Building an affordable safe room for tornadoes

We have seen it in every tornado outbreak we have ever experienced here in the Tri-State. They seem so merciless, so heartless.

The damaged caused by these storms can best be described as random. One house can be untouched while the one next door is leveled. Consequently, having a place to go in your home that you can be sure will remain standing if the walls start tumbling down is of the utmost importance.

That's why new home buyers may want to consider adding a storm room to their plans, especially if you are planning on building.

“It’s such a simple process to do," Brandon Hering of Hering Homes said. "If you have a blank blueprint and you are wanting to have a storm room, there are so many places that you could accommodate that in new construction that ordinarily would be more difficult if say you wanted to retrofit your home later down the road.”

Basement storm rooms are rare here in Tri-State but the reasons why are confusing. Not only can they save your life if a tornado does hit, they are also functional as safe storage areas in the years between storms. And the cost, especially if constructed as your home is being built, is nominal ranging from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars for elaborate versions.

Granted, years can pass, perhaps even a decade or more with nothing. But then it happens, the outbreak of 1974, the morning of April 9, 1999, or most recently, March 2, 2012.

Realtor Jason Beebe believes that peace of mind is a selling point in a home that is invaluable.

“When things like that happen, like Xenia and down in Blue Ash, when storms come through and the hurricanes, it really rips the house apart. It makes you think, you can replace a home, you can replace belongings, but you can’t replace people," Beebe said.

Homeowner Connie Hannigen is a believer.

“I don’t know why someone wouldn’t look for something like that in a new home," Hannigen said. "I do. I feel safe. I know it’s there and I would have all my friends and all my family down there if I needed to.”