Crawl Space as Shelter

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  • BrownDog

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    Need to get ideas or opinions.

    My house has a 4 foot crawl space which I had Americrawl "encapsulate" 3 years ago. I use it for storage and has a dehumidifier placed in the space. Access is through a closet under the main stairs.

    Could or should I use this as a tornado shelter? :dunno:
     

    melensdad

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    Depends. It may be good if it is somehow reinforced. Water pipes, if metal (plastic pipes are worthless) are pretty good at reinforcing areas. On the other hand if it is pretty much a clear span, or a semi-clear span then I would suggest that your house may end up on top of you. In a basement shelter you can also reasonably expect the house to come down on you but there are often both vertical and horizontal reinforcements (both wood and pipes) that can give you a sheltered area while the house comes down around you and leaves you safe.

    Remember the old saying of staying in a doorway? The logic is simple, doorways are reinforced with double 2x4s on either side an a stout header over the top. Think of a basement, or in your case the crawlspace in the same way as a doorway. Is there a spot that is somehow reinforced? If not, can you reinforce part of it, say an 8' by 8' corner so if the house comes down around you, you and your family will be crouched in that area that is reinforced from collapse?
     

    AFA1CY

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    I agree, I would not use it for a shelter. Also it would be real easy to get trapped if you needed to make a quick exit. Interior bathroom or closet is best.

    <----- SkyWarn / Storm Chaser
     

    flagtag

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    I agree, I would not use it for a shelter. Also it would be real easy to get trapped if you needed to make a quick exit. Interior bathroom or closet is best.

    <----- SkyWarn / Storm Chaser

    An alternate exit would also help - like to the outside (away from trees/power lines). Like an escape tunnel?
     

    obijohn

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    i think it could be made into a viable shelter. as has been pointed out, you'll need to have alternate ingress/egress. you will also need to support the floor. without looking at the arrangement, i would guess a 10 or 12 foot square area with the floor above shored with blocks or posts would work. all that being said, it would be better than nothing.
     

    pitbulld45

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    I think it could be a good shelter if it is a built house not a modular home type. Wow talk about old thread. Sorry I cant delete this post.
     
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    Tactical Dave

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    Old thread but a good one... I have been in a crawl described in the op. In a tornado I'd feel safer in it then in the main part of the home.

    I was in one that other day that had an outside entrance but the entry way was like 10x10x4 high rest of it was a bit tight but good storage... Was in another that was flooded out.....

    If I had a dry and clean crawl I would take full advantage of it. They tend to stay at a descent temperature year round. The one that was flooded it was 5 degrees before wind chill and only the surface water was TRYING to freeze.


    Even not as a shelter there is so much stuff you could store in one... Most need some work though in the cleaning department.... A weekend or two.


    The one I was in that had the closet access the owner had in a livable state really... A few lawn chairs and you were all set.

    For a shelter multiple exits ie a trap door in every closet would be a must.


    Have also been in a large and tall attic that was built with the intent that it could be made into a room... Wood floor and ceilings..... Lots of options.
     
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    pitbulld45

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    I forgot that I had went into a section and hit last page and was reading old posts more for information then anything. I replied to this and once I realized what I did I could not delete my post.
     

    Tactical Dave

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    Side note.... After today I have found that not all crawls are good shelters.... This one had bad water damage.. To the point that the outside walls sat lower then when they did a few years ago...... Some of the framing in the crawl was all but gone...
     

    Iroquois

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    Wow, so many ideas for this one...first off I don't believe you're in any more danger of being trapped in a 4' crawlspace than a 7'6'' basement . Stay against the outside wall on the side most likely to meet the tornado. [ in Utica Ill. a few years back, patrons in the center of the basement were crushed as that's the weakest supported portion of the building]
    A reenforced block wall partition sounds great as long as you make a second opening in the outside wall, big enough for your fattest guest to crawl out of. One wall should rest under the middle of the floor joist, in effect making the span shorter, and the joist twice as strong. I'd add as many metal anchors to the floor as I could ,in the hope that the floor would stay in place...anchor it to the foundation.
    One more point ,then I'll quit. If you think a modular house is weak ask yourself this.
    'Could I put my house on a trailer and tow it down the road hundreds of miles at 65mph,
    and how would it look when it got there'. This is not to be confused with a manufactured home which is basically a house trailer with drywall. A modular house is built much the same as your stick-built house, only indoors on a big workbench, glued nailed and screwed together. No stickbuilt house, bricked of otherwise, can stand up to an F-4 or F5
    tornado. The best you can hope for is a near miss...
     

    38special

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    Wow, so many ideas for this one...first off I don't believe you're in any more danger of being trapped in a 4' crawlspace than a 7'6'' basement.

    This. Also, my dad owns Americrawl. I'd be happy to come check out the viability of installing some bracing to make it into a shelter. I've been under a heck of a lot of houses and done plenty of wood work.
     
    Rating - 0%
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    Aug 24, 2012
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    Avon
    Need to get ideas or opinions.

    My house has a 4 foot crawl space which I had Americrawl "encapsulate" 3 years ago. I use it for storage and has a dehumidifier placed in the space. Access is through a closet under the main stairs.

    Could or should I use this as a tornado shelter? :dunno:

    I think crawl spaces make a great tornado shelter, I have never seen pictures of houses where the crawl space was damage. This spring we are going to start making our crawl into a shelter...pouring some concrete and putting up to support beams...if you don't mind me asking how much per sq foot?
     

    jedi

    Da PinkFather
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    I think crawl spaces make a great tornado shelter, I have never seen pictures of houses where the crawl space was damage. This spring we are going to start making our crawl into a shelter...pouring some concrete and putting up to support beams...if you don't mind me asking how much per sq foot?

    Or if you can find a welder have him/her make you are box in the corner. Think cardboard box that you played as a kid with one side open that you could get into your 'house/fort/spaceship". Make it out of steal with an opening and big enough for you and your family. Or several if you need to keep them small (say 2 adults per box). So when the tornado comes you just
    get in the box. It's bolted to the floor and even if the house falls down you are protected inside the box. Granted someone will have to help clear the mess above you to get you out but alas you will still be alive. :)

    BTW metal boxes provided you can close the open side are also great as a fall out shelter. :whistle:
     

    38special

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    Jan 16, 2008
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    I think crawl spaces make a great tornado shelter, I have never seen pictures of houses where the crawl space was damage. This spring we are going to start making our crawl into a shelter...pouring some concrete and putting up to support beams...if you don't mind me asking how much per sq foot?

    Americrawl encapsulation looks like this:

    crawlspace_before_after.jpg


    They don't do concrete pours generally, but I know a good concrete guy that could probably arrange to get it done reasonably inexpensively compared to other concrete companies.
     
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