Last updated: October 10, 2026
Compare storm shelter quotes on what's included, not the headline price. Many shelters are sold by manufacturers and dealers based outside the area, and the gaps between quotes tend to be in who installs the unit, who provides and checks the slab, who pulls the permit, what documentation comes with it, and who services the warranty here. Ask every seller to fill the same lines, then compare totals. Our free storm shelter quote checklist has them ready to print.
The questions that separate quotes
Who installs it? The manufacturer's crew, a local dealer, a subcontractor — or you? One manufacturer's St. Louis page says units are delivered to the end of the driveway and buyers may need a pallet jack or forklift.
Who's responsible for the slab? Some sellers require the customer to provide a slab — one St. Louis listing calls for at least 4 inches at 3,000 psi — and some check and pour it. If your slab fails the spec, who finds out, and when?
Who pulls the permit? In unincorporated St. Charles County, every storm shelter needs one (see storm shelter permits). A quote that's silent on permits leaves it to you.
What's the shelter tested to? Ask for the test report naming FEMA P-361 criteria and ICC 500 with the edition, and the lab — our standards guide explains what to look for. "FEMA approved" isn't a real claim — FEMA doesn't approve products.
Is the door labeled? FEMA requires safe room doors to be tested, listed and labeled. Ask to see the label.
What's the occupancy? How many people, at what floor area per person? FEMA's figure for home tornado safe rooms is 3 square feet per person.
What happens below grade? For in-ground and yard units: excavation, spoil, backfill, drainage, slab restoration.
Where's the warranty serviced? If the seller is hundreds of miles away, who comes when the door binds?
What's excluded? Delivery into the garage or basement, slab work, electrical, permit fees.
A red-flag list
- "FEMA approved" or "FEMA certified."
- No test report, or one that doesn't name the model you're buying.
- No door label.
- "No permit needed" in unincorporated St. Charles County.
- A price for the unit only, presented as the job.
- An underground recommendation on a floodplain lot.
- Pressure to sign immediately after a storm.
After the 2025 tornado, the City of St. Louis formed a contractor fraud task force. Storm-chasing sellers are a real problem after any disaster; take the time to compare.
How to line up quotes
- Get at least two written quotes.
- Fill in the checklist — or the CSV version — for each one.
- Mark every "not stated" and ask.
- Compare totals only after every line is filled.
Related guides
Sources
- FEMA — Residential Tornado Safe Room Doors fact sheet — Nov/Dec 2024; accessed 2026-10-10
- FEMA — Safe rooms — current; accessed 2026-10-10
- Texas Tech NWI — Debris impact testing — current; accessed 2026-10-10
- St. Charles County Code §500.150 — 2021 Residential Code, R105.2 — Ord. 25-085 (2025-12-15); accessed 2026-10-10
- Survive-a-Storm — St. Louis storm shelters — pub. 2023-05-09, mod. 2024-05-17; accessed 2026-10-10
Get a quote
We fill in every line, including the slab and the excavation. See garage storm shelters, or get a quote.