It’s better to be safe than sorry, right? With Hurricane season just around the corner, it’s time to start considering how to protect your family and home from the elements. A concrete storm shelter can ensure that you and your loved ones are protected from high winds, rain, and snow with ease. If you live in an area prone to natural disasters or you simply want extra protection from winter storms, it’s important to make sure that your concrete storm shelter provides enough shelter from the weather and fits in with your home design well enough so as not to attract attention or look out of place.
How to pick a concrete storm shelter site
If you’re looking to build your own storm shelter, it’s good to keep several things in mind. First of all, it must be accessible—there’s no point in investing in a safe haven that you can’t easily reach during inclement weather. That being said, don’t place your concrete storm shelter too close to your home: The most dangerous part of an approaching tornado is flying debris.
How to choose the right products
Products that are made of concrete are known to be one of the strongest and most durable materials. When it comes to storm shelters, you should definitely invest in a shelter that is made from concrete. This way, you will always be protected from harsh weather conditions and disasters such as tornadoes and floods.
Tools and equipment needed
First of all, you must decide on where to build your concrete storm shelter. It will be better to build it at a location where you can easily move during harsh weather conditions. The place where you have built your concrete storm shelter should be sturdy enough not to collapse in case of heavy winds and rain.
Planning out your foundation plan
When you’re building your concrete storm shelter, you will first need to plan out where exactly you want to build it. You need to look at it from all sides and see if there are any potential dangers nearby, like floodplains or other hazards. The best place is somewhere flat with limited access so nobody can get into your shelter without permission. Also, pay attention to wild animals that might try to take over your shelter.
Safety precautions
A storm shelter needs to be well protected from extreme weather conditions. Moreover, it needs to be easy to access in case of emergencies. Since you will probably want to stay inside your shelter when an actual disaster strikes, you should make sure that you can easily open and close all doors and windows. It’s also important that your shelter is properly fortified so that no one can break into it.
Cleaning up before starting construction
First of all, you must decide on a location. It’s best to build your shelter where you won’t have to move it during severe weather conditions. Also, it’s recommended that your shelter not be located in close proximity to power lines, trees or other obstructions that could result in injury or property damage. Before you get started with construction, remove any vegetation and loose soil from around your desired building site. This will make for an easier excavation process.
This is how concrete foundation should look like in 8 steps
Before you build storm shelter, it is necessary to check if your concrete foundation is solid enough. You can do it with several methods Check each item on your checklist before you start building your concrete shelter. Because of these 10 steps, you will be able to make high-quality safe place during any severe weather conditions and not just that. Storm shelters have other purposes too, like secure rooms or even basements for recreational activities. The only thing you need to remember is that
Finishing touches and completing your project
Once you’ve laid out all of your concrete blocks and laid down your gravel and sand, pat it down gently with a rake to smooth out any high spots. Then give everything one last good sweep with your broom. If you have time to spare and want to finish it off nice and neat, run an edger along all of your block walls so they look straight as can be. Wipe down anything that’s still dirty or dusty. You’re done!
2) Getting started with construction work
One of the first steps in building your storm shelter is getting started with construction work. You will have to dig out a hole in order to create an opening for your shelter. This must be done before you start constructing walls, floors and ceilings of your shelter. The excavation process requires some basic tools and materials that you can easily buy from any local hardware store. When buying cement, gravel or other materials, make sure they are suitable for creating storm shelters as not all materials are strong enough to protect people inside during heavy storms.
4) Safety precautions when building with cement
To ensure that your concrete storm shelter will be safe, you must take some safety precautions before you start building it. First of all, you must have an idea of what it is going to look like. For example, do you want it to be below ground or above ground? Do you want it to be more than one story? Are there special features that need to be included in your shelter? Also, hire someone who has experience building with cement.
