Who here has done an underground shelter?

[Maelstrom]

I'm giving some serious consideration to putting an addition onto my home. Since I'm doing this I'm also considering a safe room/shelter of some type.

The kicker is, I don't have a lot of land, so the shelter will most likely have to be built below ground level with my addition built over it.

Has anyone done this? What's the cost in, say, a 400-500 square foot room?

Can they be built watertight to offset the high waterline we have around here?

 

[never_retreat]

I key to making it waterproof is to use good high PSI concrete. Usually they use 3000 psi, your better off using 5000 psi. The concrete is so much denser water really can't pass through.

 

[Eric F]

I key to making it waterproof is to use good high PSI concrete. Usually they use 3000 psi, your better off using 5000 psi. The concrete is so much denser water really can't pass through.

I'm no basement builder but why not just build it out of say renforced cinderblock and install a sump/dehumidifier? I have seen many basements built like this.

 

[MIL-DOT]

Maybe after Obama's been president for a while , you can get the old
NORAD Cheyenne Mountain bunker CHEAP !!!

 

[Mr White]

This guy tried one. It didn't end up so good for him.

 

[cassandrasdaddy]

the trouble with pumps and water is they fail when most needed. have you got enough slope to run a french drain?

 

[lee n. field]

I'm no basement builder but why not just build it out of say renforced cinderblock and install a sump/dehumidifier? I have seen many basements built like this.

It'd be like running an air conditioner 24/7.

 

[cassandrasdaddy]

be heck of a deal to buy that grow house at the auction. though they might make you suffer for no permits

 

[theotherwaldo]

I've built a few, mostly for other folks. Best bet is to dig it in as shallow as possible and surround it with a thick, sloped berm. Dig it deep and it floods every time.

Guaranteed, power will go out when you need to use the shelter. Pumps won't do the job.

Screen your vents, top and bottom. Otherwise you're building shelters for vermin.

Good luck.

 

[blackhawk2000]

My Wifes Grandparents live right on the water. They had a house built a while ago, and it has no leaks. It can be done, but you will pay for it.

 

[a1abdj]

The doors for the room will be pricey as well, unless you're using a standard steel door.

Doors that have FEMA hurricane impact ratings run around $3,000. You can figure the same $3,000 as the starting price of many of your residential type vault doors.

 

[Mainsail]

A shelter for firearms? I'm not understanding what this has to do with firearms...

 

[kingpin008]

The other problem with using cinder block is hardening. It's a hell of a lot easier to reinforce concrete slabs than it is cinderblock, and if I'm building a shelter, you better believe I want it to be as sturdy as possible.

 

[mike7465]

There is some new form of concret that you can cut with a regular saw, is lighter than water, and will las like 300 years. It has great insulation properties too. Comes in prefab pieces.
I would look into it.

 

[TAB]

High water tables and basements do not go toegther... where they are legal,( not going to happen in 75% of the US) they will make gas prices look cheap.

 

[Rabid Rabbit]

Try concrete planks http://www.nitterhouse.com/BuildingSystems/BuildingSystemsSub/Residential.html they cost about $10sf which is about 3-4 more than a regular concrete floor. We're using this in the garage.

Make sure you get a door that opens into the room, that way debris can't block you in. As long as you’re at it why not use the space as a vault/safe room?

 

[.cheese.]

This guy tried one. It didn't end up so good for him.

Wow. I wouldn't mind an underground set up like that, minus the pot of course. Would be a great place to store keepsakes, emergency shelter, or more. You could even put a range in there if you had proper exhaust.

What a shame that they put all that work into it and then ruined all the fun they could have had by using it for something illegal.

 

[Maelstrom]

I've also been looking into the the one-piece units that sink into the ground. How are those?

 

[Robby]

Try this site!! http://www.shelters-of-texas.com/home.html

http://www.bomb-shelter.net/

 

[Maelstrom]

Robby,

That Refuge looks small but other than that might be exactly what I was thinking of.

 

[everallm]

Don't re-invent the wheel.

Easiest is to use precast concrete systems used for sewage/sump/storm water management/

An example of a supplier below.

http://www.oldcastleprecast.com/Pages/default.aspx

Depending on your budget and needs you can go from a couple of 6 foot high sewage/storm water drainage tubes through to a something like a full blown stormwater retention tank.

This route has the advantages of both good quality control, modular click and fit design and a plausible reason for installing something underground without folks thinking "Survivalist" etc

 

[TallPine]

I could just build it into the hill somewhere behind the house. It could even be a walk-in door rather than a trap. The only question is cost and best material - I was even thinking about a section of steel hiway culvert.

Main purpose for me would be protection of life and valuable property (guns) in case of wildfire.

 

[hso]

safe rooms/shelters are OT for THR.

Best to consult with a licensed concrete contractor in your area.