DYI Safe room?

[sid]

soo, i got to many toys and reaching the point where i want to secure all this a little better.

i am thinking of making a safe room in my basement, it will double as a tornado shelter, and mancave/reloadingroom

im thinking 10 x 20 ft size for the room.

the plan is currently, make the walls with the smart blocks from home depot:

what i dont know is how to do the ceiling, currently the ceiling is 8ft high, and offcoarse wood, anyone wanting to get into it just needs to cut a hole in the filing room floor.

anyone has an idea for the cealing? i want it to be concrete also

 

[Ravenworks]

Well I'll tell you that no matter what size you want you'll always want more.

To do it right can you go on the exterior of your home?
As in do you have the lot size?

If you want to be serious about doing a shelter/saferoom/safe then you should consult an architect/engineer.

My money,if I had the lot I'd do a monolithic pour with access to your home.

Doing it your way is going to get expensive quick because mistakes or forgotten things add up quick.

But pouring concreate into the ceiling area is no big deal with proper shoring /forms and a slickline

The problem you have with doing it your way and I WANTED IN, I'd just burn you out.

If your external and 100% concrete, no can do

 

[Hobo Hilton]

I've seen several guys build the safe room under the driveway where it enters the garage. This gives you the concrete roof.

Hobo

 

[sid]

Well I'll tell you that no matter what size you want you'll always want more.

To do it right can you go on the exterior of your home?
As in do you have the lot size?

If you want to be serious about doing a shelter/saferoom/safe then you should consult an architect/engineer.

My money,if I had the lot I'd do a monolithic pour with access to your home.

Doing it your way is going to get expensive quick because mistakes or forgotten things add up quick.

But pouring concreate into the ceiling area is no big deal with proper shoring /forms and a slickline

The problem you have with doing it your way and I WANTED IN, I'd just burn you out.

If your external and 100% concrete, no can do

i have room or space enough, but i need to finish the basement anyway and thought i could take some space for my toys
if i go external, which would be supercool it turns into a too big project

regarding a burning me out.. yes agree, burn down the house and it will get uncomfortable but i have to draw the line somewhere, having an external bunker a few feet under the ground next to the house would be nice, but the cost if the divorce would be too high

 

[sid]

I've seen several guys build the safe room under the driveway where it enters the garage. This gives you the concrete roof.

Hobo

i more of less dont have a drive way, its all gravel

 

[BullGear]

It's very difficult to build a safe room once the house has been built. Unless you have a 10 ft tall ceiling in your basement, it's almost impossible to do. It's very difficult to do with a 10 ft ceiling too.

 

[Ravenworks]

It's very difficult to build a safe room once the house has been built. Unless you have a 10 ft tall ceiling in your basement, it's almost impossible to do. It's very difficult to do with a 10 ft ceiling too.

THIS
You'll have to go lower which will involve underpinning and redesigning your foundation.

It may sound expensive consulting an architect, but the basement floor is probably 3 inches thick.

Think weight.

 

[Pre-64]

There are several custom built safe room company’s that specialize in that kind of thing. You give them your dimensions and they build it in pieces you put together, you will need a couple buddies to help. I was going to do one in my old house but lucked into buying some property and built a new house with a walk in vault. I’ve got to say it’s awesome being able to walk in and look at all the toys. Also I did way more damage taking stuff in and out of the safe than using my guns, it nice not trying to squeeze them all together.

 

[BullGear]

There are several custom built safe room company’s that specialize in that kind of thing. You give them your dimensions and they build it in pieces you put together, you will need a couple buddies to help. I was going to do one in my old house but lucked into buying some property and built a new house with a walk in vault. I’ve got to say it’s awesome being able to walk in and look at all the toys. Also I did way more damage taking stuff in and out of the safe than using my guns, it nice not trying to squeeze them all together.

Those would NEVER be rated for a tornado shelter. They just keep the honest crooks out.

 

[Sean the Nailer]

As has been advised above, you NEED to look at the foundation/footing underneath wherever you intend to put these 'walls' and add a concrete ceiling to. That is a LOT of weight that your original foundation wasn't designed to support. Not only that, but the location of your existing footings don't do ANYTHING for what you are intending to do.

If you don't start with a good foundation for what you are planning, you are creating problems for your existing structure. These can be HUGE problems. And because 'you' are doing this (no matter the reason why) if/when you have 'residual/consequential effects and damages', you will NOT be covered by your insurance policy. Because somewhere in their fine-print, they have the statement of :
"We do not pay for poor workmanship or materials"

That covers a LOT more than you want it to.

Be smart, be safe, and be prudently responsible. And yes, I actually have worked with building cement walls with the styrofoam blocks similar to what you suggested above. I helped a co-worker put together his basement of a house he was 'building'. We assembled and leveled/aligned the complete basement in 1 day, (taped the corners) and the pumper-truck and cement truck arrived the next day. It was incredible how GREAT the soundproofing as well as the R-value of the walls were, as this was Northern B.C. and the winters are COLD up there. A small 1500 watt construction heater is what was used to heat the whole house that winter, until the gas inspection was finally completed and then the gas could be turned on. But I digress.....

Those walls are heavy without a ceiling. Add a ceiling to it, and I guarantee that the 'basement floor' will NOT hold that without cracking/crushing/crumbling in due time. Depending on how you attach that to existing walls, that too will lead to catastrophic consequences. Concrete can handle an incredible amount of 'compression' whereas unless it is 'pre-stressed', it can barely hold itself under tension.

Others here whom are more adept in this field can add-to/explain all this better-er than I can.

 

[sid]

damn you guys are crushing my dreams

i will rethink my plan and will try to come up with something else....

 

[BullGear]

damn you guys are crushing my dreams

i will rethink my plan and will try to come up with something else....

You are but one who's dreams have been dashed when it comes to this safe room. I'd almost bet anyone who addressed this thread has put some thought into doing exactly what you want to do. Once given the parameters of such a room, most walk away from it.

If you have an attached garage, you could possibly dig out under the garage and build what you're looking for, but be sure, it won't be cheap and it will be a lot of work. My garage had about a 3 foot dead space under the pad, so I knew I was safe to dig there. Getting concrete to build walls took a lot and you must also run additional french drain to the existing drain to prevent the safe room from becoming a swimming pool.

Good luck!

 

[DairyDictator]

As has been advised above, you NEED to look at the foundation/footing underneath wherever you intend to put these 'walls' and add a concrete ceiling to. That is a LOT of weight that your original foundation wasn't designed to support. Not only that, but the location of your existing footings don't do ANYTHING for what you are intending to do.

If you don't start with a good foundation for what you are planning, you are creating problems for your existing structure. These can be HUGE problems. And because 'you' are doing this (no matter the reason why) if/when you have 'residual/consequential effects and damages', you will NOT be covered by your insurance policy. Because somewhere in their fine-print, they have the statement of :
"We do not pay for poor workmanship or materials"

That covers a LOT more than you want it to.

Be smart, be safe, and be prudently responsible. And yes, I actually have worked with building cement walls with the styrofoam blocks similar to what you suggested above. I helped a co-worker put together his basement of a house he was 'building'. We assembled and leveled/aligned the complete basement in 1 day, (taped the corners) and the pumper-truck and cement truck arrived the next day. It was incredible how GREAT the soundproofing as well as the R-value of the walls were, as this was Northern B.C. and the winters are COLD up there. A small 1500 watt construction heater is what was used to heat the whole house that winter, until the gas inspection was finally completed and then the gas could be turned on. But I digress.....

Those walls are heavy without a ceiling. Add a ceiling to it, and I guarantee that the 'basement floor' will NOT hold that without cracking/crushing/crumbling in due time. Depending on how you attach that to existing walls, that too will lead to catastrophic consequences. Concrete can handle an incredible amount of 'compression' whereas unless it is 'pre-stressed', it can barely hold itself under tension.

Others here whom are more adept in this field can add-to/explain all this better-er than I can.

Can confirm. I worked for a local concrete company for 3 years or so and this project sounds like it would be a MASSIVE pain in the ass.

 

[Mbaysinger89]

I build bridges for a living, and can tell you, doing concrete work below grade is twice as expensive as concrete work above grade. Make it an addition to your house or be happy with what you have already.

 

[acudaowner]

if you have to do it make , it a place you don't mind being in for a while shame you can't see the stripper poles off to the right , dreaming is fun .

 

[RickyRodney]

If you were incorporating the safe room into an attached garage project, then it might be more palatable. The roof can double as the floor.

 

[A&8's]

I built mine outside of my basement, using the patio/deck as the roof.

It may have already been mention above (I didn't read all the replies.) But, one thing to think about regarding a door. Tornado's create vacuum. So have your door open inside the room. The vacuum will keep the door from getting ripped out during a tornado. Also, even if the house falls inside the basement, you can still open the door and claw your way out.

 

[Ravenworks]

damn you guys are crushing my dreams

i will rethink my plan and will try to come up with something else....

Not at all,I just don't want to see you throw 10k at something then have to spend more to fix that.

 

[BullGear]

A unique approach would be to build a storm shelter away from your home. An underground retreat to be used for tornadoes but also a place to store your firearms. With electricity, it would make a decent area to store your firearms.

A side note, it could be useful in the event that some government agency would ask you if you have firearms in the house. You could truthfully answer no to that question......