Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Safe room/Storm shelter

Has anyone built an above ground safe room/storm shelter? We are planning on building one right off the master bedroom and wanted to know if anyone has built one.

What things did you integrate or wish you had put in it? Ours will be very simple, but I think we want to put some electrical plugs in it and a bench/bed or something similar.

In that kind of storm - I believe your electric plugs would be dead.
Might be useful in a "man-cave,or dog-house" however.

True, after the storm hit it may kill all the power. But it would give light and keep the back up batteries on the emergency lighting charged until that point. Plus we may put a little fridge in there for cold drinks until they ran out. A little camping toilet might be handy.

Good point!

Two exits on opposite sides might be useful, wouldn't want the safe room to become the safe tomb if the door is blocked by debris.

Or have a door that swings in

Signaling method if you get trapped in there. Remote actuated air horn or something.

It will have a swing in door with steel drop in cross braces to keep it secure. Also plan on putting a battery back up beacon under the eaves to draw attention to it if needed.

I saw one that had a second exit that bolts in from the inside. Thought that might be a good idea. It was more of a porthole, but it would be a good last gasp option to get out.

That would be a given. A fire, collapsed roof or other debris could still block the exit. Nothing to say both exits couldn't be blocked but the chances are cut in half.

An old fashioned bumper jack may help the odds a bit more.

Sure. Bumper jack, crowbar, just something to move a piece of wood or other debris too heavy to lift.

This is 18 or so years ago... Our home outside Wichita Kansas, with a walkout basement, was built with a shelter under the front porch with all sides and roof of 6" well reinforced concrete. The door did, in fact, fold inward. We kept a full supply of food, water and such as well as a solid radio and batteries. We did have to hit it once when one came through NW of us killing 19 IIRC. We drove through the area weeks later to get to a nursery and the devastation was unreal.

Couple of yards of det cord, some c4, bunch of sand bags for tamping....lol

Did it have anything feeding fresh air inside it?

EPIRB

Yes, clearly from the door way but there were small "slitted" and screened openings in the rise of the steps that led up the porch to the front door.

I had one built and installed - 6' x 4' . . . I wish I had made it longer like 8'. It is bolted to the concrete slab. Opens in my front hallway closet door. I keep all my guns and ammo in there.

I have a hot tub enclosed patio outside our master bedroom door. It is 10' X 18'. . . We are thinking about building an insulated saferoom out there and put a roof over it, with HVAC, wet bar, and color TV. Also would have room to build a gun rack around the perimeter to hold all my rifles in plain site. This is the company that custom builds these rooms: Bear Safe Oklahoma City

I built an all concrete safe room last year in our basement of our new home, under the porch. Love it except air is stagnant inside it ... I leave a dehumidifier running in it but it doesn't 100% solve the problem. Trying to figure out a way to feed it with fresh air without losing the fire resistance.

I'd hate to be inside it for a long period of time .... doesn't have the best quality of air

Commercial buildings have fire dampers in the ventilation ducts usually at a fire break wall. Drop closed when lead link melts.