Concrete Safe Room Design

Basic saferoom design with concrete blocks traditionally cast concrete and for 4 and 6 inch flat icf walls and 6 inch waffle grid icf walls may be found in the fema publication taking shelter from the storm.

Concrete safe room design. Be sure you understand these factors as you plan and build the safe room. If the answer to your question isn t there email the safe room helpline or call 866 927 2104. The safe rooms are built out of reinforced concrete reinforced concrete block or wood framed walls with plywood and steel sheathing. There are also lots of resources covering icf insulated concrete form construction.

You can build a safe room for a diy project or you can hire a building contractor to build it. Safe rooms can be either above ground or below ground. Safe rooms are built to specific standards to provide ultimate safety. An icf safe room is an excellent place to store valuables such as a safe jewelry or guns and will keep you and your family safe in the event of an emergency.

The construction is made of reinforced walls and doors. Due to the intended function of safe rooms and site specific conditions that need to be addressed it is fema s recommendation that a licensed design professional be involved. If you are trying to decide between icf or traditional concrete form construction my advice is to go with whatever your contractor knows and does best. There are 5 levels of tornadoes and 5 levels of hurricanes for instance each demanding different levels of protection.

A safe room is a place where you can feel safe. Contact our sales department for more information at 405 840 3386. The safe room s construction and design must be reinforced and built to withstand storms and threats of attack. In addition the room has a tough impact resistant shell to protect occupants from the wind blown debris that accounts for most storm.

All safe room designs even for rooms inside the house are engineered to provide a room that s completely independent of the house structure and bolted down to a concrete slab. Building a safe room inside your house which includes construction plans materials and construction cost estimates. Currently the highest grade safe room design is the fema p 320 and p 361. The prescriptive plans for safe rooms provided in fema p 320 are not intended to be a substitute for a licensed design professional.

The safe room plans researched by texas tech university come in a variety of designs for rooms in the basement and rooms on the main floor for homes without basements. View frequently asked questions about the design and construction of safe rooms.