ICF Safe Rooms
Protecting What Matters The Most
What is a safe room?
A safe room is a hardened structure specifically designed to meet FEMA criteria and provide life-safety protection in extreme wind events, including tornadoes and hurricanes. To be considered a FEMA safe room, the structure must be designed and constructed to the guidelines specified in FEMA P-361 – to which the drawings in FEMA P-320 were designed. If needed, a design professional can be consulted to verify that the safe room meets or exceeds the guidelines found in FEMA P-361. It’s important to ensure that all applicable Federal, State, and local codes are followed. Also, keep in mind that when questions arise pertaining to the differences between FEMA P-361 and conflicting codes or standards, the most conservative criteria should apply.
Protect valuable assets with an ICF Safe Room
ICF Safe Rooms provide protection from winds as high as 250 mph. These safe rooms are created by building any room (such as the master bedroom closet) with ICF walls, pouring a concrete “lid” on top, and installing a steel door. Not only does it keep your family safe, but a closet Safe Room is also a fire-resistant storage area for your valuables and heirlooms. Integrating a safe room into your new home design, adding to an existing home, or retrofitting a current home is affordable and straightforward.
Protect yourself from Disaster
Every year, tornadoes, hurricanes, and other extreme windstorms injure and kill people, and cause millions of dollars worth of property damage in the United States. Even so, more and more people build homes in tornado- and hurricane-prone areas, possibly putting themselves into the path of such storms.
Having a safe room built for your home or small business can help provide “near-absolute protection” for you, your family or employees from injury or death caused by the dangerous forces of extreme winds.
– FEMA 320
What else can a safe room do?
ICF Safe Rooms are like any other room in your home. Master bathroom, bedroom, closet, pantry, media room and more. Building a safe room doesn’t mean building an ugly bunker. Using ICFs, you can finish this room however you would like and use it as a part of your home each day. Add an ICF safe room to existing homes or new construction today! Add valuable square footage to your existing home. For example, if you add a 6×9 Safe Room to your home and it is worth $80 a square foot, you have added $4320 worth of value. In fact, depending on the size and scope of your individual project, you can almost break even in costs and enjoy your Safe Room each and every day as a new addition to your home and a safe haven in inclement weather.
Tornado & Hurricane ICF Safe Rooms
- Built to FEMA 320 Design Specifications
- Reinforced Concrete Walls and Roof
- In-House Convenience and ADA compliance. This means no stairs to climb down, ease of entry and exit with family regardless of limitations.
- Safety for Your Entire Family
- 14-gauge Steel Door & Jamb with Three-point locks
- Safely Protects Your Valuable Belongings
- ICF Safe Rooms provide a 4-hour fire rating.
- Resist winds up to 250mph when built to FEMA guidelines.
- Reinforced concrete structures can withstand impacts from flying debris and extreme winds with little to no damage.
Safe Room Options
- Design a Safe Room into your New Home Plans
- Retrofit Your Existing Home
- Build a Stand-Alone Above-Ground Shelter
- Add on to your existing home
- Upgrade a room such as an interior bathroom, bedroom, pantry, closet, or office.
- Use your safe room every day, not just in an emergency.
- Finish your safe room to look like any other room in your home and make it blend in seamlessly.