Personally, I wouldn't go through the hassle or expense. But, if it is a must have for you, then you will probably need to spend the money. In the grand scheme of a whole build, it isn't a large sum of money.

In other parts of the country, I'm sure it's much worse. How someone decides to deal with that reality, is up to them. Some people put bars on the windows, others get securtiy systems, appartently in some areas, they have safe rooms.

Apples- I do not have any suggestions for you, on the panels, but 8-$400 panels does not sound that expensive, especially if they're bullet resistant. I'm sure there are other things that could be used, but that's probably a questions better answered by your contractor.

Do you know who manufactures the panels? Did you get the price/quote yourself...or through your contractor? Maybe the company has some other ideas/suggestions. Hope that helps :)

As a Security professional who has worked both inside the US and outside the US, I can see no reason why someone would need a "safe room" for security reasons unless you were either working in the "grey area" of life or you were a High value target (political, billionaire).

That said, some 1 inch thick steel panel will stop most if not all small arms fire and keep a determined attacker at bay long enough for police to arrive. Anyone who has the tools or fire power to get through that and you probably should have a private security team watching over you.

Based on your distaste of $400 panels, I�m assuming your neither a "grey area" person, nor a politician, nor a billionaire. Which means your ROI (Return on Investment) is pretty much useless.

Bullet proof protection comes in a number of levels. For example pistol bullets are the most easy to stop, Level II. Rifle bullets much harder Level IV. So to give you a rough gauge, 6-inches of concrete will stop a 0.308 inch rifle bullet, Level IV.

The main reason why the materials you listed are expensive is because most materials are designed with weight in mind. I.E. the panels are for cars, or personal body armour. So weight is important. If you can build your safe room in a house where weight and bulk does not matter, then you can do so at much reduced cost.

If you safe room needs to be high up in the stucture, or placed somewhere that needs to be supported, i.e. not in the basement, then you would need to put in structure in the building to support the weight. This is expensive, probablly more expensive than the bullet proof materials.

If bulk is a factor, but not nessarily weight then I would recommend steel armour sheet. A rough gauge as to weight and ratings are:

Ranges From Thicknesses : 3MM To 25 MM.
Present Sizes being manufactured in the plant for Bullet proof steel sheets:

Width : 25 Inches - 27 Inches
Length : 60 Inches.
Weigth As Per Follows:
a) for 3MM plate 23.55 kgs/meter
b) for 4MM plate 31.40 kgs/meter
c) for 5MM plate 35 to 39.25 kgs/meter
d) for 6MM plate 42 to 47.10 kgs/meter
e) for 8MM plate 63 kgs/meter

Effects:
a) 3mm Plate will stand the fires against : Level II, III A
b) 4.5mm To 5mm Plate will stand fires against : Level III
c) 5.7mm To 6.3mm Plate will stand fires against : Level III
d) 7.5mm To 8mm Plate will stand fires against: Level III +
Distance to be fired from : 10 Meters.

Think of a mini-tank. Obviously the smaller the room the cheaper and lighter. Note that you would want to store in the room, water, food, battery power and an air supply / oxygen + masks just in case, and communication equipment to call for help. So allow room for this stuff + number of people.

Hope this is useful.

Warmest regards, Mike.

Also used in tornado rooms.

This individual wasn't looking for snarky answers, but an actual helpful one. A few cared enough to try and help. The Garden Web forums didn't used to be so hostile.....one other sign of the times.

It'll be interesting if we hear what was decided on.

IDK, but it sounds like demanding a BMW for the price of a Hyundai. If the BMW is that important, then pay the money required to get one.

Don't forget that a room has 6 sides, not 4, and that bullets can pierce floors and ceilings as well as walls.

Or just burn the surrounding structure.

Brickeye does have a good point.

As far as the "snarky" posts, I think that comes from some of the conflicting posts you've put up. For example, there's a post on a beautiful Herbeau faucet for your kitchen that retails for $834-$1161 where you ask about quality, but not if there is another company that makes one similar at a lower cost. This would lead a reader to believe that spending $1100 for a kitchen faucet is nothing to you, yet when it comes to personal safety, you're unwilling to spend $3200? Doesn't really make sense to many and I think that's why you got the responses you got.

mydreamhome, i see what you mean. perhaps many on here can relate to leaving some portions of a home building project to your spouse while you take care of choosing options for others. my husband left the kitchen design to me (and i've not yet chosen any faucets) and, when the safe room came up with our builder, i decided to help find the most cost-effective and reliable option available. if that doesn't explain the discrepancy in my queries, i'm not sure explaining my various posts is even worth it. my family's safety is more important than any material object, but that sentiment is relevant only to my family.

thanks again.

Wanting the best price for the best material (or similar) shouldn't be considered ridiculous or over the top.
Most millionaires became so filthy rich b/c they're frugal. I'm glad you posted and happy to see there were actually a few good suggestions b/w some of the other "here's my 2 cents that don't really help you" posts (like mine I guess...just call me kettle, but at least I'm not judging). ;)

I just don't want you to be discouraged from posting on GardenWeb, despite some of the odd reactions you've received from some here. I promise most people on here are really helpful and kind (in my experience).

I'm a "plan for the worst and hope for the best" kind of person myself so when/if someone breaks in or some kind of apocalypse happens or zombies walk the earth, you better believe we'll be ready! Lol I know....I've watched too much "Panic Room", "The Road" and "Walking Dead" at this point, but hey...better safe than sorry! :)

Good luck on your build and please keep posting! =)

My husband and I have also watched those same films and, with children that mean more to us than life itself, you can never be too safe I think.

Thanks again everyone :)

Never forget the fact that the "invador" may be someone you know quite well. They may know all about your saferoom, and how it's built.

Remember to armor all 6 sides.

If you NEED a saferoom, the entire design of the house should begin around it.

well my husband called the company who makes the rubber panels and they said they do not prevent bullets, but rather prevent ricocheting. so, we're off to explore other options.

thanks so much.

ArmorCore (bullet resistant fiberglass) is designed specifically for the architectural market. It is probably the most efficient product when you try to balance its performance capability, cost, and easy of installation.

I know about what is out there and I see a lot of misinformation. Hopefully I don't just sound like a commercial because I understand the concern and want people to be well informed. I have ArmorCore in my own home for storm, forced-entry, and ballistic protection. (We had a tornado in our backyard 2 years ago that hit houses on a neighboring street and my neighbors across the street and have been broken into several times). We live in a decent area.

Thanks,

Justin

My husband ended up choosing some sort of panels designed for safe rooms, but I don't know what the product is called. Thanks.

Plain old deadbolts, etc. pretty much keep out honest people, teenaged vandals and those criminals who commit "crimes of opportunity". They don't make your house impossible to penetrate; rather, they make the potential criminal move on to an easier target.

On the other hand, if your house is targeted by someone who specifically knows that you have something he wants, and he wants YOUR house, that's a whole lot more difficult. A person who has specifically chosen YOU as a target will go to whatever trouble to get into your house.

I think the OP is concerned that he may be a "selected" target rather than a victim of a random crime. Only the OP knows whether this is realistic or not.

All the questions you have asked - dozens of posts with hundreds of thoughtful answers - and you won't bother to help someone else with their ONE question?

Nice...

I assumed (obviously incorrectly) that you weren't going to follow-up with details and give closure to your thread.

The thread got derailed into a discussion of whether you "needed" a safe room and it would be nice to put it back on track with some information that someone could use.

Good luck with your lovely home.

What is the name of the Canadian supplier? It sounds interesting.

Thanks

I hope that helps. It seems like a cool product.

I noticed that it provides force protection and protection from small arms fire only after it is been covered in earth or if it's being used to cover sand bags. I wonder if it provides any protection as a stand alone product? The smallest rolls on the website work out to about $9.25 per sq.ft. which still seems high since it has to be subsidized with other product.

It is described as semi-permanent and with the "potential to last over ten years" I'm guessing that installing it inside an existing room will improve the lifespan and what happens when it fails?

I'll see if we can get some samples and shoot it in our in-house ballistic range.

I hope the price comes down in the future... I got to thinking of a lot of ideas for my garden.

Thanks

It is referred to as 'the precautionary principal.'

Better stop driving a car with over 40,000 deaths a year.

It is simply irrational to attempt to eliminate all risk.
Some are so small as to not be worth consideration.

There is a fantastically small probability that all the oxygen in the room you are in could be in one corner and you would suffocate.

Better get an oxygen tank to carry with you at all times.