This method was strongly considered (though Shiner Bock rather than PBR). However, my property butts up against a 26" natural gas pipeline and the risk of excessive boominess is just too great.

-Blast

Do the pipeline owners/operators know you live there? They might offer you an incentive to relocate. lol

But oh what a nice boom it would be--even if it was your last.

Ah... Shiner Bock and explosives. It really doesn't get any better than that.

One of the best things about moving from MD to MO (apart from the gun laws) was that I can buy Shiner in the grocery store here. Woohoo!

I will say that living outside of TX has spoiled me as far as basements go, and I will never be without one again. And this built in concrete room thing totally rocks!

Greg

Blast,

The latest issue of Mother Earth News has an article on earth-bag building that would get you a relatively bomb or tornado proof outbuilding. You're a little tall to be a hobbit, but I guess you could change the decor a little.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/Earthbag-Building-Garden-Shed.aspx

Bill

Oh, that is cool! Not enough room left in my backyard, though. :-(
Hmmm, it triggers memories of a similar structure built out of bags of concrete. If I remember correctly a person stacked up unopened bags of cement, drove peices of rebar through it, then hosed everything down. The cement harden and the little house was ready.

-Blast

Blast, talk to Septic Tank Companies. They make Tornado Shelters that are very strong, above ground, and very effective.

Most folks have the shelters placed in the back yard and then (if they care enough to bother) have loads of dirt trucked in and placed on the sides and tops.

With that sort of slab going through it safely and effectively will be a major undertaking. It can be done but you would need to hire an engineer who specializes in such things ($), a contractor with experience is such things ($) who will use a lot of specialized equipment ($) to head off the cables and restore the integrity of the slab with a previously unplanned for hole in it. There is the construction motto: With enough time ($), materials ($), manpower ($), and money ($!$!$!)we can do anything.

Instead of all that how about a simple 6' or 8' square bump-out off the rear of the house. There are several small storm and tornado shelter designs that would fit in that footprint.

You would be building a free-standing storm room just a couple of inches off the back wall of your house. Ideally the design would be short enough to tuck underneath the roof overhang of the existing house as this would simply roof design. The gap between the existing house exterior and the shelter would be covered, inside and out, with a lightweight covering to keep the wind and rain out but designed to break away under if the house is swept away. Such shelters are required, for structural reasons, to be completely isolated from the house.

Typical shelter designs are typically 2x4s 16"OC with lots of connecting steel overlaid with double layers of 3/4" plywood and 18 ga galvanized steel sheet. Typical fastening of the exterior is 2" and 4" OC with 3" deck screws. Loads of screws. Those shelters are sometimes rated for an F-4 tornado (207 to 260 mph)and might give you some chance of surviving a F-5 (261 to 318 mph) as long as a windblown truck doesn't land on it. Once constructed the exterior of the shelter can be covered with material to match the exterior of the house.

Hmmm, that has some definite possibilities.
-Blast

Go round (he whispers enticingly) Go round. You know you want to.