Homes with Crawlspaces

A house built on a crawlspace usually has a floor constructed of wood framing supported by the exterior foundation walls. Crawlspace foundation walls may be concrete, but are usually constructed of concrete masonry.

With these types of home, serious consideration should be given to building the saferoom as a separate, exterior slab-on-grade structure adjacent to the homes exterior, with access provided through a door installed in the wall. This is because in a home with a crawlspace, the saferoom must not only have its own floor, but its walls and ceiling must also be separate from the framing of the house. In other words, it must be a completely self-contained structure. This makes it more difficult to build inside the home than either the home with a basement, or a slab-on-grade home.

Basic saferoom design with concrete blocks, traditionally cast concrete, and for 4- and 6-inch flat ICF walls and 6-inch waffle grid ICF walls may be found in the FEMA publication Taking Shelter From the Storm: Building A Safe Room Inside Your House, which includes construction plans, materials, and construction cost estimates. It's available from FEMA at no charge by calling toll free (800) 480-2520.

In existing Homes with crawl spaces:

In many cases, it will be more practical to purchase an in ground shelter or a shelter that attaches to the house.

Sample of in ground shelter

Return to Safe Rooms

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