Safe Rooms Become Mainstream

One of the coolest products that was being shown at the 2011 Fall Atlanta Home Show was a safe room.

Safe rooms seem to be getting more press these days because of advances in their design and also because the weather here in the U.S. has been quite severe in recent years.

The safe room we saw at the show is manufactured by Safe Space Storm Shelters and was one of two products in that category of products at the Atlanta Home Show, which was surprising. This is a market segment that is growing in demand and I thought there would be more of these at the show.

The safe room that we toured was being shown by the owner and  Director of Manufacturing of Safe Space, Bert Greene.

This thing looks and feels secure.

 

Safe Space Storm Shelters

The only add-ons on the unit we looked at was the carpet and little stick-on lights that you can buy at very little cost at just about any store that carries home goods.

We had a lot of genuine questions for Bert because we are keen to have a safe room installed in our own home in the future. Bert was more than happy to oblige us in answering all of our questions.  He is very down-to-earth and seems like he would be great to do business with.

All of the costs for their safe rooms are clearly printed in their brochures. You can see their pricing by going to the Safe Space website. Plan on spending between $4K-$8K, installation included.

Their safe room was impressive for several reasons:

• Certified by FEMA’s official testing center – Texas Tech University’s Wind Energy Science and Research Center. Bert told us they went through a lot of testing in order to receive the certification.
• The unit was stout due to its 12 gauge steel, double-wall construction.
• Door with 5-point locking system utilizing dead bolts

The entire unit is built on your site in one day (in most cases). You must have a concrete slab available for it to be built upon. They begin by anchoring the bottom portion of the safe room to the concrete floor and go from there.

If you want to have it blend in with the rest of your decor, they are more than happy to drywall the exterior for you. Otherwise, you will have an attractive looking metal storage closet, as far as any house guests are concerned.

 

Different Uses for a Safe Room

A safe room can also be used as a panic room.

A panic room is where you could run to in case of an emergency, such as a burglary. You can lock it from the inside with nothing to fear unless the assailant has some very…very heavy artillery. But that will most likely not occur in the world of burglaries.

This unit can also be used as a family safe for valuables, such as guns, computers, and a few other things that you may think of.

 

Highlights of Safe Space Safe Rooms

• Safe Room Construction Highlights
• Double wall 12 gauge steel
• Trimmed inside and out
• Passive ventilation system
• Powder coat finish
• Wheelchair accessible door
• Steel door is full weather sealed
• 300 lb. door rides on steel bearings
• Door has 5-point locking system
• All joints are weather sealed
• All shelters can be dry-walled

*via Safe Space brochure

 

Bert informed us that they are working to build them with bullet-proof windows in the doors as an option.

Even if you don’t have a safe room, you should still have your family prepared for an emergency. Emergency Food Storage & Survival Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Keep Your Family Safe in a Crisis is a great place to start.