How to Build a Storm Shelter on the Gulf Coast

When building a storm shelter on the Gulf Coast, you already know this shelter must be above ground. The coastal area does not have basements, which would typically be the best shelter from most storms. Also, the instance of flooding from storms makes it improbable to have a shelter that is either all the way or partially underground. A new way of building a storm shelter that resists moisture and is incredibly strong is by using sandbags. Evolved from the military, this shelter is built to resist the strongest of storms.

Things You'll Need

• Sandbags
• Barbed wire
• Level
• Shovel
• Wheelbarrow
• Gravel
• Bucket
• Wire cutters
• Soil
• Garden hose
• Slider
• Tamper
• Plaster
• Mesh wire
• 2-by-4s
• 2-by-8s

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Instructions

• 1

  Select a site for your storm shelter. Mark the center of where the shelter will be with a stick. Attach a string to the stick for the radius. This can be whatever size you want. This one is 7 feet plus 2 feet for the trench dug around it. Using the string as a guide, mark the area to be leveled. Clear roots, rocks and any other debris that will interfere with the building. Mark where your door will be. Decide where the plumbing will be and install the pipes from the main water supplies and bury them.

• 2

  Dig a trench around the perimeter just slightly larger than the walls are thick. Dig from 18 inches to 24 inches deep, then add broken concrete, rocks or gravel until the grade is about 6 inches. Make sure the foundation is even using the level.

• 3

  Fill the bags until they are about three-quarters full, folding the end underneath, and lay out the bags using the trench as a guide. The bags will be laid down with the folded-over edge lying flat against the bag underneath it. As each layer of bags is put down, a 5-foot long piece of polypropylene twine is placed beneath it to tie up a couple of layers later. Tamp the bags, making sure they are flat after laying each row. A strand of barbed wire goes on the first row of bags and can be held in place with bricks.

• 4

  Place two strands of barbed wire in at 4 inches from the side of the bag on either end. This will be done before putting the second row of bags. It will be held down with a brick. The barbed wire will help to connect the bags. This should be placed in between every level as the wall is being made.

• 5

  Place the first few layers of bags vertically and overlapping the bag below it in the same pattern bricks are laid. This will make the wall stronger. Gradually as you place the layers of bags, there will be a dome shape created. The simplest way to make this shape is to use a pole 14 feet long. Place the pole at the any point where the bags are already laid out. Pass it over the center you marked with a stake when you started. The end of the pole will show where the walls need to arc inward for the shape of the building.

• 6

  Make the door frame. Stack bags of dirt on each side of the space left for the door in the same manner as the walls were stacked. Make two rows of bags on each side of the door frame. In between the two bags, place a 2-by-4 threaded rod attached to it with a washer and nut. Do this on both sides of the doorway. This will fasten to the door frame simply made from 2-by-4s that you put in place. Hang a door of your choice next. For a storm shelter, using a steel-reinforced door is best.

• 7

  Make the supporting beams for the loft using 2-by-8 boards. Supporting 2-by-8s going vertically and the smaller 2-by-4s in between the 2-by-8s will make a joist that can be put on top of the bags forming the wall. Make sure these boards are spaced evenly. Use shims to make sure the joist is level after putting it on top of the bags.

• 8

  Place the rest of the bags in the same manner as you had been finishing off the roof. Plastering is next. If you are in a high-risk area, mesh makes the building stronger. Add this to the sides and start adding plaster. Put it over the whole building, including the wood frames for the door. When it is dry, you can paint it if you prefer.