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MO Cabin
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# Posted: 11 May 2014 12:29am
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My cabin is on piers, so I have no basement. We are miles from anything. What does everyone uses for a storm shelter.
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bldginsp
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# Posted: 11 May 2014 10:42pm
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I remember seeing a video where someone buried an old school bus under a layer of dirt as an emergency shelter.
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TheCabinCalls
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# Posted: 12 May 2014 09:25am
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They have been in articles a lot lately. Do you have access to concrete? In the article they build a form bottom, sides and top and pour it all in one pour. That is what they use now in OK exclusively.
Thought about making a version too.
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MO Cabin
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# Posted: 13 May 2014 05:46pm
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I have seen the bus thing as well, I dont think that would be a route I wm willing to take. Pouring my own concrete into a form is possible.
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TheCabinCalls
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# Posted: 13 May 2014 08:17pm
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Here is an example of what I was thinking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNKe0Sa8qG8
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MO Cabin
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# Posted: 15 May 2014 06:33pm
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Has anyone gone this route, or something similar. Cost wise is is not too bad, and it could double as a root cellar.
http://midweststormshelters.net/products/sloped_front
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Bzzzzzt
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# Posted: 15 May 2014 09:05pm
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I have seen those for sale places and I would expect to see some transportation costs for those puppies. I bet they weigh in the 10,000 to 12,000 pound territory. You'd need a hefty truck with a crane to set the thing.
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MO Cabin
Member
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# Posted: 17 May 2014 11:42pm
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Has anyone see something or done anything different than what has been posted in this thread.?
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ashed
Member
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# Posted: 15 Sep 2015 04:40pm
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I put in an extra 3000 gallon septic tank when I had the original septic system installed specifically as a storm shelter and it was cheaper than anything I could come up with.
The tank was 1200 installed - bundled with the original septic system tank so everything needed to put it in the ground was already there.
Tips:
3000 gallon at least for headroom.
LED lighting with a dedicated battery
Use the inflow openings as air vents
I built an A frame (16x30) so the closet floor in the bedroom was over the opening to the tank. There is an outside manhole to access it as well if needed.
Added plus - no one ever goes looking for or haphazardly opening a septic tank.
Hope that helps.
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 15 Sep 2015 05:32pm
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A problem with many DIY and even some commercially built shelters is the entrance door. Too many are hinged to open outwards. When debris piles against the door that makes it impossible, or maybe just difficult, to exit after the storm. Something to think about.
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ashed
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# Posted: 15 Sep 2015 06:34pm
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I agree, that is why the primary entrance was inside and placed under the edge of the A frame (those that have lived in one know it is for storage only or empty). At over 12-ft long it was easy to have an external port that I oversized to 30 inches from the usual 20 to get out.
Depends on the storm but I was mostly worried about tornado's and a 12-ft x 10-ft x 6.7-ft box of 4 inch concrete below grade offers a lot of protection. I also had my place broken into several times and we started keeping things that would get stolen down there after the second time. Hasn't been a problem since.
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rockies
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# Posted: 15 Sep 2015 08:08pm
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I've read that one of the strongest things to use is one of those corrugated metal storm drains, but each method seems to have flaws.
Some opinions on the topic.
http://supertornadoshelters.com/why-steel/
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hattie
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# Posted: 15 Sep 2015 08:20pm
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We have a cold room under our greenhouse. It is 80% concrete and about 5 feet by 8 feet with a 6.5 foot ceiling. Even the ceiling is concrete. It is built into the corner of our foundation. It will make a good storm shelter should we need one.
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Don_P
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# Posted: 15 Sep 2015 09:12pm
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If a section of the building is built over a concrete cellar, the floor diaphragm is attached to a braced foundation element. This greatly improves the lateral stability of a pier which is also attached to the floor diaphragm.
Ditto on the inswing access, the debris after a high wind event can be mighty impressive. Not having to run outside when the fan is hitting the poop is a big plus, there is a lot of stuff flying around. One carpenter joke is that with high end vinyl siding they write your name on the backside so you can get it back after a storm.
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ashed
Member
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# Posted: 16 Sep 2015 09:54pm
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Clearly you grew up in Texas or thereabouts. Very true for Kansas. One of the reasons I'm not there anymore and have a different approach to a "bunker" as my father calls it.
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Julie2Oregon
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# Posted: 17 Sep 2015 03:28am
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I had to look up whether there are tornados in Oregon. Apparently, they are very rare, thank goodness. Gah, I will be SO GLAD to move far away from Tornado Alley!!! I won't miss crazy-big hail and damaging wind on a regular basis.
Now, earthquakes, on the other hand, and wildfires, I do have to address. In the cabin construction, materials, managing the property, etc., as best I can. As much as possible.
Nothing, nowhere is trouble-free!
Hattie, your shelter sounds great! That's a really good idea!
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dmanley
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# Posted: 17 Sep 2015 04:14pm
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I've heard of people buying used freight containers and converting them to shelters by burying them, leaving space for the doors to open. Sounds like a great way to have a shelter.
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Steve961
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# Posted: 17 Sep 2015 05:55pm
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Quoting: dmanley I've heard of people buying used freight containers and converting them to shelters by burying them, leaving space for the doors to open. Sounds like a great way to have a shelter.
NEVER bury a shipping container. Shipping containers are not designed to withstand side loads from being buried. By the time you reinforce it to handle the side loads, you may as well build an underground structure from something else. Please read the following link for more information:
No, You Can't Bury Containers!
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 17 Sep 2015 06:59pm
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Actually you can bury them, just as you can bury anything. It will just be a matter of time though for the earth pressure to collapse the walls. 
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old greybeard
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# Posted: 18 Sep 2015 07:20am
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I always figured on jumping into the holding tank for the outhouse. 
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