Homemade Storm Shelter From a Shipping Container

Shipping container shelters should not be buried more than 2 feet underground.

Storm shelters are excellent investments, especially if you live in an area where tornadoes or dangerous weather is a fact of life. Shipping containers make durable storm shelters that need few alterations to make them functional, with the added benefit that they can double as a panic room or bomb shelter.

Things You'll Need

• Shipping container
• Tape measure
• Metal bolts
• Sawzall
• Truck
• Towing chains
• Back hole
• 2-foot pipes, 2
• 90-degree pipe elbows, 2
• 2 pipe mounts
• Drill
• Staple gun
• Plastic sheeting
• 2-by-4-inch boards, 4 1/2 feet long, 8
• 2-by-4-inch boards, 2 feet long, 4
• 2-foot-by-4-foot corrugated metal sheets, 4
• 5-foot-by-5-foot metal sheet
• 2 metal hinges
• Metal boring screws
• 2-foot tall wall mount ladder
• Concrete
• 2 Handles

Instructions

1. Measure the dimensions of the shipping container. Add 1 foot to the width and length and 2 feet to the height of the container.

2. Place all the large items you want in the container and bolt them down. Once you drop the container in the ground, the only entrance will be 4-feet wide.

3. Cut a 4-foot wide square out of the top of the container with the Sawzall. Lay 4 of the 2-by-4 planks around the square. These boards will form the frame for the exit. Drill out two holes in the top of the container 2 feet from each end. The holes should be the diameter of the pipes. Attach the pipe mounts over each hole.

4. Screw the 90-degree pipe elbows onto one end of each pipe. Attach the pipes to the pipe mounts on the top of the container. Use the metal screws to attach the metal sheets to the frame on the top of the container. This creates a 4-foot-wide square entrance and exit tunnel. Brace the sides with 2-foot long 2 by 4-inch boards at each corner. Attach the other 2 by 4s around the top of the metal sheets.

5. Wrap the exit tunnel with plastic sheeting and staple it to the 2-by-4s to hold it in place.

6. Excavate the hole for the container to the adjusted measurements you created in "Step 1." A shovel can be used to dig the hole; however a back hoe makes the job go much faster. Attach the towing chain to the truck and the shipping container. Drag the container into the hole.

7. Pour concrete around the container to seal it in. Let the concrete dry. When the concrete is dry, Pack the rest of the hole with the dirt you excavated.

8. Attach the ladder to the 2-by-4s on the top and bottom of the exit tunnel with the brackets the ladder came with. Attach the hinges to the 2-by-4s on the top of the exit tunnel and attach the other side to the 5-foot metal sheet. Mount the handles and latches on each side of the metal sheet. This will help you open and close the entrance.

Tips & Warnings

• Hiring a septic tank company to lift and place your shipping container in the hole -- and perhaps even dig the hole -- will cost a little money but save lots of times and headaches.

References

• The Greenest Dollar: Want To Live In A Shipping Container?

Resources

• YouTube: Shipping Container Shelter