Outdoor vs garage below-ground storm shelters???

[OkieJoe72]

Bolted...with high-strength bolts. Mine uses eighteen 1/2" bolts that are about 4" into the concrete.

ETA: I should mention ours was installed on existing concrete. When they're installed with a new slab of concrete they usually will have a different type of anchor that's placed into reinforced concrete.

I apologize if you stated this in an earlier post, but where did you buy your above ground shelter? Did they install it, or did you hire a contractor? Thanks

 

[OK Corgi Rancher]

We bought it from Survive-a-Storm out of Georgia because of the deal they offered. Delivery and install was free. But that was almost 3 years ago. It was about $4k for a 6x4 shelter back then. It's closer to $6k now.

 

[Camo]

Weird, never have had to move any of our cars. I had ours put in close to the garage door. We can get into it with my brz parked on that side. That car is low to the ground.

That's a really small car.. I was referring to mine. It was in the front of the garage but still had to back the truck out to get inside. Never again will I have one inside.

 

[sh00ter]

Well guys, thanks for all the input and opinions...I think "all things considered" I'm going with a garage below-ground. The one I want doesn't leak as bad as some and they use full concrete fill vs dirt like some others do. I wanted to entertain the idea of the outside sloped style but there was more hassle for that one all around. If I lived on an acreage I'd get one of those for sure.

 

[HFS]

I did find one article about a lady killed in a 2014 tornado in Arkansas while inside her above-ground safe room. The door was impacted by debris and it failed. But... It wasn't a door designed to be used on a storm shelter. It was a regular steel door with a knob and deadbolt lock. Yeah...that's not gonna work.

I think I read an article about that in Popular Mechanics magazine.
And if I recall correctly, the article said that the safe room was built with the door facing toward the southwest (the direction from which the tornado came).

 

[Parks 788]

THe house we bought already had a below ground shelter like you see everywhere. It's big and complete confidence it would do it's job. However, if it's nado weather there's a good chance it's a lot of rain and to run the 20 yards in the dark and rain trying to get our two big dogs down the stairs would be a challenge if needed to be done fast. If I was getting a new shelter I'd be looking at the above ground steel units installed in my garage close to the garage door.

I'd rather run naked through my pasture waiting for the nado to toss me 3 counties over than get my large clastaphobic azz down in a hole in the garage floor. F that!!

 

[Decoligny]

An engineering curiosity, but does anyone know how those steel above ground shelters are attached to the floor?

The one I have seen are bolted onto the concrete.

 

[HMCS(FMF)Ret.]

I had an underground in garage shelter and I hated it. As you get older it gets very hard to get into. Also, it’s hot as hell during a tornado and it gets hard to breathe. If I had a choice I’d go above ground. Yet since I moved back to Oklahoma I’m in an apartment with the wife. So it’s either outrun it in a car or chill and see what happens. We live in the very South of Norman. This recent tornado missed us by 2 tenths of a mile. Neither of us even had a clue there was a tornado. Gotta love it!