Storm Shelter in pole build?

[Skunkape]

Been looking for info, but can't seem to find specifically what I'm looking for.

I'm in the process of planning on a pole built shop/garage/hobby, etc. I'm in central Oklahoma, AKA Tornado Ally. I'm looking at installing a tornado shelter in the concrete floor. However, I can't find anywhere that it requires footers in the flooring or not. I don't know if it can be installed in a free-floating concrete floor, but I assume it can. ***-uming you can, would there be any advantages to installing it before pouring the concrete floor, would it be easier installing after the pour. Logic tells me it would be easier and cost effective before, common sense tells me it would be a pain to get it flush, etc.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[stingry]

Being in "tornado alley", I'm sure there are precast shelters available that you can set in place before you pour. How do costs compare to building your own, not a clue!!


Cheers
Steve

 

[GS-Louie]

Since you are in tornado alley there should be many companies that offer a product that can meet your needs. This will be a life dependent project, best left to the pros.

Lou

 

[Bib Overalls]

There only problem with an in-ground shelter under the floor of a house, shop or other building; "How do you get out if the building falls down and blocks your egress"?

Most inside shelters here are built above the floor level with concrete blocks, lots of rebar and grout, a reinforced concrete top and a heavy steel door.

My friend **** has one in his shop. It is full of car parts. My inlaws had one in their back yard. It was full of junk too. They said they would clean it out before the "season" but never did.

 

[Falcon67]

If I was doing that here, I would put a prefab steel unit under the slab with the entrance outside the barn.

There only problem with an in-ground shelter under the floor of a house, shop or other building; "How do you get out if the building falls down and blocks your egress"?
Most inside shelters here are built above the floor level with concrete blocks, lots of rebar and grout, a reinforced concrete top and a heavy steel door.

Some of the pre-fab units have hydraulic rams to push open the door. Note that the tornado in Jarrell pretty much took everything above the ground including 500' of roadway.

 

[KANSASBOY]

is this the type you looking at http://www.ebay.com/itm/Steel-Under...849?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item258cbbff91

 

[Skunkape]

Kansasboy, that's exactly what I'm looking at. Guess I'll give a couple of places a call, and see what they recommend. I know several people that have had them put in an exsisting home garage floor, and ideally, that's what I would do. However, I have a post-tension slab. I just hate to pour a new concrete floor in a pole barn to only have to cut a chunk of it out.