Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Alabama > Huntsville-Madison-Decatur area
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 05-09-2011, 09:01 AM
 
46 posts, read 123,002 times
Reputation: 14

Advertisements

Hey everyone, we are looking to build a shelter in our house or have a safe room, does anyone have it? Any tips you can give?
Im looking for a company please let me know which one is a good one.


thank you
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 05-09-2011, 04:24 PM
 
13,768 posts, read 38,213,545 times
Reputation: 10690
I would also be interested in cost for in ground vs safe room shelter. I know some newer houses here have a built in safe room.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-09-2011, 04:48 PM
 
Location: BNA -> HSV
1,977 posts, read 4,210,706 times
Reputation: 1523
I have been researching this a lot lately and here are some helpful links I have found including a couple manufacturers and FEMA's guidebook that you can get for free, which also includes plans. I am still a firm believer that the safest place to be and really the only way to survive a direct hit from an EF-5 is underground, assuming your lot allows for it.

FEMA: FEMA 320 - Taking Shelter From the Storm: Building a Safe Room For Your Home or Small Business
Shelter Comparison Page
Ground Zero Storm Shelter | Oklahoma Kansas | Texas | Mississippi | Alabama | Georgia | Arkansas | Missouri | Louisiana | Florida | Tennessee | Garage Underground Flattop Tornado Shelters | Safe Rooms

For the DIYer types: Cozy Caverns Storm Shelters
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-09-2011, 05:18 PM
 
871 posts, read 2,886,966 times
Reputation: 183
Anyone know anything about this one? Seems like a good idea:
Storm Shelters and Tornado Shelters by FlatSafe, In-Home Storm and Tornado Shelter
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-09-2011, 05:25 PM
 
Location: BNA -> HSV
1,977 posts, read 4,210,706 times
Reputation: 1523
Quote:
Originally Posted by autobahn View Post
Anyone know anything about this one? Seems like a good idea:
Storm Shelters and Tornado Shelters by FlatSafe, In-Home Storm and Tornado Shelter
That is the one I am leaning towards...Ground Zero linked above makes something similar. You should not pay more than $5-6k installed. Some people argue that your garage can fall and trap you, but the door can slide back and you can always keep tools inside to aid in digging yourself out and the location of the shelter is logged in a GPS database.

Another useful benefit...you can use it as an oil change pit to work on your vehicles.

I would probably make sure I located the entrance in an area where I would not have to move my car to access it though.

Here is another dealer for this same type shelter:

http://www.takingshelter.com/photos.html
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-10-2011, 04:29 PM
 
10 posts, read 73,170 times
Reputation: 23
Thumbs up Flatsafe review

Quote:
Originally Posted by autobahn View Post
Anyone know anything about this one? Seems like a good idea:
Storm Shelters and Tornado Shelters by FlatSafe, In-Home Storm and Tornado Shelter
By mere coincidence, we had a Flatsafe shelter put in last fall. We moved here from "Tornado Alley" and never felt comfortable not having a basement.

We researched many companies, both local and out of area, and in the end went with Flatsafe and are glad we did. We also saw some local installs they did before we decided.

We consider the shelter worth every penny. We spent most of April 27 in it (unfortunately, our home was badly damaged by the tornadoes.) But we are alive, which is what counts.

Flatsafe is an Oklahoma company, but does plenty of installs in other states. They drive here and bring all their equipment. It takes about two full days to put a shelter in.

We were able to have our shelter placed how we wanted it, so we could get into it without moving the car or opening the garage door.

We did have to get a building permit in Madison County, which was a bit of a hassle, but Flatsafe will give you the specs you need to submit to the county or city where you want to have the shelter. If you have it placed anywhere close to the foundation, as we did, you may need to get an engineering inspection as well.

Feel free to message me if you have more questions. (Note: I have no affiliation with Flatsafe.)
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-10-2011, 05:01 PM
 
Location: Madison, Alabama
956 posts, read 2,502,346 times
Reputation: 278
bluemorpho, Thank goodness you are safe. Thanks a bunch for sharing this info. I have so many clients that now want to add a storm shelter and hate to recommend anyone. This sounds like a great company and I will send clients here to read your recommendation. So many "we sell storm shelters" companies have been popping up left and right. NO way would I recommend a company that I have no experience with. This is something far to serious. Thanks again for sharing your experience!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-10-2011, 07:56 PM
 
10 posts, read 73,170 times
Reputation: 23
Quote:
Originally Posted by Elizabeth_G View Post
bluemorpho, Thank goodness you are safe. Thanks a bunch for sharing this info. I have so many clients that now want to add a storm shelter and hate to recommend anyone. This sounds like a great company and I will send clients here to read your recommendation. So many "we sell storm shelters" companies have been popping up left and right. NO way would I recommend a company that I have no experience with. This is something far to serious. Thanks again for sharing your experience!
Glad to help. I wish there had been more reviews out there when we were trying to decide on a company. We did check all the companies with the BBB and did online searches. As with anything, due diligence pays...

Of course nobody wants to ever need or use a shelter, but it can give some peace of mind.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-10-2011, 08:10 PM
 
10 posts, read 73,170 times
Reputation: 23
Quote:
Originally Posted by bmrisko View Post
That is the one I am leaning towards...Ground Zero linked above makes something similar. You should not pay more than $5-6k installed. Some people argue that your garage can fall and trap you, but the door can slide back and you can always keep tools inside to aid in digging yourself out and the location of the shelter is logged in a GPS database.
Yes, I should mention that the Flatsafe shelter has a come-along (winch) to pry open the lid in the event heavy debris falls on it. That was included with the shelter.

I know some say that safe rooms, closets or above ground shelters are just as good, but we feel more secure underground. And I don't want to have to run outside in the middle of the night in a storm to get into an external shelter.

Anyone with a shelter should be sure to register it with their local emergency rescue and/or fire department, so they know where to look in the event of a disaster.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-10-2011, 08:17 PM
 
355 posts, read 964,639 times
Reputation: 176
I like the underground solution, but unfortunately my water table may be too high for something like that.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Alabama > Huntsville-Madison-Decatur area
Similar Threads
View detailed profiles of:

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:24 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top