There are as many ways to construct a shelter, as there are websites and books to research on the subject. We encourage you to investigate them all. Babes in Belts is not a designer of shelters nor are we contractors or construction crews. Babes in Belts is a organization developing ways to assist community members in the construction of safe home shelters or safe rooms. We have and continute to provide much needed education and training on all aspects of shelter construction using insulated concrete forms (ICF) for their versatility and ease of workmanship. We hope to empower other communities to do the same.
Our goal is to support and empower peopleto take responsibility for their own safety and security by providing practical solutions, like our ICF Installer Workshops with Logix ICF .These workshops teach the basics ofICF construction. This step-by-step method of construction allows for the project to be completed in stages, which makes the job doable for many. Babes in Belts Universal Building Plans were designed with the do-it-yourself homeowner in mind.
In 2008 we launched the Advanced Shelter Build Program. Volunteer Orientations were held twice a month to recruit community members desiring to assist others with their shelter construction. We created three plans to assist homeowners: the Full Service plan, the Indie Build, and the As You Can plan. Our fourth plan for assistance was word of mouth helping people outside the Babes program to find each other and volunteer help. The Advanced Shelter Build Program was a unique opportunity to experience the construction of a safe home from start to finish.
The program was implemented in August of that year. Babes volunteers helped to construct a 24x50 shelter for a single homeowner. We built through the winter months, which caused many delays. Our predidted time frame of two months extended to five. Few volunteers could commit to that length of time and the responsibility to complete the shelter fell on the shoulders of a few. We were grateful that there were two builders and other crews that could be hired to accomplish the task. The shelter was completed, but out program needed to go back to the drawing board.
