![]() If it doesn't, you will have to cut a piece of galvanized steel to fit over the door frame and the surrounding block. If the frame has the added support of the 3/4-inch steel bracing at the top check the level with the surrounding block. Step 5Ĭomplete the courses of blocks, overlapping each layer up to the point where the height of the door frame is reached. This will add strength to the structure and prevent a single wall unit from collapsing into the shelter. On the second course, the holes in the center of the blocks should overlap two different blocks. On the first course these blocks are laid side by side. Each block should have two square holes in their center. ![]() On the second course of blocks, begin at the same corner you began with on the first course and overlap the second block at that corner. If it is level you may continue, if not, make some adjustments in the alignment. Step 4Ĭheck the level of the first course of blocks on each wall. Continue placing blocks and spreading mortar until the first row, or course, of blocks is complete. Spread some mortar on the ends of each block before placing another block next to it. Begin at one corner and lay the first block as close to that corner as possible. Spread a generous portion of mortar on the edge of the foundation and lay out a course of blocks onto the mortar. Once the door is set into place, begin laying the block. ![]() The steel door frame should have a sheet of 3/4-inch thick bracing at the top. Brace the frame with a door jack system that will keep the frame from moving while the walls are completed. Set the door frame into this opening and bolt it to the foundation using concrete anchors or screws. Measure the width of the door frame you will be placing in the shelter and mark that area on the foundation with a snap line or carpenter's chalk. Building the Shelter Step 1Ĭhoose one side of the foundation that will serve as the front of the shelter. You'll need several tons of concrete for this project without access to a large mixer, doing this portion by yourself would take a very long time. Make it clear, when you do, that the foundation will be for a storm shelter as that will require different lengths and amounts of rebar reinforcement. (see Reference 6)Ĭontact a professional to frame and build the foundation and pour the concrete. According to FEMA recommendations, you should plan for five square feet of floor space for each person in a tornado shelter and twenty square feet for a hurricane shelter, with added allowances for any occupants who may be wheelchair-bound or bedridden. The point in the center of the structure where each of the corners meets should be the exact middle of the shelter: Place a small stake in that spot as well. The distance between each of the opposite corners should be the same. Tie a carpenter's string to each of those stakes and stretch across the length between them. Measure the space needed for the shelter using tape measures, and drive a small wooden stake into each of the four corners, making sure the area is level by measuring between the stakes on opposite corners. Look for trees in neighboring yards that may fall on top of the shelter, and avoid those areas. You don't want the shelter to be in the path of a felled tree or to be rendered a prison if the house should collapse onto it. Examine the layout of the area in which you want to put this shelter.
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