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Garage floor storm shelter

33K views 34 replies 27 participants last post by  duckwalker 
#1 ·
After seeing the destruction left by the tornados in the south last week I have decided to invest in a storm shelter. Due to a small yard I cannot install an underground shelter away from the house. A "Saferoom" shelter is an option but I just don't trust a big metal box bolted into concrete. I have decided on the one installed in the garage floor with the sliding metal door.

http://www.takingshelter.com/garageshelters.html

It would have a vehicle parked over it however there is still room to get in without moving the vehicle. Best I can tell the vehicle acts like another measure of security in case of a roof collapse giving a small enough space to still crawl out of. I know that hazmat from vehicle fluid leaks is a possible problem. It has a come'along winch to open the door and I would keep a small hydraulic jack and a few short cut 4x4 pieces in it. What I was curious about is if anyone here has this type of shelter or is familiar with it and what are the pro's and con's.
 
#4 ·
Our neighbor put one in a few years ago after the May 3rd tornado here. (It was a BIG one.) Oddly enough, they have not had a reason to use it since it was put in. I tease him that I wish he had spent that money years ago! lol However, I can tell you these things about it.

1. The stairs down into it are EXTREMELY steep. He wishes he had had them put a handrail on the outside edge of the stairs and made the steps a little wider. (The other edge is against the wall of the shelter.)

2. The "lid" has a raised lip that it fits over so there is no danger of water (or fluids from a vehicle) leaking into the shelter. Now I will admit that if there is flooding (more than a couple, three inches) that the lid is not watertight by any stretch of the imagination. However, the shelter itself is. We have a high water table here and he has had NO PROBLEMS at all with seepage.

3. I don't know how it works in other areas of the country but here it is not uncommon for people to register their shelters with their municipality so that law enforcement/rescue personnel will know where to look for you in the rubble.

I do not recall what he said he paid for it but I do remember that it didn't seem cost-prohibitive to me at all. It took the company less than a day to excavate and place the shelter. You would have never known they were there if you hadn't seen them working.

My neighbor on the other side has a dug-out cinderblock cellar that leaks like a sieve ... In fact he has to pump water out of it regularly and the door on it is ALWAYS open because they are "airing it out". It was put in the same time the house was built (at least that is what I was told) ... 1960-ish ...
 
#5 ·
Actually I never thougth of putting a shelter in the garage, but it could make a lot of sense. Either under the current garage, or even just build it on the slab if you have a 2 or 2 1/2 car garage. Only get one vehicle in the garage afterwards, but hey, safety first.

use concrete block, build an 8x20x6 room inside the garage. put a concrete slab on top, then build a cistern on top of it for water storage. storing water on top gives you added protection from radiation or falling debris. A shower in the entry behind a steel door. could be safe from storm, raiders, or radiation. Store supplies inside as long as it is above freezing or you can heat it during the winter.

What a wonderful idea! done correctly, this could even be used as my man cave year round. Emergency shelter during emergencies, food storage, and man cave!

Now where did I put the beer...
 
#9 ·
Flatsafe

After looking at 12 or so rental houses before I moved to SW MO, the last house we looked at has one of these shelters (my deciding factor for taking house). I even asked the real estate lady if it was an oil change pit when I first saw it. She said "no, it's a tornado shelter". I love it. 3' x 7' x 5' deep. Sure, I would love a giant garage sized bunker, but to have this in a rental home is awsome. Plenty of room for my girlfriend, her daughter, me, some of my "storage" supplies, and will save our lives if hit by what hit Joplin (we are only 45 min west).
Company is Flatsafe, ef5+ rated, ours is the galvanized model. Google company, videos, ect. Tested at Texas Tech, and used by the USAF in on base housing in OK. I give it 2 thumbs up.
Friend at work bought an outside bolt down shelter, backlogged and won't be in for at least a month.
I like the idea of being below ground under concrete garage floor.
Hope this helps. I will post some pictures later.
 
#11 ·
I don't think having a vehicle over the shelter adds any protection. You should have a couple of floor jacks stored in the shelter in case you need to lift the structure. I have a hand crank GMRS radio that can take an external antenna. A long coax to a stubby (or two) might be prudent if you have one too.
 
#12 ·
well, i imagine everything mother sends at you can create a what if. All these are good points, but the major thing is that even if your house is gone, or your car ends up on top your shelter, your alive. A combination of prior planning, and friends knowing where your at help to increase your chances of walking out of that shelter. Better than being impaled on some object 15 miles down the road. I dont know. Im just trying to figure out the best thing for survival in the event of a tornado here. And an interior room just doesnt cut it. Interior rooms when your left with a slab cant save your a$$. More of a chance underground with crap piled on top, a hammer or anything for signaling on the door etc...
 
#17 ·
3. I don't know how it works in other areas of the country but here it is not uncommon for people to register their shelters with their municipality so that law enforcement/rescue personnel will know where to look for you in the rubble.
Looked into one while living in OK.... it was actually a requirement/rule/law there to report it to the local authorities. Sold the place and moved, so I can't say for sure that's the case, but what I was told by the company that provided the quote.

Of note, the install included a 3(if I recall)-ton jack built in to force the door open should it be covered by debris.
 
#18 ·
Several of my neighbors have these installed. My thinking is that when you see a witch on a bicycle fly by your window you'll be happy to have one. The only drawback IMO is that it's effin clausterphobic. Because they're installed in your garage, the backhoe they use can only dig down so far. Even the biggest one is still just 5 ft tall inside. It may SAY seats 6-8 but that's 3 facing each other, knees to crotch, sardine style. Personally I don't like my neighbors that much! That's why I went with a concrete in-ground one, set where we were about to pour a concrete slab. It's considerably larger, and once we get the garage extension completed it'll be about the same thing.

All of the companies I know of automatically register the shelter after installation, and I believe many now have GPS tracking on them.

Check around for FEMA grants for it. I know you can get one to cover half the total cost (up to 3k) in my neck of the woods. Usually the storm shelter companies can tell you where to go to apply.
 
#20 ·
Pics

Prairie Dog, that sounds like an awsome set up! Mine is in our rental house, and would do something along your lines when we buy/ build. Post some pics! In the old days, it was common to have a root/ storm shelter. Unfortunately, it fell out of style, and for years many thought you were coo coo for having/ thinking about one. I would think common sense and planning for your family's safety in certain high risk areas should always be in style....
 

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#24 ·
We had a close call the other day. I was out on my porch taking pictures of the hail coming down and head the 'train a coming' and made the family go to our safe room. Thankfully nothing happened. One of the kids had fun playing with the emergency radio, which worked fine. I got them moving out before they started digging into the food supplies. (I suspect one or two of the fruit snacks are missing.
 
#26 ·
Looks like a great idea.

And I think you are worrying too much about the car above it. The one pictured is only partially under the car. Doesn't look likely that the door would be blocked by the car.

And I'm thinking that with just a little bit of re-engineering they could make it water proof so it could be outside in the driveway.


Either way probably not a good idea in areas prone to flash flooding.
 
#30 ·
I live in Tuscaloosa and the only one I have seen that was in a direct path of the tornado was a reinforced safe room. Concrete blocks reinforced with rebar and filled with concrete. Stood up pretty well. It would be a fairly cheap DIY solution if you are currently building a house. Regardless I would still prefer to be below ground. I have read numerous reports of people being killed in basements because their house fell on top of them.
 
#28 ·
I just saw one video on youtube of them helping a family out of a shelter. It was the family and their dog. It was a slightly different shelter as the door opened up on a hinge type setup (which got blocked, go figure) I think the sliding door system of the others with the 2 ton winch might be better. I imagine there could still be issues, but much less. Still hoping for more info on the ground zero type shelter. I am going to go with the 12 person probably, as they say it fits whatever, but seem a bit small.
 
#31 ·
Storm Shelter in Garage

My brother and I just built a storm box in his garage. He moved into a house with only a slab and we were concerned about slab clearing tornado's here in Missouri. We built a box 4'x8', used 1/8" sheet steel panels. All seams welded and reinforced with 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 1/4" angle iron. On each side of the door we welded 4" channel iron up the front across the top and down the back side for strength. We have now added more 4" channel on the ends of the box and more on top for crush proof-ness. The door reinforced with 2" channel all around the edges and across the door. We used 3/4" steel rod into 3/4" steel pipe for the three door bolts. We used 1/2" steel rod for the handle inside and out to bolt the door shut. The angle iron on the concrete is bolted with about (27) 1/2" x 3 1/2" Large Diameter Tap-con Bolts. We used 1/2" impact gun to run the bolts down into pre-drilled holes. The bolts have great shear strength and great hold down strength. we believe an F-5 Tornado could take the house and unless it lifts the concrete, the box will remain. At least we are betting my brother and his families life on it. We did talk to an engineer and he believes the box will be very strong. It's profile is only 4' tall. This picture shows the box partially built. I can add others as I learn how to post pictures.
 

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#32 ·
My brother and I just built a storm box in his garage. He moved into a house with only a slab and we were concerned about slab clearing tornado's here in Missouri. We built a box 4'x8', used 1/8" sheet steel panels. All seams welded and reinforced with 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" x 1/4" angle iron. On each side of the door we welded 4" channel iron up the front across the top and down the back side for strength. We have now added more 4" channel on the ends of the box and more on top for crush proof-ness. The door reinforced with 2" channel all around the edges and across the door. We used 3/4" steel rod into 3/4" steel pipe for the three door bolts. We used 1/2" steel rod for the handle inside and out to bolt the door shut. The angle iron on the concrete is bolted with about (27) 1/2" x 3 1/2" Large Diameter Tap-con Bolts. We used 1/2" impact gun to run the bolts down into pre-drilled holes. The bolts have great shear strength and great hold down strength. we believe an F-5 Tornado could take the house and unless it lifts the concrete, the box will remain. At least we are betting my brother and his families life on it. We did talk to an engineer and he believes the box will be very strong. It's profile is only 4' tall. This picture shows the box partially built. I can add others as I learn how to post pictures.
I hope you and your brother are right. It sure beats sitting in the bathtub (especially since so many aren't cast iron anymore)
 
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