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.
Safe room wall thickness.
Costs for safe room construction vary across the united states.
Sixty people on average die from tornadoes annually making concrete safe rooms with the proper thickness an important feature of a house or property especially in you live in tornado alley.
High fire rating walls rated at 3 hours with 6 concrete wall thickness safe room considerations.
There is another option.
Safe room wall panels.
The safe room s construction and design must be reinforced and built to withstand storms and threats of attack.
There are 5 levels of tornadoes and 5 levels of hurricanes for instance each demanding different levels of protection.
Safe room wall panels are modular pieces of strong materials such as ar500 or kevlar.
A larger 14 by 14 foot safe room runs from about 12 000 to 14 300.
Especially the hardened fibers they come in standard wall panel sizes such as 48 x 96.
Walls ceiling and doors of the shelter must withstand wind pressure and resist penetration by wind borne debris and falling objects.
Safe room must be adequately anchored to resist overturning and uplift.
Be sure you understand these factors as you plan and build the safe room.
These wall panels can be applied directly to the interior of your safe room or panic room.
The cost for constructing an 8 by 8 foot safe room that can double as a closet bathroom or utility room inside a new home ranges from approximately 6 600 to 8 700 in 2011 dollars according to fema.