DIY Storm Shelter

[TBone]

Anybody out there ever built an above ground outside storm shelter? My son needs one just big enough for 2 or 3 people in case of a tornado. A couple of companies around him build them out of pre-cast concrete but they are well above his budget.

 

[4570Man]

Totally worthless IMO. If you can’t access one from your house you aren’t going to go out in monsoon rain to get into one.

 

[FTG-05]

There's a number of them that will fit in your garage. Check HD, I think they sell a phone booth sized version. Since your in AL, check Valley Storm, they have an office in Huntsville, and have a ton of interesting videos on their web site.

You didn't mention your son's budget, but a 2-3 person shelter shouldn't be all that expensive.

 

[shooterdon]

Maybe consider a root cellar. In ground structure should be safer and less expensive. Plus a root cellar is useful.

 

[jaxs]

I've sheltered in homemade storm/root cellers for years. The favorite material is Bois-D-Arc and white oak. Excavate below grade,stopping short of water table. Structure doesn't have to be completly below ground,soil canl be mounded over and around it. Construct 4 walls and gable roof concentrating more on resistance to crushing than water tight,it can be waterproofed after constructed. Ask around about pits where clay suitable for brick making and stucco can be had. Diferent clays benifit from varous additives such as mason sand and lime. If none can be located,buy bagged material at a masonary supply house. Parge cracks in walls. Roof can be waterproofed with sheet metal but structure must be capiable of supporting a car or pickup. The door only need's to resist wind and rain. If and when door is ripped off by a twister,occupents are not in danger of being sucked out. That's one way of building a safe place. Options for methods and material are limitless. Welded I-beam and steel plate are popular..

 

[bcp]

What do the people in low areas do for storm shelters, so they don't get flooded? And they can't leave.

I see photos of floods with water up to the eaves on single story houses. These are also in hurricane and tornado areas.

Bruce

 

[fatjay]

Dig a 10x10x10 hole, line it with concrete and exposed rebar on the perimiter, 10x10 1/4" steel plate roof, cut a 3x3 hole and make a door. Put the plate on top of the concrete attaching it to the rebar exposed. Probably a good idea to put a snorkel or two, fan, car battery down there. Maybe some basic supplies. It's not terribly complicated and the corporate companies charge $$$ for them. Tornado's aren't very effective against anything under ground unless it has something exposed above ground. The risks of something under ground is debris left by a tornado on top of the door. A jack and FRS radio's are a good idea so that if something is blocking the entry way. the ability to survive for a day or more is useful. Tornado's aren't long events, they're fairly brief, but cleanup can go on for days. I lived in tornado alley for years, and went through a couple, and i can tell you for certain, I don't live there anymore.

 

[Wagtail]

Maybe consider a root cellar. In ground structure should be safer and less expensive. Plus a root cellar is useful.

This is not meant to be snarky, but (in TBN tradition) if a root cellar is like a shed/barn, after 2-3 years after its been built, there won't be any room left in it to shelter in!

 

[Cat_Driver]

Above ground defeats the purpose of a storm shelter unless the walls are 4' this reinforced concreate like a bank vault.
They have drop in storm shelters

 

[2LaneCruzer]

In this part of the country, it seems most tornadoes tend to come in from the SW moving NE; consequently, poorly located in ground shelters have been know to get covered by debris during a severe storm, making it difficult, or impossible to exit. Scary, at best, especially if they fill up with water. My daughter's new home has a "safe room" built in just for such an occasion; if I were building one today I would do the same thing.