have considered that just for emergency purposes.

landscaper wrote:Tossing it around myself. I know there is a grant available (if the application deadline hasn't passed) from a branch of FEMA (I think) if you build a saferoom. I think they will pay up to $4000 toward it.

I can get you all the info on that if you want it. It only covers certain counties right now. They were doing it here (Bolivar)but didn't this year.......I know Yazoo is covered right now due to the big tornado..........although they've only had like 2 and the delta has had several. They were covering up to $3,500 here and/or only a certain percentage of the cost. The bills from contractors were showing like 6500 so everyone was getting the whole 3500.

echo1 has one. send him a pm for info. his is the gun safe-safe room type. very cool and i will have one when I build in about 10 years.

I helped build houses in a past life. One guy's old house had been hit by a tornado, and he wanted a tornado/safe room in the new house we were building him. We started off by connecting a chitload of rebar with wireties to the rebar and concrete wire that was going into the form and sticking rebar up so it would be stubbed out of the slab. After the slab was ready we started laying a hollow block wall all the way up the the ceiling, installing rebar in the hollow blocks as we went up. when we got to the top, we filled up the hollow block walls with concrete all the way down, leaving rebar stubbed out into the attic. we laid steel beams across the top and tied it all together, then installed steel plates on top of that. The only way into the room is a steel door from the master bedroom closet.

I think you need to go with something like Loggah built... Think of the money that man has in guns alone!

We built in fall of 08 and made the master closest a safe room. We built on a slab and poured about an 18" footing and ran re-bar inside and then one stick per block cell. We slide the cinder block down over the re-bar and went 8' high and then framed the ceiling up and laid wire and bars across the top and slide bar down from the top to the ceiling. We filled the wall cells with concrete and poured the ceiling about 6inches thick. We put some 4" PVC for ventilation. For the door I just went with the standard aluminum exterior door. The plan is to bolt a steel plate to the back of if but just haven't done it.

I have to say it is a big piece of mind when bad weather comes through and i use it as a gun safe when i leave for extended periods of time.

if i had it to do over I would have went a little bigger and would have made it to where the entrance was turned so that it was shielded by a concrete wall so that the door would not have been needed.

also, i would check into what a factory built one would cost. I hear they can come and set it on your slab and bolt it down.

I have designed them for homeowners in the past and there are a few key items that you need to include if you are expecting to get credit/money for MEMA/FEMA.

If its cellular concrete block (cmu) it must be reinforced per certain specs and backfilled with grout. The wall must be able to withstand earth loading. Top is also reinforce concrete. Airvent location and size is critical but not hard to design around if retrofitting into an existing home. The key item that most people fail to consider is the door. It must be stee(both faces) with more than 4 connectors. I cant remember if its 4 or 6. Three hinges, steel bold fastener and i think top and bottom. It was so long ago its a blur but the documents and examples can be found on the
FEMA website or Texas Tech engineering website. Texas tech does most of the research and field testing for FEMA on this item.
You can design these outside above ground but its expensive and it will basically be a bomb blast bunker.
If you need anything further pm and i can scan and send you an old design if you cant find one in the FEMA brochure. Your county emergency manager should have a free copy of the booklet.
Good luck

skuna wrote:We built in fall of 08 and made the master closest a safe room. We built on a slab and poured about an 18" footing and ran re-bar inside and then one stick per block cell. We slide the cinder block down over the re-bar and went 8' high and then framed the ceiling up and laid wire and bars across the top and slide bar down from the top to the ceiling. We filled the wall cells with concrete and poured the ceiling about 6inches thick. We put some 4" PVC for ventilation. For the door I just went with the standard aluminum exterior door. The plan is to bolt a steel plate to the back of if but just haven't done it.

I have to say it is a big piece of mind when bad weather comes through and i use it as a gun safe when i leave for extended periods of time.

if i had it to do over I would have went a little bigger and would have made it to where the entrance was turned so that it was shielded by a concrete wall so that the door would not have been needed.

also, i would check into what a factory built one would cost. I hear they can come and set it on your slab and bolt it down.

To get the grant, the door has to be a certain one..........and the room has to be built a certain way. I know a regular aluminum exterior door doesn't qualify. They have blue prints for the rooms covered under the grant.

Document FEMA 320

It has typical plans, specs, design criteria.

I can get you all the info on that if you want it. It only covers certain counties right now. They were doing it here (Bolivar)but didn't this year.......I know Yazoo is covered right now due to the big tornado..........although they've only had like 2 and the delta has had several. They were covering up to $3,500 here and/or only a certain percentage of the cost. The bills from contractors were showing like 6500 so everyone was getting the whole 3500.

That is what i was have heard too that only select counties can get the $3500 grant. Kinda stupid if you ask me. Typical of our federal gov't to alot funds for something and then only allow a few people to take advantage. Odds are the next big tornado will hit somewhere other than the counties that were affected this year......

Where are you moving

Deltaquack wrote:

skuna wrote:We built in fall of 08 and made the master closest a safe room. We built on a slab and poured about an 18" footing and ran re-bar inside and then one stick per block cell. We slide the cinder block down over the re-bar and went 8' high and then framed the ceiling up and laid wire and bars across the top and slide bar down from the top to the ceiling. We filled the wall cells with concrete and poured the ceiling about 6inches thick. We put some 4" PVC for ventilation. For the door I just went with the standard aluminum exterior door. The plan is to bolt a steel plate to the back of if but just haven't done it.

I have to say it is a big piece of mind when bad weather comes through and i use it as a gun safe when i leave for extended periods of time.

if i had it to do over I would have went a little bigger and would have made it to where the entrance was turned so that it was shielded by a concrete wall so that the door would not have been needed.

also, i would check into what a factory built one would cost. I hear they can come and set it on your slab and bolt it down.

To get the grant, the door has to be a certain one..........and the room has to be built a certain way. I know a regular aluminum exterior door doesn't qualify. They have blue prints for the rooms covered under the grant.

yeah i didnt fool with trying to get the grant. I was told we were too far north.

sidnorth wrote:Where are you moving

Ashbrooke if I can get my house sold. Holler sometime and i will fill you in