above ground basement

[granny]

I would like to have a basement under a new kitchen that we will be building on our farm, the problem is the water table is such that a below grade basement is out. Have any of you ever build or heard of such a basement like this.  It is very important that we have a safe place for the small children to go in severe weather, this week we had large hail stones and high winds, not to mention the tornadoes here in Texas.  Would really appreciate any information you all could give me.
Thanks
granny

[Amanda_931]

You could rely on sump pumps.

(an old hot rod magazine once said that you could put a Dodge Hemi [large and powerful engine] into a Honda Civic--early Honda Civic at that.  But it would be a lot of trouble, and you probably wouldn't like the results)

The current thinking seems to be captivated by the idea of safe rooms instead of storm cellars.  So maybe an addition to the kitchen plan for one of those.

I'll try to remember to look that up later.

[glenn kangiser]

Sounds like maybe you would like to build some type of concrete walled bunker like Amanda's safe house idea.  It could be earth bermed also - like a mound above ground.

[JRR]

I also was thinking of a bermed bunker concept.  There are several good examples in old Eastcoast military fortifications that were set up in colonial days and expanded/modernized during both the civil war and WWII.  

I'm sure there are many such locations, but the one that comes to my mind is in Charleston, S.C.   Built on a flat coast that extends inland for many miles, the berm material was mostly dragged up from the sea bed.  A bit of top soil ... and the grass grows well even today ... having endured many hurricanes!

A small scale version of this concept could be very secure and you would not need (all) the taxpayers to fund.

[granny]

JRR
you lost me on the thing about saving tax payers money, what do tax payers have to do with building a room where my children will be safe, but thank you for the info about the bunker, the room i want would be a room that could double as a food storage and also a room where the children could be safe if a storm did hit.
thanks

[JRR]

A poor effort at humor on my part.  I was just reminding us that we all have to pay for the military battleworks ... makes it difficult for us to afford our own private efforts.  

[granny]

JRR
sorry, haven't had much humor in a couple of months, ready to get out of the city and back to the county, and ready to get this addition build if we can decide how to do it.
granny

[glenn kangiser]

Watch out for me, granny -- I'm worse than JRR. :-/