1. Please Do Not Buy Your Underground Bomb Shelters From An Online Store. Unless privacy is not a concern of yours. If you do it can alert 20-30 people about your “secret project” that you may not want to know.
2. Beware Of Precast/Prefabricated/Prebuilt Bomb Shelters. Most of these types of shelters are not very strong, and they are impossible to hide. Not only will you have to have a large machine like a crane and an operator to install it, but you also have to have a concrete crew come to the site of your shelter to pour the concrete slab, therefore informing 20-30 more local people of your “secret project.”
3. Be careful of Bomb Shelter Construction Management Companies. Again unless privacy is not a factor. Going through companies like that not only alerts 50-100 more people of your “secret project,” but let’s your local contractors know what you are putting in as they search for bids.
4. Concrete Cast in Place Is the Best, safest and most privacy secure way to go. Stay with companies that build concrete underground bomb shelters on site. Although they may cost more, they offer the highest level of protection and undoubtedly the best chance for privacy.
5. Keep Your Hidden Project Private. Go with bomb shelter construction companies that insure your privacy. Also see if they will ship the equipment/supplies, such as blast doors and NBC filters, for your bomb shelter to a drop location, as this will also help keep your project confidential.
6. Safety must come first. Concrete (poured on site) bomb shelters are the safest and the strongest. When buying an underground bomb shelter, make sure that it is poured concrete and built on the construction site itself. It must be a minimum of 8 inches of concrete and at least 4 feet of dirt coverage is required to provide optimal strength and safety.
7. Make Sure That You Purchase High Quality Bomb Shelter Equipment. Your nuclear bio-chemical filters (NBC filtration system) and blast doors are extremely important. Products that use the Swiss Civil Defense safety standards as a guide for bomb shelters are an excellent choice.
8. Have Your Site Evaluated. Site evaluations are highly recommended and very important. They will save you money and make preparation for your project easier, better organized and therefore more efficient. Site evaluation costs may vary with the company you choose, however the cost of your site evaluation should be taken off of the project balance, make sure that they offer you this courtesy.
9. Use Imbed Wall Frames
The use of Imbed wall frames are a must. They will keep your door openings square and even and makes for a faster installation. They also prevent scuffs and scrapes on your shelter doors. Do not slow your project down, make sure to use imbed wall frames!
10. Double Up On Your Doors Although it is not an absolute must, we highly recommend that you install a NWSS Vault door in front of your shelter entrance blast door for extra security. It is the only vault door that has compression locks for airtight sealing that is on the market.
11. Be Cautious Of Any New Bomb Shelter Construction Companies. There are numerous new bomb shelter construction companies claiming that they have many years of experience and specialty services. Building an underground concrete bomb shelter is a very dangerous job and it takes many years of experience. We recommend that you research & choose a company that has been in business for a minimum of 15 years and has quality experience. At NWSS we have been the leader in bomb shelter repair for the last 20 years and have witnessed countless mistakes and disasters by new and inexperienced “bomb shelter companies.” It is very imperative that you take your time to investigate and explore each company before choosing.