It seemed like only yesterday that you planned for your dream home. You saved. You browsed open houses for ideas. You contacted custom home builders. You started building and drove by your "under construction" home every day to watch it progress. You packed and finally moved. There, you watched your children grow - using a door frame to mark their growth every year. You planted flowers and watched them flourish. You made memories - holidays, family meetings at the dinner table, your daughter's first kiss on the front porch, your son's first bike ride without training wheels in your driveway. You enjoyed your hard work and loved your life there.
Now, the children have moved away from home. Piano recitals and gymnastics lessons have been replaced with trips to see the grandkids, time on the golf course and weekend fishing trips. Your dream home gives you too much space and no longer meets your needs. That is why Mark McCollom has designed dream homes for families who wish to live in a gorgeous custom home that meets their current needs.
"Many families visit with us about 'down-sizing.' Just as we outgrow our starter home and need more space, many families are eventually find the opposite to be true. The kids are gone. They have more time for themselves and do not want to spend their free time managing space that is no longer utilized. That is why we have created floor plans for people who wish to build a custom-built home for the next exciting stage of their lives," explains Mark McCollom, owner of McCollom Construction.
What is commonly - and fondly - called a retirement home consists of all the ammenties of your dream home. However, many clients choose to build without a basement, instead building a "safe room." According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the purpose of a safe room or a wind shelter is to provide a space where you and your family can seek refuge that provides a high level of protection. You can build a safe room in one of several places in your home.
Most often, our clients ask for a safe room to be built in their garage for easy access and safety. In addition, a safe room in the first-floor interior room can also provide the necessary protection. Below-ground safe rooms must be designed to avoid accumulating water during the heavy rains that often accompany severe windstorms.
According to FEMA, a safe room must be built to withstand high winds and flying debris, even if the rest of the residence is severely damaged or destroyed. Consider the following when building a safe room:
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The safe room must be adequately anchored to resist overturning and uplift.
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The walls, ceiling, and door of the shelter must withstand wind pressure and resist penetration by windborne objects and falling debris.
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The connections between all parts of the safe room must be strong enough to resist the wind.
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Sections of either interior or exterior residence walls that are used as walls of the safe room, must be separated from the structure of the residence so that damage to the residence will not cause damage to the safe room.
At McCollom Construction, the requirements for a safe room are carefully followed because your safety is of the utmost importance to Mark McCollom and his team. A safe room is very important in such a tornado-prone state as Kansas and is an excellent alternative to building a basement in your "retirement home."
