Why do want/feel you need a dedicated storm shelter in a basement? Isn't the basement enough of a shelter in and of itself?

I did something similar execpt mine also doubles as my root cellar and has venting to the outside to maintain the proper temperature. Mine is 9 x 19 and even with shelves it feels big. You should have plenty of room. You may want to have an electrical outlet installed if you don't already have it on the plans. Be sure to find a good battery radio that will work in a basement, sometimes it's hard to get a signal there. Just make sure you builder knows the use of this room so he can reinforce the inside walls if he thinks it needs it.

With four kids I would probably look at something other than a double bed, at least for now. Maybe two sets of bunk beds, one with a double bed on the bottom? Maybe inflatable mattresses? It seems like to be useful for sleeping, there needs to be room for everyone.

What about access to a bathroom? With four kids, if there were a big storm that lasted a while, surely at least one kid is going to need to go to the bathroom.

Bathroom + electricity ;)

Make it the size of a theater room and large enough for your neighbors; charge admission and this could be a lucrative venture and offer entertainment as the storm passes over.

Here's the current tentative plan, which shows the basement adjacent to the storm/"safe" room. I'm not sure how it could be constructed so that there is access but not affect the overall integrity of the room. My biggest concern would be IF there was a tornado and we were trapped, we likely wouldn't have electricity. Maybe a floor drain and/or bucket could suffice ;0)

The EF-4 tornado that hit Cookeville, TN, in the wee hours of the morning was less than an hour from me and given that a microburst with 85ish mph winds took the roof off and destroyed our previous house back in January, to say that storms now scare me is an understatement.

I don’t have advice, just chiming in to say I’m sorry that happened to you! We are rebuilding after a fire and I 100% understand the need to feel prepared in a new house. We only had one staircase in our old house, which meant we had to jump from the second floor. We’re putting THREE sets of stairs in the new house.

Sounds like a need for a ranch house.

@shead. I understand your concern but again. Isn't a basement in general safe from tornadoes? what am I missing? I've read about hidden rooms but more for panic situations [intruders]. They are usually behind a bookshelf, etc.

Actually, building a storm room is relatively simple, whether in a basement or on the first floor of a slab on grade design.

All that's needed are an 8-inch poured in place and reinforced walls and ceiling, built on a concrete slab. A solid core door with deadbolt should suffuce.

Size large enough for the number of folding cots that may be needed for an overnight stay.

it will stay cool enough to store all your wine there!

The challenge with a wood framed room is what if the structure above collapses onto the space? An all concrete space solves that potential problem. As well as where to keep the wine cool..!

Yes, we plan to do an all concrete space for sure!

It seems my previous comment disappeared about a basement being all we need. Yes, basements are definitely helpful, but having a dedicated storm room with a concrete ceiling and solid door will help even more in case the floor system of the house gets ripped off. Definitely not likely, but an EF-4 could potentially do that and then you'd be exposed to debris crashing in around you. A concrete room with a concrete ceiling would potentially provide a greater level of protection.

Nice idea Lindsey_CA.

And if the electricity goes out, then you cannot flush the basement toilet if you need to pump up. Check out the systems RVs use....you could have a space for it in the basement bathroom. If you have it, you will never need it, but if you don’t you will! And I think bunks are a great idea.

You could consider ICF for your whole house. That would make a dedicated shelter redundant.

ICF is incredibly more expensive. We asked our builder and he said it would cost 30% more for the basement alone. For a 2800 sf basement, that’s a lot.

ICF wall construction does not address the potential for collapse of the wood framed floor or roof above the "shelter" space.

I would include the bathroom in the storm shelter, since it takes very little time before bathrooms are needed, especially if everyone is jittery about a storm.

I would also add an an external emergency access door on the foundation wall on one side. If your house is completely destroyed and the stairs collapse, you may need to exit some other way than the basement stairs. You don't need a large emergency access, but it should be big enough for everyone to crawl out.

While building the shelter walls I would also consider where you might be able to add support for a water reservoir up high on the wall, even if its just a shelf for five gallon jugs. If you lose main water pressure you can gravity feed from the jugs and have what you need for drinking and washing up.

Also figure out what you are going to do for lighting if you have to spend several hours in this room. LED lights are low current draw, but there is a limit to how long they last. In this relatively sealed room, candles or lanterns might not be a good choice if power goes off and you lose fresh air from your HVAC.

When you design your electrical system, take a look at options for connecting an emergency generator. Some folks go with a whole house generator option and automatic cutover (expensive), but there are simpler choices. For example, you can move several key circuits to a subpanel (refrigerator, a few lights a few receptacles, etc.) and install a manual interlock that allow you to run that subpanel off a small generator. Small generators use less fuel and take up less space, and you can usually get by with running them only a few hours a day.

Bruce

@Virgil Carter Fine Art, would you worry about the concrete "ceiling" of the safe room collapsing if constructed and reinforced properly?

I wonder... are there professionals who specialize in "safe rooms"? I know this is intended more to be a storm shelter than true safe room - but much is the same right? If you really want to do it right, I'd figure out a secondary source of power (as noted above) as well as ventilation (also called out above). I'd include the bathroom in the safe room in terms of the wall/ceiling materials and type of door - but you could also have a door from inside the storm shelter into the bathroom. That way if in a major storm - you have access without existing the shelter. Also consider an exit route. In my imagination (after I win the lottery) I imagine building something similar, but with an underground tunnel that leads to a secondary exit far from the house. (Like I said... it's in my imagination... but wonder if there is something similar that's more realistic.) Someone out there must specialize in these, right?

And I'm sorry you experienced such a terrible storm. Having lived through enough tornado scares (and luckily no real damage) I can really understand the need. I can't imagine having gone through the experience you have.

I understand that the cost difference can be prohibitive if on a budget.

About the collapsing wood floor: I said ICF, not ICF walls only. I’m building with ICF and concrete floors (and roof).

It would be beneficial if the safe room would not be a dedicate safe room but function as a usable space AND comfortably accommodate the activities you wish to engage in while using it as a safe room.

So a couple things.

First of all, a concrete ceiling is a massive waste of money, especially if you have a poured concrete foundation. If it is a new build, simply double up the joists that pass above the ceiling of the room and tie them directly into the foundation with hurricane tie downs at both ends. Double plate the sill in the room and tie it directly into the slab every 16" with threaded concrete lags, and then tie all the wall studs in the room into the joists and sill with hurricane tie downs as well. A tornado is not going to be able to rip up a fully tied down room below grade unless it is like an F1000, and even if the house collapses above you it isn't coming through doubled joists 16" on center.

The other big thing is make sure that you have a way out in case of flooding. I had a friend who had a "safe room" in his basement. The basement flash flooded in a big storm and they all nearly drowned because the door was jammed shut by water.

What about sign post that acts like a spear and penetrates the 3/4" thick plywood between the joists and enters the safe room? I have seen a picture of a piece of straw that pierced a telephone pole.

It would be beneficial if the safe room would not be a dedicate safe room but function as a usable space AND comfortably accommodate the activities you wish to engage in while using it as a safe room.

Yes, this is what we intend. My in-laws live about 2 hours away and frequently visit "their" farm overnight for hunting purposes, etc. My FIL likes to take midday naps and DH does as well when he's had to get up particularly early so I plan on this room being the "safe" room/nap room/guest room for in-laws as well as a place to storage extra cases of water, paper towels, toilet paper, etc.

What about sign post that acts like a spear and penetrates the 3/4" thick plywood between the joists and enters the safe room? I have seen a picture of a piece of straw that pierced a telephone pole.

That's a good point, Mark. Apparently there was a tornado in our area several decades ago with people still around who remember it and one told DH about seeing straw embedded into brick and into trees. There are reports of that with the Cookeville, TN EF-4 last week. We had an EF-3 in our county in 2008 that was on the ground many, many miles from TN into KY. Our dear church friends lost their home in that tornado and another friend's home was lifted off its foundation and turned. The suction was enough to pull the windshield wipers off their car parked in the garage and propel them through the air into their garage walls.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Super_Tuesday_tornado_outbreak

Well...it's up to every individual to make up their own mind about protection from high winds and frequent tornados.

There's the old fashioned exterior excavated storm shelters, the newer below slab garage shelters, etc.

For my Oklahoma two-story wood frame slab on grade house, I designed a storm closet. It was large enough for several cots for an overnight stay. It was constructed on the first floor, adjacent to the MBR, using reinforced 8-inch poured in place concrete with a solid core door for access.

Upon cometion, the second floor framing was added and the house completed. I never had to worry about how the framing for the second floor and roof might impact the storm closet.

Because the storm closet was relatively small it did not add appreciably to the cost of the house.

If you want to bet your life safety on doubled joists above your storm space, be my guest.

I made mine reinforced concrete and never had another worry.

DH just made the firm decision to do a concrete ceiling. It shouldn't cost that much more. Concrete is pretty cheap here as is labor so I'd estimate less than $1000 for the room size.

Our basement safe room has a concrete ceiling. The screen porch is above it. We used a steel door with a numbered keypad Lock.

on the outside of the room, visible from the finished basement, we used a six panel door that matches the rest of the doors. So the room basically has 2 doors and looks like just any other room. No sleeping quarters or bathroom in the room. Emergency supplies and my freezer. Room for sleeping bags to stretch out if necessay.

You might glean some ideas from this if you haven't already seen it. My nephew lives in KC and his tornado room is off the basement, all concrete and the builder put it under the front porch. I'm guessing that position so less chance of the whole house collapsing on it?

https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/3140

@tedbixby, thanks! I'll look into that publication!

We considered putting it under our porch because it seemed like the least expensive route (already would have concrete "ceiling") but our builder is afraid that any rain that made it under the porch might find its way into the room below via the edge between the house and where the concrete porch slab met.

We just discussed it all with him and have a good plan for now. Construction starts in about a month so I've got a little time to figure out all the logistics of it.

We have space under our porch as @tedbixby suggested. With the steel bridge decking, concrete and bluestone as a porch "floor" there are no water issues. (now, our porch is inset and fully covered) We have never had a leak and use for both storage and the HVAC equipment.

I remember that even though it was set up as a separate room (without an access door) the builder was just going to fill it with dirt! Seemed like a waste of free safe space - so we added a door and really simplified our basement design.

Our storm shelter/wine storage room is under our front porch also. We shall sustain ourselves on grapes and cheeses in the event of a catastrophe...

We discussed under the porch with the builder but because our front porch is 38 ft wide by 7 feet deep, it was going to an awkward space and because it's slightly west facing, he worried more about the impact of water blowing in under the porch and potentially staying wet or damp in the space. We wanted something more the size of a small bedroom so we could sleep in there if severe weather was forecasted for overnight. I plan to put full over full bunks in there plus some air mattresses or sleeping bags. It'll only be 9x12 but that's a decent size space for what we need. We got the final number on pricing and it's only $3250 more to make the space a safe room :) That's well worth it to me!

ETA: The builder is going to include a HVAC vent, fresh air sourcing, an in-swing door which would be less likely to be pulled off the hinges and keep us from being trapped in if debris were against the door, and a floor drain. The bathroom will not be included in the safe room space, though, but we may try to add a door between the spaces.

You will need some way to communicate with the outside world in case your house gets demolished and your exit is blocked. Also need to have the location marked in some way so you can be extracted safely.

We have space for twin XL bunks in ours and 7' is plenty of room (ours can't be much bigger than that). We still have at least 40"of walkway.

I didn't build this thing and it is a little doomsday prepperish for my taste. There is what looks like a wardrobe against one wall with louvered doors and shelves full of supplies. The intention is emergency supplies stored on those shelves and removed in an emergency situation. In the back of the shelves there are mattresses that lay on the shelves when they are cleaned off and provide three sleeping berths. They are isolated from the rest of the space so someone could theoretically sleep while others went about their business. The almost floor to ceiling door to the closet can swing to close off the entire space. The advantage is that one 90"x40" closet system contains all the supplies you need for a week of emergency survival without interfering with other uses of the space.

Didn’t read all the comments. We too are in central TN. Built a safe/gun room using the FEMA recommendations they have available online for TN. Grant to support some of the costs from TN as well. Make sure your safe door opens inward, ventilation is important. Start with the basics for saving lives, worrry about groovy design later...

Oh...and by law you will need to notify the city/county police that you have a safe room. Super smart what you’re doing.

We are in SoKY but I’ll let the sheriff and EMS know.

You can even get credit back for having a safe room, it’s sqft dependent. Look into grant opportunities, it may help,you buy a longer fire rated door. We did a completed cement room, all 6 sides. We have 2 ventilation ports, in case one gets blocked. Since it’s also a gun room we have dehumidifiers as well. Think composting toilet with back up heat to make everything go to ash for odors.the difficult part is communication. I’m lucky since hubby is a ham radio operator and has a license, I’m a pilot so I can transmit on his freq in emergency situations. I think the hardest part is to think of essentials, after that you can incorporate comfort but most importantly think of mental well being. Good li]cul with your project...I found the process enlightening.

I put one in my basement in WI. Same thing, just chose a corner then poured 2 extra concrete walls while they formed the rest of the basement walls. Steel door + frame with a mortise strike and deadbolt, it's overkill but my door is fire and hurricane rated. I chose to do nothing for the ceiling (open to wood trusses) because it's only 8'6" x 12'

I put 1 hvac supply vent in there to better climate control it, the floor is heated (because the rest of the basement had it anyway), and I added a small floor drain in the center. Added an alarm system control panel in there, and a landline (since IT rack is in there too). Room is on its own circuit. IT rack has HUGE ups (uninterrupted power supply) batteries to keep my internet/cameras up in a power outage, but it also powers backup lights in the safe room and can charge phones

I use mine for my IT rack location and gun safe. Once I get to it, I plan to turn the entire room into a "gun safe room" in itself, then I'll have a cabinet in there with emergency supply stuff should the family ever need to sit in there. Eventually I'll hang a cheap TV in there if I come across a free one, to display house cameras. I too was torn between the "do I make this into a big functional room or just do a large closet" but decided on the latter since it would be used much more as a gun room than we would ever need to sit and wait out tornadoes as a family

pics before floor was poured:

If I designed it again, I might have just chose a location closer to my staircase/exit