The safety of your family and friends is the top priority.If you live in a part of the country with extreme weather such as windstorms, tornadoes or hurricanes, it is important to have an area in your home or business that can keep you safe during times of emergency.It is important to plan for safety in the event of a home invasion or robbery.A well-stocked safe room can keep you safe in times of emergencies.If you know how to build a safe room, you can make sure that your family is protected no matter what the future holds.
Step 1: It's important to plan for safety.
Before building a safe room, you must take into account a number of factors, including the purpose of the room and whether or not it poses a hazard.You need to read the government manual at www.fema.gov to start.The manual will give design considerations, potential risks, structural design criteria, information about air filters, and other considerations that will keep you and your family safe.If you don't read the manual, you risk designing a safe room that could endanger your family.The starting point for wood framed construction is provided in the FEMA P-320 drawing series.
Step 2: Understand the particulars.
As you plan and build the safe room, be sure to understand the factors that affect its construction and design, such as storms and threats of attack.Each level of tornadoes and hurricanes requires different levels of protection.If you live in an area that has never experienced an tornado, you may not need to have a shelter.The material used to build the room must be able to handle high winds and heavy debris in a tornado.If you want to adapt an existing wooden-walled room, you can reinforce the insides of the walls with steel.If the room does have windows, they should be very small and made of Plexiglass to prevent shattering.The anchoring of the room is important to make sure it doesn't fall in high winds or a tornado.You will need to design the walls, door and ceiling to be able to stand up to high wind pressure, as well as resist or crush from flying or falling debris.FEMA's P-320 design guidelines do not mention the differing storm strengths and thus appear to be designed to protect against an EF-5 tornado.That doesn't mean that protection against an EF-2 tornado needs to be half as strong.A structural engineer is needed to make those decisions.You need to make sure that the spaces where the room is connected are designed to resist the wind.If damage is done to the home, it will not affect the safe room.In the event of heavy rains, a safe room must be able to hold water.The door should be opened in the event of a storm.It should be made of heavy material that cannot be kicked in by a storm.Solid wood or metal doors are a good option; consider using an exterior heavy wooden door for an interior safe room, and reinforce the sides with metal for added security.
Step 3: Know where to build a safe room.
A first-floor interior room is a good location for a safe room.This is the best location for a safe room if you are worried about tornadoes or storms with high winds.The most secure location is away from the exterior walls.The garage is a great option, as it usually has a bit of space for construction and, if you keep the garage tidy, less risk of falling debris during a storm.
Step 4: Determine the type of safe room you need.
Depending on the number of people you need to accommodate, the space you have to work in, and your budget, your choices might be different.Some safe rooms may be more convenient than others.A yard safe room is designed to be dug into the ground.You can buy units to fit any number of people if you have an outside door.The risk of cracking in fiberglass shelters makes steel or concrete the best choice.Shelters can be attached to the outside of a home or inside.Some rooms can be designed to be indiscernible to the untrained eye, and other rooms are large enough to accommodate many people.These can be built or purchased pre-made, which will ensure that they are built to code.In the construction phase of a new home or business, the safe room can be built into the plans as an additional room.
Step 5: A construction plan can be obtained.
It's important to create accurate plans before construction begins.This will make your safe room live up to its name.You can find free safe room construction plans and details at www.fema.gov.These can be used to design a safe room or work with a contractor.Purchase codes to help you build a storm safe room.The guidelines are written by the International Code Council.
Step 6: Start construction with your supplies.
Depending on the plan you follow, you may need concrete, steel bars, a heavy wooden door, and deadbolts.Consider using anchors that are power driven around the unit's wall perimeter to avoid horizontal movement in relation to the concrete floor slab.These can be used for wood framed construction.Simpson Strong Tie anchors can be used to avoid vertical movement of the roof assembly.The ceiling and walls should be anchored to the bottom plate.FEMA's P-320 design guidelines should be consulted, but due to their incompleteness and errors with respect to metal ties, be cautious.Wood framed structures will use plywood as protection against flying debris and on each side of the stud framing to strengthen the wall.The layers and thicknesses are dependent on the amount of protection you want.Depending on the amount of protection you need, a layer of sheet steel or kevlar can be added under the plywood.The studs can be filled with masonry units.A dead bolt lock is required to install a door.
Step 7: To retrofit your room, select it.
Retrofitting an existing room in your home or business is the cheapest and simplest way to protect your loved ones from storms.You can retrofit an existing room for a thousand or less if you choose to.A large walk-in closet works well in a room with no windows or skylights.
Step 8: The door should be replaced.
A safe room needs a door that can hold high winds and be kicked in by an attacker, and should ideally open inwards rather than outwards, in case debris is stacked outside the room during a storm.The door and doorjamb should be removed.If you want to prevent the door from being kicked or blown in, replace it with a steel one and reinforce the wood with steel angle iron.You can replace the door with either a solid wood door or a heavy steel door.It should be placed so that it opens inwards rather than out.
Step 9: Don't forget to install locks.
If you want to use a traditional deadbolt, you can choose.The advantage of the keyless deadbolt is that you don't have to find the key in case of an emergency, but it can be dangerous if you have small children in your house.Steel or brass strike plates can be purchased at most hardware stores to reinforce the wood around the new locks and doorknob.The door should be locked from the inside.If it's a traditional deadbolt, make a copy of the key and keep the keys in two different locations, where you can find them in case of an emergency.
Step 10: The walls and ceiling need to be reinforced.
If you want to add a safe room to a new construction, you need to reinforce the walls and ceiling with concrete, chicken wire, or steel.To reinforce the walls, you will need to tear out the existing drywall.The most cost-effective way to reinforce the walls is to pour concrete between the 2x4s.Attach plywood or strand board to the 2x4s on either side.It is possible to cover this with drywall and paint.You can cover the 2x4s with steel sheeting and paint.If you're in a one-story home, you can apply chicken wire to the ceiling from the attic, but it's not attractive.
Step 11: If you need help, contact a contractor.
It's important that the structure you create is up to code.If you don't have a lot of experience with construction, a contractor or a storm shelter company can help you plan and install your project.Ask for the opinions of local contractors.The National Association of the Remodeling Industry or a local building inspector will be able to point you in the right direction if you ask family or friends who have recently done construction work.
Step 12: Consider the finest details.
A basic safe room will keep your family safe, but if you want to add additional features for a more high-end saferoom, you have several options: a camera monitoring system.In the event of a home invasion, a high end security system can allow you to monitor your home from the inside of the safe room.There is a keypad entry.In the event of a home invasion, you can use a keypad to lock the door to the safe room instead of using deadbolts.
Step 13: You should stock your safe room with food and water.
If there is a storm or terrorist attack, you may have to stay in the safe room longer than expected.It is important to have the essentials for your family, as well as any unexpected guests who may have to share your safe space.Start with a minimum of three gallons of water per person.If you have a safe room that can hold five people, you'll need fifteen gallons of water.The safe room can be used to store non-perishable food items, such as cans of beans or ready-to- eat soup, boxes of cookies or crackers, and tins of infant formula or powdered milk.It's a good idea to plan for a three day stay in the shelter, if you have enough space to store more.If a storm or tornado wipes out the neighborhood, you might need more supplies to support your neighbors.Keep your supplies rotating so that they don't go rancid.
Step 14: You might need other supplies.
In the event of a storm, you may need other supplies to support you and your family until help arrives.You will need a radio, flashlight, and batteries.Change of clothing and blankets for your family is something to consider.Pack a well-stocked first aid kit, complete with any medications that your family members take regularly, as well as bandages, antibiotic ointment, small scissors, and ibuprofen.In the event of nuclear or chemical warfare, the safe room should be stocked with several rolls of duct tape and plastic sheeting.