Wanting To Build A Storm Shelter? It's Easier Than You May Think - WBKO

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - After the tornadoes struck Bowling Green back in December, many are inquiring about how to create a storm shelter in their own home. WBKO News talked to Edd Decker with Holdfast Technologies, a company that specializes in ICF construction. He explained that it’s easier than you may think to have a storm shelter involved.

ICF stands for Insulated Concrete Form.

Decker and his crew were working on a house back in a new neighborhood in Bowling Green Thursday morning. They were building the frame of the house with a product called Nudura. It uses styrofoam blocks with concrete poured inside to create a sturdy structure. Not only is it known for being energy efficient, but it can withstand winds up to 250 mph.

“So, you can hang siding, brick anything that you can put on a conventional build, and the same thing on the inside,” Decker said.

Nudura is now commonly used to create tornado safe spaces, though it is more commonly used around the perimeter of a whole house or structure.

“We’re developing a package for a safe room for a family of four and a family of six,” Martin Clark, a Nudura representative said. The goal is to pair with Holdfast Technologies out of Monticello Kentucky to do this.

One Bowling Green resident, who also has a background in construction, recently built a house using Nudura, specifically with a storm shelter in his closet. While he mainly chose to use Nudura to conserve energy, he was glad he had a place to go during the December tornadoes.

“Never dreamed that I would ever have to go in there, but it was very, very comforting to know that we had that area inside the house,” Tim Geegan explained.

Aside from a residential structure, Warren County Public Schools also uses Nudura in eight of their school buildings, making them ICF buildings.

“We first started over 15 years ago using the ICF construction primarily as a way to help with energy efficiency, but everything we do in Warren County Schools is safety first,” WCPS Facility Director Mike Wilson said. “So, with this type of construction, these schools, the walls can withstand up to 250 mile-per-hour winds.”

He went on to say that Alvaton Elementary was the first ICF school building in the country. From now on, WCPS will continue to remodel or build new school buildings using the insulated concrete material.

If you think adding on a storm shelter to your home is a big hassle, well it isn’t. “Most of the time the storm shelters we can stack and pour in a day. So, you have your concrete with your door in place and your concrete laid on top,” Decker said.

Your new structure could also serve as a pantry, closet, or laundry room. “It doesn’t have to be big, just something big enough to get in, but you can also use it as a potential extra room on your house and then it doubles as a safe room,” he said.

You can contact Holdfast Technologies by visiting www.holdfast.com or calling 877-423-2562

You can contact Nudura by visiting www.nudura.com or calling 866-468-6299.

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