Sheltering From Storms in Style | Key Residential

Would you think on first glance that this stylish bathroom was also
a secure and safe storm shelter?

Living near Dallas, Texas, we here at Key Residential have experienced our fair share of crazy weather, especially during tornado season. If you live in an area that is prone to tornadoes then you know that when the sirens start going off, it's time to take shelter as quickly as possible. However, many homes in this area do not have a space specifically designed for storm shelter. And unlike up North, few homes down here have a basement. As such, there has been a lot of focus in recent years of equipping homes with a storm shelter or safe room when severe weather hits. And while many people think of basements or an underground shelter in their yard, why not consider equipping a room withing your home as a storm shelter?

In one of our recent new home builds we were tasked with creating a multipurpose room that would serve as both a powder bath and safe room. When constructing a safe room, there are two important aspects that must be addressed regarding the construction of the room: ensuring the room is properly anchored to the ground to prevent it from tipping over during a storm and reinforcing the walls to withstand strong winds and flying debris.

To address the first aspect, a tubing system anchor was created and bolted into the concrete piers that were set fourteen feet into the ground. To reinforce the walls, overlapping steel plates were screwed into the framing. Plywood was then added over the metal followed by sheetrock. A door that was just over two inches thick seals the room from the rest of the house, creating a secure and reinforced storm shelter. Finishing touches to the room included a TV outlet and telephone landline so that weather conditions could be monitored with the room.

(Clockwise starting in upper left) 1. Steel straps tied to steel tubing. 2. Overlapping steel beneath wood framing. 3. Plywood screwed into
steel walls. 4. 18 gallon steel walls and ceiling.

In keeping with the higher end finishes of the rest of the home, the powder bath was finished off with beautiful shell mosaic wallpaper and red oak hardwood floors with a dark ebony stain. Without inside knowledge, it would be near impossible upon first glance to know that this room was anything but a powder bath. The finished product is a beautiful and secure room that will protect this family from the crazy and temperamental weather in Texas.