storm shelter in Oklahoma

[brekin67]

Do you have an in-garage storm shelter? Are you happy with it?
What did you pay?
Do you prefer in garage or one outside?

 

[Katy Belle]

We just moved here about 6 months ago. One of the houses we looked at had a storm shelter in the garage, under ground. It was TINY and had a door that slid over the top. I am really, really clausterphobic, there was no way I' be able to hang in there.

We have a friend who has a "safe room" in her guest bedroom closet. I could handle that a bit better. She had it built when the house was being built, so I dont know the cost. Good luck!

 

[brekin67]

Thanks.

 

[disneyfour01]

We had the unit that is installed in the garage floor. I think we paid in the neighborhood of $3500. Well worth the piece of mind in knowing that we could scramble and get to somewhere safe very quickly. We had a five person for a family of four. Yes, they're small, but during the four years that we lived in Oklahoma City, we only spent a total of about 30 minutes in our shelter. Make sure the unit is registered with the fire dept. so they can come looking for you in the event that a storm hits your area. If we had built our home rather than purchased a builder spec, we definitely would have gone the safe room route.

 

[kahblue]

My husband's family is from Shawnee, OK. When the tornado hit last year there were two scenerios 2 of his sisters:

His one sister and husband built a new house and did not put in a storm shelter - they wish they had. They own their own business and when they heard of the tornado coming they had drive to their business and use the cellar there.

His other sister built a house a few years pryor and they put a shelter in the floor of their garage. They had electricity run there so they could have a radio and mini TV. When the tornado sounds went off, all four of them plus my inlaws went down there. A little cramped but easy to do. They brought down their crock of chili and had dinner while they waited - LOL! The peace of mind was so worth it.

Not sure of the cost but if you have the chance to build one - do it! It's OKLAHOMA afterall and tornados like that state....

 

[brekin67]

Thanks. I just got an estimate of $2995 installed, so I think I will do it.

 

[laurafergie]

My in laws who live in Tulsa had a safe room put in not too long ago. It is a large closet under the stairs. I think they spent about 2500.

Now the grandparents outside of Hominy still have a dugout storm cellar with the door on top. (Think Wizard of Oz) I always hope really hard when we visit I don't have to go down there. Dark, damp and spiders - oh my!

 

[BensDaddy]

Brekin,

Did you get the shelter installed? I'm just east of you in NW Arkansas and, after what happened in Joplin, i'm ready to have one installed in my garage.

What company did you buy from?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[S. C.]

Now the grandparents outside of Hominy still have a dugout storm cellar with the door on top. (Think Wizard of Oz) I always hope really hard when we visit I don't have to go down there. Dark, damp and spiders - oh my!

When we were kids our neighbor had a shelter just like that. We used it for a club house all the time.

 

[brekin67]

Brekin,

Did you get the shelter installed? I'm just east of you in NW Arkansas and, after what happened in Joplin, i'm ready to have one installed in my garage.

What company did you buy from?

Thanks,
Mike

We have not installed yet. We are moving permanently into our new home tomorrow, and plan to get it installed asap. It was about $3000 for in ground or in garage. I am anxious to get it in. We live in Tulsa and are moving to Edmond. The tornadoes were very scary the other night.

 

[mistysue]

Do they not do basements in that area of the country?
My mom and I were discussing this today because it seems like such an obvious thing to us. I'm in Michigan and it's unusual for homes to be build without a basement- the only reason I don't have one on my house is that I'm between a lake and a swamp. It would flood constantly.

 

[okstate_angel]

There are very few basements here in Oklahoma, I heard it has something to do with the red clay in the ground and the fact that it's hard to build one that doesn't leak.

 

[travelbug]

Do they not do basements in that area of the country?
My mom and I were discussing this today because it seems like such an obvious thing to us. I'm in Michigan and it's unusual for homes to be build without a basement- the only reason I don't have one on my house is that I'm between a lake and a swamp. It would flood constantly.

I'm in Michigan too and unfortunately most of the houses in my neighborhood can't have basements because the water table is extremely high. There have definitely been a few warnings over the years that have made me wish I had a basement.

 

[TheRatPack]

We've been looking at them lately as well, we were in the area of Georgia that was hit in April. We also live in a 'hotspot' per the tornado maps, so never hurts to be prepared. Anyhow, here are some of the places we've been looking at.....the prices range from a few thousand to much much more if you want a small 'second home' type shelter LOL Some of them have kitchens and bathrooms/bedrooms....CRAZY NICE!!! We'll be going for somewhere above plain box in a hole but way below shelter nicer than our house LOL

http://www.f-5stormshelters.com/SafeRooms/index.html

http://www.groundzeroshelters.com/

http://cozycaverns.com/Pictures_and_Videos.html

 

[dsmith72]

We live in Edmond too! We live right next to our school (gate from backyard goes directly out to school parking lot). They opened the schools the other night and since our school is one of the newest ones, they built them with 2 safe rooms in each pod in case of weather or intruders. They can withstand 300 mph winds so we went there!

 

[BensDaddy]

I will probably opt for the one in the garage floor. I'd like to have a "safe room" accessible from the interior of the house but I can't afford the renovation costs. Unless we buy a new house I don't think that's in the cards.

 

[WDWorBUST]

I live in Oklahoma and we currently have a storm cellar in my sister's backyard who lives 2 house down (my parents live between us). We will put in a safe room when we build our new house. One thing to consider is whether you might ever have a problem with stairs with the underground one. My mom just had knee surgery and the thought of getting her down in the cellar the other night was a scary. So....just something else to consider.

 

[Snappy in OK]

I live just south of Tulsa, and I am glad that the house we are in has a storm shelter. We bought our house 7 years ago, and the previous owners had one installed in the garage. We have probably spent a total of maybe an hour in the shelter over the last 7 years - including the weekend we moved in!! My parents were in town helping us move and we were all glad to have the shelter.

DH & I are originally from Wisconsin and were accustomed to having basements growing up. When we were thinking of building instead of buying an existing house we asked about having a basement. It is difficult, but possible - but there is no guarantee that the basement would hold up for very long or stay dry. It has to do with clay and a high water table. And it would have been quite costly.

If we do build a house in the future, I would like to have a safe room inside the house. Don't get me wrong - having one is great. It takes up a lot of room in an already crowded garage (cars, bicycles, lawnmower, kids toys, etc) and it would be nice to have the extra space in the garage. On the other hand, I don't know that there would be much room if the safe room were in the master closet. Right now, the storm shelter in the garage is pretty much empty - except for what we want in there for when we "visit" (blanket, carpeting on the floor, flashlights and weather radio).

 

[BensDaddy]

Still looking for pricing and the name of a reputable company if anyone in Arkansas or Oklahoma has used an installer.

 

[Thundergod]

I have a storm proof basement. cement ceiling and cinder blocks sealed walls. There are times when the water table rises enough to get into the basement but thats why you have a sump and sump pump. I've never seen more than an inch or two in my little sump area.

I decided when I was to buy a house that I would not buy one without a basement or cellar.

One thing to consider with safe rooms. if you are hit by an ef-4 or 5 the stuff thrown around in the tornado will likely take out any wall in a saferoom.

Sometimes the best option is underground.