On Wed, 18 Oct 2006 15:53:03 GMT, John~*
************************************************** *************
wrote:

In article , Bret Miller
wrote:

I'm looking for some thoughts on including some kind of safe room in
my home I am about to build. It would probably serve as a safe room
for storms since we get a lot of twisters here, but I would want it to
be able to have offer protection so I will not have to tape over my
doors and windows with plastic and duct tape.

I saw on the discovery channel where this guy built a "bomb shelter"
under his home. He did it by hand and it was a work of genius. It
took him 16 years to do it and several hundred tons of concrete.
The guy had passed away by this point, but he must have had arms like
steel pipes.

I also am searching the web for some info, but there is nothing like
first hand information.

If you do a google search for "safe room", you get 145,000 hits.

Most homes here in SW OK over $150K are being built with a safe room.
Most are just poured concrete vaults somewhere in the house with a
steel door and two deadbolts. With furring strips glued to the concrete
you can hang drywall and except for the steel door, it looks like any
other room. Most do double duty as a master bedroom closet or a pantry
off the kitchen. Underground shelters are unusual, except for the old
style "bomb shelter" type in the back yard. Our clay soil is not kind
to basements, so they are rare in this part of the country.

Ours was built as an addition to our home and it's just 4'X 6' but it's
more than adequate. It's built of filled concrete blocks with a poured
concrete ceiling and a steel door. It needs a light and an electric
outlet; some even have a tv cable, but the cable is usually the first
thing to go in severe weather. Local contractors are adding them to
existing homes by sawing a hole in the garage floor and dropping in a
steel vault with a sliding door. The car just straddles the door.

Like anything else, it's just a matter of how much you are willing to
spend.


You are aware, are you not, that a simple concrete-filled
block wall won't stop a tornado launched 2x4? Underground
is the best bet, unless flooding is an issue. If you're
actually seriously considering something adequate as
a bomb/fallout shelter, then you want at least 3' of
dirt over your head, a dogleg in the entryway,
and air filtration. Personally, I recommend storing
enough equipment so you can dig/chop your way
out if someone drops a house on your shelter.

Try posting over in alt.survival,
if you can get them to stop babbling politics long enough
to notice the question.

--Goedjn