Gun Vault / Safe Room

[man of many calibers]

We are about to build a new house and I’m gonna burry a gun vault that doubles as a tornado safe room in the slab before framing.
I already have a 7’ x 3’ vault door found off
midwayusa that I can order, but I’m looking for recommendations for a local welding shop to build the rest of it. I know some places sell safe rooms as bolt together modular systems, but I don’t trust them and want much thicker framing. Thinking of doubling the FEMA standards and using C-channel internal frame with 1/4” sheeting wrapping the frame.
4’ x 12’ x 8’ high

Any help or thoughts?

 

[Gunbuffer]

why not just pour an abouve ground one?

 

[TwoForFlinching]

why not just pour an abouve ground one?

True story. It will eventually become a private shallow pool.

 

[MacFromOK]

If you're determined to put it under the house, be sure to reinforce the vault's roof well in case of a house fire/collapse.

Just a thought.

 

[man of many calibers]

I guess I wrote a poor description.

This will be above ground, but instead of being bolted to the slab, I will have at least 18” of the structure burried in concrete. It won’t change the finished floor level and it will still be a walk in, just have a massive foundation instead of bolts.

 

[John6185]

My neighbor bought one of those metal above-ground units that are bolted to their garage floor. It looked flimsy to me and not that safe but he likes it and I guess that's all that matters... When a tornado can rip up asphalt from a road it could take out a shelter like that I would think.

 

[tRidiot]

Yeah if you get an F5 (r 6) walking right on top of you, your chances are going to be pretty slim regardless. Short of a Cheyenne Mountain-type of shelter, I think it's reasonable to go to whatever expense you're comfortable with. The odds of a direct hit from a monster tornado are pretty astronomical.

I've lived in OK for most of my 43 years and have yet to even lay eyes on a tornado, even when I've gone looking for them.

 

[TerryMiller]

Yeah if you get an F5 (r 6) walking right on top of you, your chances are going to be pretty slim regardless. Short of a Cheyenne Mountain-type of shelter, I think it's reasonable to go to whatever expense you're comfortable with. The odds of a direct hit from a monster tornado are pretty astronomical.

I've lived in OK for most of my 43 years and have yet to even lay eyes on a tornado, even when I've gone looking for them.

I'm a bit ahead of you tRidiot. I was born in 1946 and until we retired (me at the age of 68) and moved out of state, I had only lived out of state for about 4 or 5 years, with most of that being in the Army. I, too, have never laid eyes on a tornado, even after 25 years in the OKC area.

Like others have said, beware of flooding possibilities and if a safe room is what you have, make sure its walls, floor and roof are as thick as possible. Another thought as well. If you're going to put in a safe room, make sure it is registered with the authorities. If your roof were to collapse around your safe room, you might not be able to get out, so someone needs to know where you are.

 

[man of many calibers]

Sooooo, with that being said.....can anyone recommend a good OKC metro metal shop that does custom fabrication?

 

[GlockPride]

How much you have for this project? Because steel tariffs are in place, welder’s are in short supply, wage rates are increasing and the oilfield is hopping again. You prepared for an 8 hr crane and crew rental along with permits for a possibly oversized load for the one in your first pic?
I’m thinking minimum you’re looking at 50k and the sky’s the limit depending on how you outfit.