Taking Shelter From the Storm: Building a Safe Room Inside Your House, from FEMA WHY BUILD A SAFE ROOM USING CONCRETE?īy far, the biggest danger to people and property during tornadoes and hurricanes is the flying debris carried by the high winds. Some state and local governments have engaged in grant programs with the federal government to partially subsidize the construction of safe rooms. For project eligibility, contact your State Hazard Mitigation Officer, who can advise you on what information to provide to be considered for funding. You may also be able to obtain FEMA funding to construct a safe room. Some communities offer incentives for owners who wish to build a safe room or shelter, including reduced property taxes. See this safe room cost calculator from for average remodeling costs for 8- by 8-foot and 14- by 14-foot units made of concrete, concrete block and ICFs. In general, safe room costs for existing homes will be approximately 20% higher than those in new homes. The cost of retrofitting an existing home to add a safe room will vary with the size of the home and its construction type.
The cost for constructing an 8- by 8-foot safe room that can double as a closet, bathroom, or utility room inside a new home ranges from approximately $6,600 to $8,700 (in 2011 dollars), according to FEMA. WHAT IS THE COST OF INSTALLING A SAFE ROOM?Ĭosts for safe room construction vary across the United States. The doors are typically made of high-gauge steel tested to resist high wind forces and perforation by windborne debris. Safe room walls and roofs can be built using a variety of materials including reinforced concrete, reinforced concrete masonry or combinations of wood frame and steel sheathing or concrete masonry infill.
They are adequately anchored to the home’s foundation to resist overturning and uplift.These structures are built to provide “near-absolute protection” for the occupants during extreme windstorms by meeting the following criteria: WHAT IS A SAFE ROOM?Ī safe room is a small, windowless chamber specifically designed and constructed to meet Federal Emergency Management Association guidelines, which are outlined in the publication Taking Shelter from the Storm: Building a Safe Room for Your Home or Small Business (FEMA P-320). Here are a few factors to consider before building a concrete safe room as well as guidelines and resources for safe room construction. But it’s impossible to put a value on a structure that will give you peace of mind and could save your life. When constructed according to approved plans, these windowless, heavily reinforced structures can withstand winds exceeding 250 mph and projectiles traveling at 100 mph or greater, protecting occupants from Mother Nature’s worst wrath.īuilding a concrete safe room is not an inexpensive proposition, especially if you are adding one to an existing home.
That’s why more and more people, especially homeowners living in tornado-prone areas, are building concrete safe rooms in new and existing homes.
#CONCRETE SAFEROOM COSTS WINDOWS#
During such extreme conditions, one of the safest places you can be is in a storm shelter, or safe room, constructed of reinforced concrete or concrete block with no windows and a concrete floor or roof system overhead. But in a powerful tornado or hurricane packing winds of more than 250 miles per hour, even well-constructed frame houses can be lifted right off their foundations, and large debris can turn into airborne missiles.
And those odds will increase substantially if you a have safe place in your home to ride out the storm.įor people living in wood-frame homes without basements, that “safe” place often ends up being an interior room, such as a closet or bathroom, with no windows. If you’re at home when the warning comes, staying put will give you the best odds of survival. That’s all the time you have on average to seek shelter after a tornado warning is issued. Superior Walls of East Tennessee in Rock Island, TN. A concrete safe room stands ready for a home to be built around it.
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