A useful installer conversation starts with the same facts for every bidder. This planner helps you gather those facts and keep uncertain items separate from confirmed ones. It does not select or approve a shelter design.
Open the printable shelter planning worksheet. Fill it on screen and print or save as a PDF using your browser. This site does not submit or save worksheet entries. Your browser may restore form values when you reload or return to the page.
1. Describe who needs to use the shelter
Record the household’s expected occupants and practical space needs. Consider mobility devices, assistance, pets, essential supplies and the actual seating arrangement. Do not convert a manufacturer’s maximum advertised capacity into a promise that the layout works for everyone. Use the capacity and access guide.
2. Mark a preferred location and an alternative
Photograph the approach and proposed location. Note stairs, thresholds, parked vehicles, locked doors and lighting. For outdoor or below-ground options, record known water history and arrange a qualified siting review. Read flood risk and shelter location before committing to excavation.
3. Identify the property jurisdiction
Use the metro permit guide to find the appropriate official starting point. Record the authority’s response for your exact address and scope. A postal-city label is not a substitute for confirming jurisdiction.
4. Gather the documents already available
House plans, foundation records, prior permit information and the proposed manufacturer’s current model documents can help. Label missing or unverified information clearly. Our existing slab guide explains why photographs alone cannot resolve foundation questions.
5. Build the budget and compare scope
Use the instant quoter for a dated public benchmark, then replace assumptions with actual installer proposals. The quote comparison worksheet lets you distinguish included work, exclusions, allowances and unknowns. Its companion guide includes a worked example.
6. Agree on the handover record
Ask for the installed model and door information, approved documents, inspection results and operating/maintenance instructions that apply to the project. Read the handover guide and build a household shelter plan after the installation is ready for use.
Compare your installation choices in the complete Kansas City storm shelter guide, then review above-ground, underground, garage, basement or new-home project requirements.