Build a hangar in Oklahoma?

AuntPeggy

AuntPeggy

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Hubby and I are thinking about moving back to Oklahoma. This may or may not happen within a year or maybe 10 years. Who knows?

If we build a hangar and house in tornado alley what should we consider? Obviously, price is a consideration. We've been looking at some kits and I like the idea of concrete block walls - for no particular reason. We have the C-172 and a kit car to finish building. Naturally, Hubby wants a shop. Besides wind, hail is an issue there.
 
First order of business is to build a safe room for you and your familiy, preferably below grade, but you can build above grade rooms, too.

Here are designs published by FEMA, but Texas Tech also has info you can download.

http://www.fema.gov/plan/prevent/saferoom/shplans/

It gets prohibitively expensive to try to build a tornado-proof house, so unless you're just rolling in dough, it probably isn't worth pursuing. Same goes for the hangar, you'd have more into the hangar than the plane you're trying to protect is worth.
 
Insurance, storm shelter, and don't worry so much. Tornadoes are like terrorists. They make good TV, but don't endanger that many people or that much property.
 
although you should build for at least 100 mph wind. when my glider trailer got blown over by 90ish mph wind last year my friends house on the same property came out unscathed. he built using hurricane resistant techniques. steel reinforcements through the walls and into the foundation, and things like that.
 
Reinforced concrete masonry (like you said)- durable, storm-resistant, fireproof, lasts forever.
 
We're also looking into "green" houses. Hubby looked at geo-thermal stuff last night. BTW, we've already had 2 houses in the path of a tornado, so we pretty much know the limits. Two houses away from mine, the tallest thing left on the lot was the slab foundation. What I had in mind was the frequent winds, hail, and other storm damage in Oklahoma.
 
Ask people in Xenia, OH if they agree with your approach.

steingar said:
Insurance, storm shelter, and don't worry so much. Tornadoes are like terrorists. They make good TV, but don't endanger that many people or that much property.
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In addition to tornado's and high winds, keep fire danger in mind as well. Dry weather, high temperatures and high winds make for some pretty potent wildfires around here.
 
Build it to 100-mph wind standards, make sure the doors have additional bracing, and keep your insurance current - that's about the best you can do in either OK or IA. Talk to a good contractor like Morton Buildings...the best isn't that much more expensive. Our airport was hit with 85-90 mph straight-line winds a few years ago. The buildings themselves and the roofs weren't damaged, but a couple of unbraced doors blew open, wrecked two planes and lightly damaged another. (Of course, that doesn't answer the question of WHY one would want to live in OK in the first place...LOL!)
 
RickH said:
(Of course, that doesn't answer the question of WHY one would want to live in OK in the first place...LOL!)
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Quonset home. I saw some neat plans on the net a while back, and love the idea. the next door neighbors place has a couple of them, (Hangers only) plus some regular steel beam contruction. The Cardinal and Champ live in a converted pole barn, and none of the buildings have suffered any significant damage, and they have been through some stuff that had me thinking there wouldn't be anything there the next day. One of the hangers has what amounts to a two bedroom luxury apartment in back. nice.
 
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