Since you folks are probably the most experienced at contending with mother natures top scariest forces,I am currently looking at a few options for my home in Michigan. Does anyone have the exterior type, pre fab,  in ground?. I am also looking at the ones that can be bolted to your floor inside.  I have an interior room in the basement of my home but fear it's not enough especailly when you hear about homes collapsing into the basement and killing those in the basement. Any advice would be appreciated.

I have an older exterior in ground one myself. I would not have one in the house. How much of the house would you have to have moved from the door before you could get out? Nobody knows. Why take the chance?

1shott recently got an exterior one put in at his place.

Any storm shelter should have provisions for a large hydraulic jack and blocking material.
That's one of the things that should be in there as well as a weather radio, emergency lighting, and other supplies.
Even if it's outside, you may have crap land on the door.
I don't have one in this new house. But probably will in a year or so. We'll probably put a hidey hole in the garage.
The last one I put in was a concrete monolithic pour storm shelter. It was 6'6" tall, 8 ft x 12 ft, with a 16 ft by 24 ft patio on top of it.
IF I had had this house built, I would have put one up as a closet within the house. Concrete filled blocks witha slab on top. Steel doors going into the closet with several dead bolts into a steel frame.
The precast ones they set in place with a small track hoe are good. They are inexpensive, don't leak like a poured in place cellar, and go in in a hurry.
They're just small and not attractive.

Quoted: Any storm shelter should have provisions for a large hydraulic jack and blocking material. That's one of the things that should be in there as well as a weather radio, emergency lighting, and other supplies. Even if it's outside, you may have crap land on the door.

I knew that this was coming. Why even tempt it though? Sure its possible that something will land on your door on your outside shelter. But your whole house? Not likely.

I like them inside the house, if you don't have to get out in the weather to use it, the more likely you are to be able to use it.  Make sure it has a reinforced concrete slab over the shelter so it can't collapse, and have more than one exit in case one is blocked.

Quoted: Quoted: Any storm shelter should have provisions for a large hydraulic jack and blocking material. That's one of the things that should be in there as well as a weather radio, emergency lighting, and other supplies. Even if it's outside, you may have crap land on the door. I knew that this was coming. Why even tempt it though? Sure its possible that something will land on your door on your outside shelter. But your whole house? Not likely.

You ain't no native Okie.
Hell, we've seen more tornadoes than any of you damn yankees any day.
What do you know about them???!!!???!?







My wife's company bought several Houston companies a couple of years ago. Even the Texans that moved up here wouldn't buy a house unless it had a storm shelter installed.

You know what an Oklahoma divorce and a tornado hitting have in common?
Somebody is going to lose a mobile home.

You know what it means when a Kentucky coon hound drools out of both sides of it's mouth?
The mobile home is level.
That joke was just for you, Chuck!

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Any storm shelter should have provisions for a large hydraulic jack and blocking material. That's one of the things that should be in there as well as a weather radio, emergency lighting, and other supplies. Even if it's outside, you may have crap land on the door. I knew that this was coming. Why even tempt it though? Sure its possible that something will land on your door on your outside shelter. But your whole house? Not likely. You ain't no native Okie. Hell, we've seen more tornadoes than any of you damn yankees any day. What do you know about them???!!!???!? My wife's company bought several Houston companies a couple of years ago. Even the Texans that moved up here wouldn't buy a house unless it had a storm shelter installed. You know what an Oklahoma divorce and a tornado hitting have in common? Somebody is going to lose a mobile home. You know what it means when a Kentucky coon hound drools out of both sides of it's mouth? The mobile home is level. That joke was just for you, Chuck!

Damn straight. I know who both MY of parents are.

And who you calling yankee, son????????????

Quoted: Damn straight. I know who both MY of parents are. And who you calling yankee, son????????????

my parents got an inground shelter, I think it's approx 8x8x8' (but could be a bit bigger idk), couldn't say what it would normaly cost with installation because theirs was pretty much free, just the cost of fuel to go and sign up for it several times.

I do know though that the damn thing stays about the same temp inside year around, it's got a spinning roof vent and covered air duct so it stays dry inside in even the hardest storm,

they've never used the thing, seriously doubt my pop has even ever looked inside of it, up until last year it'd been completely empty for several years, so I'm using it for an bunker to keep some of my camping gear and engine parts.