What Is the Cost of Installing a Safe Room in a New Home?
During the construction of a new home, the estimated basic cost to construct a safe room using the design plans in this publication ranges from approximately $9,400 to $13,100 for an 8-foot × 8-foot safe room and from $18,900 to $25,500 for a 14-foot × 14-foot safe room. The basic cost includes materials, labor and contingency but does not include the cost and installation of the safe room door assembly, which is addressed in the following section. Further, safe rooms installed in existing homes will be more expensive than those built as part of new construction. The cost of your safe room will vary depending on a variety of factors, including:
- Safe room construction materials (CMU, concrete, wood, insulated concrete form [ICF])
- Type of foundation on which the house is built (refer to Section 3.7)
- Depth of footing; cost estimates are based on a minimum depth of 2 feet, 6 inches
- Your location within the United States (because of regional variations in labor and material costs)
- Whether you are building a safe room in a new home or retrofitting an existing home
- Any added amenities (e.g., bathroom fixtures)
Prospective safe room owners are often surprised at the high cost of safe room door assemblies. Market research shows that entry level prices for properly tested and labeled residential safe room door assemblies are between approximately $2,500 and $3,200 (in 2021).
Residential prefabricated safe room costs, for just the units themselves and excluding site preparation and other costs, are approximately $5,000 to $6,000.
Section 4.3 of FEMA P-320 provides the assumptions and details of the cost estimates provided above.