Has anyone made or considered a very low cost Underground Storm Shelter ? Need some advice.

[IlBeBauck]

Ive researched many professionally made Fiberglass/Concrete/Metal underground storm shelters but the cost is prohibitive..usually well over $3500.00 . Id like to sink some kind of a waterproof box that would fit one adult ... approx. 3 feet into the ground , located in the corner of my garage which currently is very sandy soil. The box would need to have a removable/swing down lid with the top 6" of the box above ground level. The top would need to be well secured from within the box once the person is inside. To ensure it remains water proof, i would line the hole with a double layer of thick plastic sheeting.

Ive tried doing a google search under 'Fiberglass Boxes' and 'Cargo Boxes' and cannot find something suitable. I have considered a thick fiberglass auto cargo carrier if i could find one 6' long by 3' wide . Do you have any idea what I could use as a low cost solution ? Looking to get away with spending no more than a few hundred dollars at most. Thanks much.

[IlBeBauck]

P.S. YES, ive considered a Coffin...but i dont want to go there ! (at least not just yet) :)

[Nate Nagel]

sell your house and buy one with an early Cold War-era fallout shelter?

nate

[HeyBub]

What kind of "storm?" Refuge from a tornado is way different than safety from a hurricane.

It's fairly easy to construct something the size of a closet in the corner of the garage that will withstand anything a hurricane can throw at it (except, maybe, rising water). I think these can even be reinforced sufficiently to withstand a tornado.

In tornado country, a perfectly suitable shelter can be built by digging a hole, covering it with plywood, and putting a layer of sod on top. No walls, no waterproofing.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Rather than a hole in the ground, how about a "safe room" above ground. Cheaper, DIY, tornado proof. Look for the idea at

[Pete C.]

Actually, an above ground shelter that can withstand a tornado is generally a *lot* more expensive to build than an underground one. In fact, the FEMA "taking shelter from the storm" publication shows by far the cheapest and simplest which is a length of large diameter drain pipe buried vertically in the ground with a ladder and a cover. My plan is to bury a 20' cargo container ($1,500 or so), and weld a hatch and some stairs into it.

[Ed Pawlowski]

It can be more expensive, but it does not have to be. Depends on what you want for amenities and size. I'd rather be above ground after the storm than below too. How long do you want to stay in that drain pipe with the wife, kids and dog?

It rather go this route

[Pete C.]

Well, I have no wife, kids or dog, just me and the cat, and as I noted, my tornado bunker is going to be a 20' cargo container, which is 20' x

8' x 8'. I expect to have a desk, cot, power, network, etc. in said bunker for proactive retreats under tornado watches to eliminate made dashes at 1am.

I considered building a combination pantry / safe room next to my kitchen where I have space, however it would cost substantially more than my cargo container design, and that is 100% DIY for either.

[RicodJour]

You wrote this in another post: "I have plans on the drawing board for something similar where I'll live in my truck camper and keep a pretty complete metalworking shop in my

24' enclosed trailer when I go into "hermit mode" on some property I own as global civilization implodes due to the economic tidy bowl swirl."

Why not make that enclosed trailer out of a container and keep it on the wheels? Build a bermed culvert, lined with whatever, and just roll the thing in and tie it down. Think of it as a safe on wheels.

And lighten up a bit...life's too short.

R

[LouB]

You going to dig that hole by hand? And how to get that box in the hole?

Lou

[Pete C.]

Hell no, I'll rent a fairly large excavator (~200 size) for a weekend to handle both tasks. A 20' container is only about 5,000#, well within the lifting capacity of that size excavator. I've got both United Rentals and Nations Rent within 15 miles so delivery/pickup costs won't be too significant.

[HeyBub]

Why bury it? I doubt any storm could damage a cargo container.

[dpb]

HeyBub wrote: ...

You've never seen results of an EF-5 tornado, then.

--

[Pete C.]

Hell, around here a good storm that doesn't even produce a tornado very frequently knocks over the empty semitrailer that construction companies park at their work sites as portable billboards. Quite common to drive by after a good storm and see them on their sides.

[dpb]

Oh, simple rollover is easy...I was speaking of real damage. One would presume if it was intended as storm shelter usage it would have been tied down so rollover wasn't much an issue.

We're in the king of the straight-line winds and t-storm country so know that quite well....today and tomorrow are "wait and see" what develops" days for at least isolated severe.

--

[maynard]

Two things to consider: One, this thing is going to be used to save your life. Make it as cheap as you can with as flimsy materials as you can find. Two, you may have to spend several hours in there, so make it cramped, wet, dark, dirty, mouldy, and smelly.

That shouldn't cost a lot.

[HeyBub]

Well, sure, I've seen the damage. I've not seen amy damage done by an F5 to a cargo container, though. The wind certainly is not going to rip apart a container nor is anything airborne by said wind going to penetrate the walls. A storm might tip it over - maybe even move it a few feet. I'd worry more about the cat inside the container than what was going on outside.

In the alternative to a cargo container, how about a concrete septic tank (which is designed to be buried)?

[Douglas Johnson]

I wouldn't worry about it. Tornadoes cause about 80 deaths a year in the US. There are 465,000 deaths from tobacco use, 365,000 deaths from poor diet and inactivity, 85,000 from alcohol, 26,000 from motor vehicle accidents, 21,000 homicides, and 7,600 deaths from aspirin. There are 365 deaths a year from bath tubs (drowning and falls). -- Doug

[LouB]

Yabut some of those are accidents and some stupidity. God helps those who help themselves is still true. BUT most tornado victims are killed due to lack of warnings.

Lou

[dpb]

LouB wrote: ...

I'd recast that that _most_ are killed due to lack of paying attention _and_acting_on_ warnings.

Some are missed entirely, of course, and some are quite short time but most have adequate warning if are prepared and respond.

The "ignore the danger" thought is indicative of not living in a high-risk area and been through one or cleaned up after nearby one.

--