These are available for masonry as well as wood framed construction.

Consider using anchors that are power driven around the unit's wall perimeter to avoid horizontal movement and uplift in relation to the concrete floor slab.

Depending on the plan you follow, you will need various supplies potentially including concrete, steel bars, a heavy wooden door, and deadbolts. Gather your supplies and begin construction.

If you are in the construction phase of a new home or business, the safe room can be built into the plans as an additional room in the building.

These can be built or purchased prefabricated, which is slightly pricier but will ensure that they are built to code. Some can be designed so that they are indiscernible to the untrained eye, and other rooms are large enough to accommodate many people (for example, at a school or church).

Above-ground shelters can be attached to the outside of a home, or they can be situated within the interior.

Steel or concrete is your best choice because fiberglass shelters run the risk of cracking. One outside door opens to above ground, and you can purchase units to fit any number of people.

A yard bunker safe room is designed to be dug into and installed underground.

The goal is to be safe but some safe rooms may be more convenient or attractive than others. Depending on the number of people you need to accommodate, the available space you have to work in, and your budget, your choices might vary. Solid wood or metal doors are a good option consider using an exterior heavy wooden door for an interior safe room, and reinforce the sides with metal for added security. It should also be constructed of heavy material that cannot be kicked in by an intruder or blown in by a storm.

The door should open inwards, in the event that a storm piles debris outside the door.

A below-ground safe room must be able to withstand flooding or water accumulation in the event of heavy rains.

Additionally, the structure should be independent of surrounding rooms in your home or business, so that any damage done to the home will not affect the safe room.

You need to make sure that the spaces where the room is connected, like wall and ceiling joints, are designed to withstand wind.

A structural engineer will be needed to make those decisions. That does not mean, however, that protection against an EF-2 tornado need be only half as strong. Note that FEMA's P-320 design guidelines make no mention of the varying storm strengths and thus appear to be designed to protect against an EF-5 tornado (which has twice the wind speed of an EF-2).

You will need to design the walls, door and ceiling to be able to stand up to high wind pressure, as well as resist penetration or crushing from flying or falling debris.

The room must be anchored securely to ensure that it does not lift or overturn in high winds or a tornado.The room should not have windows, but if it does, they should be very small (too small for a burglar to crawl through) and constructed of Plexiglass to prevent shattering.Concrete walls are a great choice, but if you want to adapt an existing wooden-walled room, you can reinforce the insides of the walls with steel sheathing. The room must be constructed out of material that can withstand high winds as well as heavy debris that may be flying around, for instance in a tornado situation.If you live in an area that has never experienced an EF-3 tornado, there is questionable need to have an EF-4 rated shelter, for instance. There are 5 levels of tornadoes and 5 levels of hurricanes, for instance, each demanding different levels of protection. The safe room's construction and design must be reinforced and built to withstand storms and threats of attack be sure you understand these factors as you plan and build the safe room.

Saferoom bedroom