# Front porch/tornado shelter?



## AuntKitty (Oct 25, 2004)

Hi everyone. I normally post in the goat forum but came here today because I am sure you will have the answers for me 

I live out in the country in north Florida in a 1993 doublewide. When bad weather approaches the only shelter available to me is miles away and I have to drive into the direction the storms usually come from in order to turn onto the only road leading in the direction to safety. I hope that makes sense. So my plan has been to get in my garden bathtub with my elderly dog and pull a twin size mattress over us. My family and neighbors all know that is where to look for me if needed. The tornado outbreak in Alabama yesterday is making me seriously consider alternatives. I have both a front and back porch with columns sunk into concrete. The front porch is 9x9 and I am wondering if there would be any way to strengthen it enough to give me more shelter. What kind of bracing would I need to do? I know I would need to add sides and some kind of waterproofing under the porch floor to keep the shelter from flooding through the "roof". Would this be feasible. TIA for any thoughts/ideas!

Kitty

ETA: The land slopes away such that I can stand up under the front porch - I would guess it is at least 6 feet high under there.


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## windblown (Apr 18, 2011)

look at www.tornadosaferoom.com 
also www.stormsaferoom.com
I googled safe rooms and it came up with several places to look


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## AuntKitty (Oct 25, 2004)

Yes, I googled too but I can't afford any of those shelters. I was hoping someone had done it themselves and had some tips for affordability. Thanks!


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

I have not done it, but have you considered sand bags done like the earthbag buildings? You'd lay them up with barbed wire between the courses. Then cover them with poultry netting and stucco. 

How sturdy is the porch flooring? I think that is going to be the weak point.


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

If money is tight, consider an above ground shelter.... like a large square concrete septic tank on it's side, with dirt mounded up and over it, with an access door to crawl in. One of the tanks shouldn't be that pricey, and dirt is free... it's just the moving that costs time or effort.


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## manygoatsnmore (Feb 12, 2005)

Could you stack up (mortared) concrete blocks, using rebar and concrete in all the holes to tie it all together for added strength, including rebar pounded deep into the ground? Add a sloped, solid roof tied to the block walls with hurricane straps or whatever they are called - designed to keep the roof from blowing away, anyway. That would allow water from the porch to drain away without getting your shelter wet. I'd make it 9'x6.5', but also extend a wall out on the 6.5' side to the 9' footprint of the porch, and then back the 9' to the house...make a door next to the house in the 9' side wall, and then a door into the 9x9.5' shelter at the other end of the "hallway" you've made. That would protect the inner door from being blown in or out, and the entire covered hallway would keep any debris from blocking or coming through the inner door. Make the outer door open inward, so that if there is debris blocking the outer door, you can still open it. I'd actually dig down a bit more than the 6' you have now so that you have room to get that ceiling/roof sloped, put in a floor and still have room to stand up comfortably inside your shelter. It's still going to cost you some for the blocks, rebar, mortar and doors (plus some ventilation parts), but it's sure to be a lot less than a prebuilt shelter, and it'll give you a nice root cellar to use in between storms.  I hope that made sense...if not, I'll try to draw a picture of what I mean.

I'd love to do something like that with my house (manufactured home 1996 dw), but I'm on flat ground and it's "pit set" so there isn't much room underneath. I really want a root cellar, but having it double as a storm shelter would be nice. We don't get tornados, but we do get heavy windstorms. I've occasionally wished for an underground shelter when I've watched the huge evergreens swaying above my house.


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## AuntKitty (Oct 25, 2004)

Thanks everyone! Those are some good ideas.

MGM - well thought out and along the lines of what I was thinking. The porch floor is very sturdy and I would use hurricane ties too along the joists like they do for roof rafters to make it even stronger. 

One thing that occurred to me is that, since the front porch is on the opposite side of the house from the direction the storms usually come from, the house may roll over onto the shelter. While there have been tornadoes within a mile of my house, they have always been small and I think rollover would probably only happen with a really strong storm/tornado. Oh well, more to think about. I may want to dig out partially under the house too so if it rolled it would go over instead of on top. I really don't think anything is going to happen where I am located that would be strong enough to pull up the tiedowns and roll the whole frame over, though I may have just jinxed myself by saying that.

Off to ponder and research more....

Kitty


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

I would make certain that several people know the location of any shelter and would come checking on me after any severe storm came thru. That way, if you are trapped, somebody will come help.


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## RonM (Jan 6, 2008)

Dig a hole, line it with old RR ties,put ties across the top , then cover with pywood, tar paper or tin, then cover with dirt, should work and would be cheap......


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## davel745 (Feb 2, 2009)

texican said:


> If money is tight, consider an above ground shelter.... like a large square concrete septic tank on it's side, with dirt mounded up and over it, with an access door to crawl in. One of the tanks shouldn't be that pricey, and dirt is free... it's just the moving that costs time or effort.


If the hurricane ties arenât anchored to a concrete base in the ground the whole structure may blow away. Anchoring is the prime concern. Then structure is next. I think that a shelter like described above can be built for under $1500.00 if the land is suitable.

Dave


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