Adding a safe room in an existing basement

[ghuns]

Do those open from the inside, or would you be trapped?

Got me. I guess I always assumed they did. I can't imagine owning one that wouldn't.

 

[cosermann]

Also, what's your budget? Vault doors are expensive.

 

[JettaKnight]

Do those open from the inside, or would you be trapped? Man, that would be a bad day, break into a house, find a nice vault, get it open only to face a pissed off homeowner with an AR. As an EE, I always go with a purely mechanical lock. EMP=bad mojo, and I don't really want to be able to open it with a simple key lock. Hey, speaking of, while you're building it would be an excellent opportunity to add a Faraday cage function, keep your electronics safe. Add handheld radios to your survival kit.

A faraday cage would make it hard to listen to the weather radio while inside...

 

[JettaKnight]

Also, what's your budget? Vault doors are expensive.

No kidding!

Budget? I got some lint in my pocket...

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

Allowance can be made for power input, as well as a coaxial port for an antenna. You can cap it when you're not using it. I did things like this in another life.

 

[Aggar]

I've got a project that I'm planning on digging a basement/storm shelter/ safe room. It's going to be under my master bedroom. If it is all concrete, walls and ceiling, what kind of ventilation can you have?

 

[looney2ns]

A faraday cage would make it hard to listen to the weather radio while inside...

You would most likely need an above grade or outdoor antenna anyway for reliability.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

That's the lovely part about the coax transition, you can mount your antenna at an advantageous location. Better than NOAA, if you have the receiver for it, is skywarn. This is the amateur radio group that mobilizes during bad weather. You get the raw information 15-30 minutes before it gets out on the NOAA radio, in fact NOAA gets a lot of their information from them.

 

[PistolBob]

What are you trying to stay safe from?

Don't forget to figure in an alternative way out of the thing...

 

[JettaKnight]

What are you trying to stay safe from?

Don't forget to figure in an alternative way out of the thing...

Thieves, fre and tornadoes.

Only the last one is for humans.

 

[PistolBob]

In the event of a house fire, I am leaving the building. A safe room in the basement looks a lot like an oven to me if the house collapses....concrete ceiling or not. A house fire can easily reach a couple thousand degrees, not to mention the poisonous gases they produce. So your flameproof basement shelter is going to have to be damn well engineered...and it is going to be incredibly cost prohibitive for most of us. Thieves are going to be glad you went to your safe room, that way they can continue ransacking the home without your interference. Eventually they will get tired and leave...and you are safe but without a few of your prized possessions. WIN WIN - a reasonably well built safe room can do wonders in the event of seriously bad weather. I think for my family the only reason I'd build the safe room would be for protection from the weather...the rest of that stuff may not be possible or sensible...it's your decision.

 

[JettaKnight]

What are you trying to stay safe from?

Don't forget to figure in an alternative way out of the thing...

Thieves, fre and tornadoes.

Only the last one is for humans.

In the event of a house fire, I am leaving the building. A safe room in the basement looks a lot like an oven to me if the house collapses....concrete ceiling or not. A house fire can easily reach a couple thousand degrees, not to mention the poisonous gases they produce. So your flameproof basement shelter is going to have to be damn well engineered...and it is going to be incredibly cost prohibitive for most of us. Thieves are going to be glad you went to your safe room, that way they can continue ransacking the home without your interference. Eventually they will get tired and leave...and you are safe but without a few of your prized possessions. WIN WIN - a reasonably well built safe room can do wonders in the event of seriously bad weather. I think for my family the only reason I'd build the safe room would be for protection from the weather...the rest of that stuff may not be possible or sensible...it's your decision.

I guess I wasn't clear. I want to protect inanimate objects from theft and fire and animate objects (me) from tornadoes.

 

[Alamo]

In the event of a house fire, I am leaving the building. A safe room in the basement looks a lot like an oven to me if the house collapses....

Best idea to leave (in case of fire), but if you stay, not to worry... the toxic gases produced by the fire seeping in around the door and other cracks would kill you long before it cooks you or the house falls in. If you want to cook or crush, you'll have to make the shelter air-tight as well. If you do, just remember basements are notorious for killing firefighters that enter them while the house is burning. And they were wearing all kinds of protective gear and air supplies.

I could see a safe room for having a place for the family to run to if someone breaks in. Facing down invaders with a EBR is emotionally appealing, but I would prefer family be safe before the war starts, if possible.

A tornado shelter is good too, and if the only place I could afford it was the basement, then so be it, but if the house falls into the basement from the tornado, then you still have to dig your way out of the basement even if you can open the door inward or outward. Also, houses do catch on fire after tornadoes. Broken gas lines, downed electrical, etc. That would be ugly (see first line above). I think tornado shelter outside of the house perimeter would be better if it can be arranged.

For using it just as a room to securely stash stuff and make it harder for thieves, walling off one end of the basement and hiding a decently locked steel door with a book case on wheels or a refrigerator or something might be just the trick..

Good luck.

 

[Cameramonkey]

It would prob. be cheaper and easier to go on the outside of the house and dig a hole and add on a room from the outside to the basement, then cover with concrete and dirt ?

If its just for a tornado, Ive seen a product sold that is basically a fiberglass shell that you bury in the ground and only the 3' square hatch is exposed. Looks like it would take about 2 hours to install with a backhoe so pretty inexpensive. I think those are designed for mobile/manufactured houses.

I've seen a demo of one in a parking lot behind the Terre Haute mall.

Google Street view ROCKS! Its the green pod with the stairs...
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.429...ata=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sm_UKF5GwykwwtB0pNKqA4g!2e0

Barring that you could probably get away with covering the top of the safe room with a solid row of 4x4s. I would think that would withstand some pretty substantial force as long as your room wasnt very large.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

Best idea to leave (in case of fire), but if you stay, not to worry... the toxic gases produced by the fire seeping in around the door and other cracks would kill you long before it cooks you or the house falls in. If you want to cook or crush, you'll have to make the shelter air-tight as well. If you do, just remember basements are notorious for killing firefighters that enter them while the house is burning. And they were wearing all kinds of protective gear and air supplies.

I could see a safe room for having a place for the family to run to if someone breaks in. Facing down invaders with a EBR is emotionally appealing, but I would prefer family be safe before the war starts, if possible.

A tornado shelter is good too, and if the only place I could afford it was the basement, then so be it, but if the house falls into the basement from the tornado, then you still have to dig your way out of the basement even if you can open the door inward or outward. Also, houses do catch on fire after tornadoes. Broken gas lines, downed electrical, etc. That would be ugly (see first line above). I think tornado shelter outside of the house perimeter would be better if it can be arranged.

For using it just as a room to securely stash stuff and make it harder for thieves, walling off one end of the basement and hiding a decently locked steel door with a book case on wheels or a refrigerator or something might be just the trick..

Good luck.

And a faraday cage

 

[cosermann]

If you went the route of protecting your inanimate objects in their own containers in the room, and protecting your animate objects from tornados and agressors while in the room, then you could accomplish the task without going to block walls. Might reduce your cost, or not, as I haven't run the numbers. However, some folks are more comfortable working with framing materials than masonry. It's surprisingly simple to construct a wall that will withstand impact from a 100 mph 2x4 with studs and the proper sheathing materials. Add an exterior grade door with some upgraded hardware and you've got a pretty sturdy room. Something to think about. Good luck.

 

[Ricnzak]

Best idea to leave (in case of fire), but if you stay, not to worry... the toxic gases produced by the fire seeping in around the door and other cracks would kill you long before it cooks you or the house falls in. If you want to cook or crush, you'll have to make the shelter air-tight as well. If you do, just remember basements are notorious for killing firefighters that enter them while the house is burning. And they were wearing all kinds of protective gear and air supplies.

I could see a safe room for having a place for the family to run to if someone breaks in. Facing down invaders with a EBR is emotionally appealing, but I would prefer family be safe before the war starts, if possible.

A tornado shelter is good too, and if the only place I could afford it was the basement, then so be it, but if the house falls into the basement from the tornado, then you still have to dig your way out of the basement even if you can open the door inward or outward. Also, houses do catch on fire after tornadoes. Broken gas lines, downed electrical, etc. That would be ugly (see first line above). I think tornado shelter outside of the house perimeter would be better if it can be arranged.

For using it just as a room to securely stash stuff and make it harder for thieves, walling off one end of the basement and hiding a decently locked steel door with a book case on wheels or a refrigerator or something might be just the trick..

Good luck.

^^^Wise man here^^^

Many people have a false sense of security in basements. I am a distributor for this product. FamilySafe | Safe Rooms, Storm Shelters and More for Your Protection

We do make a bolt together unit that is certified for basment or inside the home applications. You are safer in the garage in one of the above pre-fab units we sell. Plus it only takes me two hours to install one of those. We have had 9 units take direct hits from F 5 storms and the people walked out okay. They will also resist most hangun fire. They will help secure things but do not offer much for protection from fire for living beings due to smoke and such?

 

[Ricnzak]

Forgot to mention that FEMA has plans you can download to build your own. Good Luck!

 

[sipherblitz]

definitely going to pour the foundation a little differently in my next house...

 

[Voldemort]

A bookcase on wheels with handles in the back works nice for basement cammo...