# Storm Shelter DIY or PreFab



## dmm1976 (Oct 29, 2013)

Weve had some pretty scary storms the past few years and we live in a manufactured home. A split level double wide. Its a nice one and the paperwork says anchored and built to withstand 100 mph winds (zone 2) its been here without incident 20 years but it still worries me. We have a pole barn on concrete thats been thwre 50+ years my dad built an apt in there. Said the safest place is in the barn in the bathroom or closet. But the barn has only a metal roof no underlayment my dad just built a ceiling over the apt area. 

Ive been looking at pre fab storm shelters. Mostly above ground. We could get a little pod on a concrete slab installed about $4500.

What id really like is something under ground or partially underground ( like a hobbit hole) i can double as cool dry storage. ( root cellar)

But im in the south with all red clay . parts of my yard flood quick and drain in a day or 2. 

Is there some way i can diy this safely for less?


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

If parts of your property flood, that must be dealt with somehow.


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## dmm1976 (Oct 29, 2013)

ET1 SS said:


> If parts of your property flood, that must be dealt with somehow.


Well i mean flood might be am exageration. Theres spots we get big puddles cuz it dips lower there. Nothing deeper than say 3 inches. Its kind of wavy. But the high spots stay dry. But i have been wanting to divert all the puddles to the lowes5 spot and put in a rain garden somehow


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## Mish (Oct 15, 2015)

I grew up near the shores of Lake Erie and nearly everyone had a sump pump in their basements. Would that be an option for your shelter/cold storage?

I have no idea, just throwing that out there, wondering. Tornadoes scare the hell out of me.


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## whiterock (Mar 26, 2003)

they sell premade storm shelters that are designed to be buried. Not sure of the cost, I have seen them advertised somewhere, but don't remember where.


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## dmm1976 (Oct 29, 2013)

whiterock said:


> they sell premade storm shelters that are designed to be buried. Not sure of the cost, I have seen them advertised somewhere, but don't remember where.


They are more expensive than the above ground pod. And simce cost is my main concern...we unfortunately cant. But id love this one. I just dont have 7k plus whatever installation cost.


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## dmm1976 (Oct 29, 2013)

Mish said:


> I grew up near the shores of Lake Erie and nearly everyone had a sump pump in their basements. Would that be an option for your shelter/cold storage?
> 
> I have no idea, just throwing that out there, wondering. Tornadoes scare the hell out of me.


Yes we could do that if need be. Im from the Midwest too. I never realized how much i miss a basement. Almost noone around here has a basement


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## frogmammy (Dec 8, 2004)

Have you considered that as you get older, or have a physical injury, that it will be more difficult to get into an underground shelter?

Mon


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## dmm1976 (Oct 29, 2013)

frogmammy said:


> Have you considered that as you get older, or have a physical injury, that it will be more difficult to get into an underground shelter?
> 
> Mon


Totally not ruling out above ground. Its cheaper. Can i build an above ground shelter that would withstand hurricane winds cheaper than 4500?

Thats the real question.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

dmm1976 said:


> Can i build an above ground shelter that would withstand hurricane winds cheaper than 4500?


It would be fairly easy to build a block or brick building that could easily withstand hurricane force winds. Also, a steel shipping container would serve the purpose if properly anchored, and it could be at least partially buried.


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## po boy (Jul 12, 2010)

My brother added a master bedroom and bath to his home and the bathroom was large with concrete walls, floor and ceilings. You could not tell it was concrete. Consider adding something like that to your house for an additional bath and safe room.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Monolithic concrete domes can be built for relatively little money also.

This may be helpful too:

https://www.primalsurvivor.net/how-to-build-your-own-storm-shelter/
*"Funding for Building Your Own Storm Shelter*
If you are worried about the costs of building a storm shelter, read this document at FEMA. *Many states will reimburse the costs of constructing a storm shelter. Many times as much as 75% of the costs will be covered!*

Don’t miss out on an opportunity to save money.

Since many prefabricated storm shelters cost as little as $5k, the final cost after the rebate would be just $1250."


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## dmm1976 (Oct 29, 2013)

Bearfootfarm said:


> Monolithic concrete domes can be built for relatively little money also.
> 
> This may be helpful too:
> 
> ...


Woah 
Thank you for this info!


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## dmm1976 (Oct 29, 2013)

po boy said:


> My brother added a master bedroom and bath to his home and the bathroom was large with concrete walls, floor and ceilings. You could not tell it was concrete. Consider adding something like that to your house for an additional bath and safe room.


Good.idea. not a bathroom though. I already have 3 of those to clean. Ugh.


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## frogmammy (Dec 8, 2004)

A house I SERIOUSLY wanted to buy had an in-house storm shelter. (Daughter didn't get there to do a quick look before it sold) Looked like a normal, unassuming, master closet during fair weather, but became a very secure "safe room" during a tornado! I liked the room a LOT, usable for other things, easy to get to, and looked "normal". Also, wouldn't have to worry about possible drowning (like in an underground), or feeling like you were ALREADY in a grave, no snakes or spiders hiding out. Someone in a wheelchair, or even a five year old, could have gotten in there *easily*.

Mon


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## The Paw (May 19, 2006)

I looked at some of the pre-fab ones that you bury a number of years ago. The upside is that they stay dry and you don't have to worry about cracking and seepage. The downside was that if you had waterlogged ground, they could become so buoyant, they might pop out of the ground...

As I recall, there was a company that used to stress test the entry doors by firing a 2x4 out of a cannon at 100 mph right at the door. If it didn't go through, it was adequate for a storm shelter. 

There was also a cool one that was designed to drop into a hole you cut in the slab of your garage floor. You could park your car so that it straddled the cut-out, and it would open in such a way that you didn't have to move the car to get in. It was "cozy"...


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## sweetbabyjane (Oct 21, 2002)

Lowe's sells one, delivered and installed for under $6,000. It is all metal, with a small bench inside and standing room for two or three average people. It looks interesting, but I always wondered if it would be a lighting magnet. You're in the middle of an awful storm, with lots of lightening, and where do you hide? A big metal box. :/

Anyone know if that's a real concern or not?
SBJ


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## dmm1976 (Oct 29, 2013)

sweetbabyjane said:


> Lowe's sells one, delivered and installed for under $6,000. It is all metal, with a small bench inside and standing room for two or three average people. It looks interesting, but I always wondered if it would be a lighting magnet. You're in the middle of an awful storm, with lots of lightening, and where do you hide? A big metal box. :/
> 
> Anyone know if that's a real concern or not?
> SBJ


Sounds like the pods they sell online. I nwver thought about the lightening...


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## Ann-NWIowa (Sep 28, 2002)

Sump pumps don't work when the electricity goes off. You can get battery backup for them but the battery doesn't last a long time if the pump is running constantly off and on. 

There are a lot of how-to's for root cellars in books and on u-tube. USDA used to have a bulletin on the subject. 

Once during a tornado I was crammed into a root cellar with five additional adults, 6 kids and 4 dogs. Went through an F-4 or F-5 in a basement -- that was REALLY TERRIFYING!!!! We survived, but the house and cars didn't. 

Currently under a tornado watch with neighboring county to the east under a warning. Everything moved to my safe area and paying close attention to what's happening outside.


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## HDRider (Jul 21, 2011)

They are common here. You see a lot of them being cast concrete, partially below ground. We build them here to go through a tornado.

I am curious if a small well built block structure would work. You can scrounge block. Clean them and find you a mason.

My grandfather built one by hand. They had demolished a small bridge and he got the scraps. Oak, hard as a rock, but still wood. All you could see above ground was a vent pipe.


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## po boy (Jul 12, 2010)

There was one built into road bank not far from where I lived a few years ago. I could see the door opening and block wall within a few feet of the road.


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## po boy (Jul 12, 2010)

https://goo.gl/maps/bj9sVy6gRgybpxKe9

Found an image on google earth of the storm shelter.


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## HDRider (Jul 21, 2011)

po boy said:


> https://goo.gl/maps/bj9sVy6gRgybpxKe9
> 
> Found an image on google earth of the storm shelter.


I see some like that around here. They mostly seem out of use.


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## po boy (Jul 12, 2010)

I lived in a subdivision near there and would walk by there on occasion. I imagine that the house is 70 plus years old and that shelter is most likely that old and the road most likely just a dirt road.


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## BostonLesley (Nov 14, 2017)

My own experience with underground concrete storm shelters in the South is that they get moldy very quickly ...lots of mold...even with ventilation they need to be completely opened up and scrubbed out 3x year. I have no idea why the majority of them are placed a good 25 feet from the house and have steep stairs...imagine the sirens going off and you have to run through wind, rain, hail, flying debris and lightning to pull open the door and try not to fall down the stairs, Right...At my age and with my health, I no longer run anywhere and stairs are forbidden..steep or not. Rebar-enforced concrete above ground shelter with a FEMA-approved storm door attached to the house is perfect protection from tree limbs at 200+ MPH...


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## dmm1976 (Oct 29, 2013)

BostonLesley said:


> My own experience with underground concrete storm shelters in the South is that they get moldy very quickly ...lots of mold...even with ventilation they need to be completely opened up and scrubbed out 3x year. I have no idea why the majority of them are placed a good 25 feet from the house and have steep stairs...imagine the sirens going off and you have to run through wind, rain, hail, flying debris and lightning to pull open the door and try not to fall down the stairs, Right...At my age and with my health, I no longer run anywhere and stairs are forbidden..steep or not. Rebar-enforced concrete above ground shelter with a FEMA-approved storm door attached to the house is perfect protection from tree limbs at 200+ MPH...


Is this what you have? Can i see it? I mean a picture of it lol im not inviting myself over. How much did it cost?

It would be ideal to have it attached but in a manufactured home how possible is that?


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## Redlands Okie (Nov 28, 2017)

This is just a quick google search. Base product, (6ft X 6ft I think) installed on the surface of your yard, with special door allowing exit in more conditions, and sales tax is less than $5000, plus mileage for delivery. There are a variety of similar companies I believe. 

I have seen portable storm shelters in the oil field that are just modified metal shipping containers anchored to the ground that are also economical. 

https://www.safesheds.com


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## po boy (Jul 12, 2010)

I agree, one in or attached to the home would be best. A large existing pantry, walk-in closet, or an extra bedroom could be converted to a storm shelter replacing walls, ceiling, and floor with concrete. It could still be used as whatever it was originally.


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## BostonLesley (Nov 14, 2017)

dmm1976 said:


> Is this what you have? Can i see it? I mean a picture of it lol im not inviting myself over. How much did it cost?
> 
> It would be ideal to have it attached but in a manufactured home how possible is that?


I had an underground concrete tornado shelter in Alabama...enough said about that...Our current plan is to have a walk-in attached to the house .."safe sheds" as another poster linked is what I'm getting...one day.....soon...LOL


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## dmm1976 (Oct 29, 2013)

Thanks everyone. I think we might stretch our budget and look into the safe sheds. And that link posted earlier about funding it to see if we can recoup any of the costs. 

This board always has the answers lol


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

One reason for placing them away from structures is so they aren't buried by debris if the buildings collapse. 

It also decreases fire danger.

https://www.fema.gov/safe-room-funding

*"Safe Room Funding*
Individual homeowners do not apply directly to FEMA for safe room funding. To find out about potential federal funding for safe rooms, contact your State Emergency Manager and/or State Hazard Mitigation Officer. FEMA provides Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) funding to eligible states, tribes, and territories that, in turn, provide the funding to local governments to assist in reducing overall risk to people and property.

If you are considering building a safe room you can find information about various types funding below.

Some of the available funding include:


Community Development Block Grant Funds (CDBG)
FHA Mortgage Insured Financing
Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Funds (HMGP)
Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program Funds (PDM)
For project eligibility and financial assistance questions, please contact your State Hazard Mitigation Officer (SHMO). Your SHMO can advise you on what information must be provided for your project to be considered for funding, as well as any applicable federal, state and local design requirements. Your SHMO will also be able to provide you with information on funding sources."


https://www.startgrants.com/fema-storm-shelter-grants.php


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## dmm1976 (Oct 29, 2013)

Bearfootfarm said:


> One reason for placing them away from structures is so they aren't buried by debris if the buildings collapse.
> 
> It also decreases fire danger.
> 
> ...



Thank you!!


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## frogmammy (Dec 8, 2004)

That house that I wanted that had the "safe room". It was on the edge of a small town, and the town required that you let them know if you had a tornado shelter, and where. That way they could come did you out if you got a lot of trash piled on top of you. Hopefully, other places do the same.

Lesley, for sure you should get a "safe room" down there!

Mon


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## GunMonkeyIntl (May 13, 2013)

Naraize said:


> The main benefit of building your own storm shelter is that you can easily customize the shelter to your specifications.


Are we standing by for the spam link?

Because, if so, you should know that @KC Rock claims this corner for slinging spam.


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