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Top-Rated Shelter or outbuilding builders in Washington - Updated Nov 2026

Avatar for Manny's Painting Services, LLC
Manny's Painting Services, LLC
4.9(
56
)
Shelter or Outbuilding - Build

Serving Washington, DC and surrounding areas

In business since 2015

Free estimates

Emergency services offered

"Jose and his crew did a nice job patching and painting two standard size bedrooms plus some work in the sunroom. In and out in a day and 1/2. Going to have him back to paint kitchen/family room in a couple weeks"
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+102

Recommended by98%of homeowners
Avatar for Adam Contracting
Adam Contracting
4.5(
171
)
Shelter or Outbuilding - Build

Serving Washington, DC and surrounding areas

In business since 2008

Emergency services offered

Warranties offered

"We are a repeat customer of Adam Contracting and will continue to use the company. They have done an excellent job on everything we've hired them to do; this project was no exception. The room looks great! For this project, Adam Contracting redid wainscotting in the room and added a shelf, did wall repair, installed crown molding, painted the walls and trim, and installed a light fixture."
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+32

2 neighbors recently requested a quote
Recommended by93%of homeowners
Avatar for Sino-American General Contracting
Sino-American General Contracting
4.8(
187
)
Shelter or Outbuilding - Build

Serving Washington, DC and surrounding areas

In business since 2010

Free estimates

Credit card accepted

"We should probably call our house design and remodel by Mason as he has executed so many wonderful projects for us. The latest was a complete remodel of our hall bathroom and the building of a storage closet/ window seat in an upstairs bedroom. As is his style, both projects were executed flawlessly and the results were stunning. He is meticulous about everything and it shows in the results. Along the way, we ask him questions and he solves other problems in our old house. He is just a gem to work with."
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+3

Recommended by98%of homeowners
Avatar for Angel Services Group
Angel Services Group
4.4(
919
)
Shelter or Outbuilding - Build

Serving Washington, DC and surrounding areas

In business since 1999

Free estimates

Emergency services offered

"

Once they arrived, we were asked if we wanted the screens cleaned. I declined but then it was suggested that it wouldn't look good to not clean them as well. So I agreed. I tried to count the windows myself as 25 were included in the price, wasn't sure if the front & back door were considered windows or if a bay window is considered one window or not. I'm still not sure if I was charged correctly after the fact or not. Paid an additional $157 on top of the $199 special. We started going through the house counting together then got distracted & I think the # may have changed at the end. My fault for not following through, I felt uncomfortable recounting the windows after the fact.

The work was excellent - the workers did a great job and the windows look. I just wasn't planning on spending $356 for a special.

I may have the service done once a year and I would call them back. I would just need to count the windows again with them & verify ahead of time of what the final cost would be.


"
finished kitchen.
Mr. Espana
Mr. Lopez
Pam Anderson
Mehran Etedali

+84

Recommended by82%of homeowners
EA Roofing & Siding LLC
4.9(
36
)
Shelter or Outbuilding - Build

Serving Washington, DC and surrounding areas

In business since 2004

Free estimates

Warranties offered

"Tony and EA roofing are great! I needed to have my roof replaced due to hail damage. Tony helped to facilitate the entire process for me and made everything as easy as can be. Their guys put on a great new roof using landmark pro materials. They were in and out in 1 day, cleaned everything up and left us with a beautiful new roof. I highly recommend EA roofing. Thanks Tony!"
Recommended by96%of homeowners
Avatar for Rent-A-Pro Handyman Services LLC
Rent-A-Pro Handyman Services LLC
4.6(
418
)
Shelter or Outbuilding - Build

Serving Washington, DC and surrounding areas

In business since 2010

Free estimates

Emergency services offered

"I've worked with Ted at Rent-A-Pro Handyman Services a handful of times now, and I’ve been pleased with my experiences. Most recently, they came out at short notice, within a day or two, to find the cause of a leak showing up on the basement ceiling. They found and fixed that leak but a couple days later, ANOTHER unrelated leak showed up in a different spot. Ted got someone out the same day (this was right around the holidays mind you) who found and fixed the 2nd leak. Depending upon how you look at it, I was fortunate for both of these leaks to happen so close in time because they were able to do all the drywall repair at once. One of the drywall repairs didn't dry smoothly, but when I let Ted know, he promptly had someone out to fix it. Rent-A-Pro may not be the cheapest in town but they do quality work, they're responsive, prompt, and appreciative of repeat customers."
Gulliksen
Gulliksen
Bolten
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Bolten

+25

Recommended by91%of homeowners
Avatar for Stallings National Enterprises Inc
Stallings National Enterprises Inc
5.0(
9
)
Shelter or Outbuilding - Build

Serving Washington, DC and surrounding areas

In business since 2003

Free estimates

Emergency services offered

"Ronnie and his crew did a great job from start to finish. Stallings was recommended to us by the tree removal company to do the emergency repairs on the house. They arrived the next day to put on a temporary roof and walls to make the house weather tight. The quality of the work led us to hire them to do the full repairs. They worked directly with the insurance company and bank which made everything much easier for us. The crews and staff were always very friendly and professional. Ronnie and his crew worked with us on changes and improvements we wanted to make. The work was high quality and completed in a timely manner and we are extremely pleased with the finished product. We highly recommend Stallings National Enterprises Inc. for all aspects of home repair and renovation."
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+9

Recommended by100%of homeowners
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FAQs for shelter or outbuilding building service projects in Washington, DC

A bomb shelter is an abode built to withstand disaster. Bomb shelters may refer to a space or bunker that can protect inhabitants through a hypothetical nuclear attack, apocalypse, or any other massive crisis. People usually build bomb shelters underground and stock them to live there a few days to a month at a time. Doomsday bunkers accommodate long-term living rather than just through a short crisis.

Builders construct bomb shelters with reinforced steel, box culvert, concrete, or other durable materials (but many professionals do not recommend shipping containers, as they’re not designed to live underground. If building underground, you’ll first have to excavate land before building the actual structure. You’ll have to implement air and water filtration systems, septic systems, and power supply.

It takes a lot of experience to safely and legally construct a bomb shelter, not to mention make sure it’s fit to live in for extended periods of time. It’s best to talk to a residential structural engineer near you for proper guidance.

The current standard filtration systems require filtering both air and water. For air, you’ll want an NBC filter system, which both domestic and international producers make. NBC stands for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical, which filters out all three. If you’re only building your shelter for natural disasters, chemical attacks, and biological attacks, you may opt for the less expensive HEPA filter system. 

Water filtration requires the same level of care. You’ll likely want to have a large water storage capacity to survive short-term disasters. For long-term living, you’ll want to have a water filtration system.

Rising S bunker prices depend on the size, ranging anywhere from $20,000 to $9 million. Their least expensive model is 96 square feet while their most expensive model has a gym, swimming pool, hot tub, and bowling alley.

  • Mini: $45,500

  • Standard Bomb Shelter: $67,500–$109,500

  • Silver Leaf: $140,000–$182,500

  • Admiral: $180,000–$500,000

  • Xtreme: $450,000–$780,000

  • Xtreme Bunker Complex: $840,000–$1,830,000

  • Luxury Series: $3,800,000–$9,600,000

You almost always need a permit to build a bunker on land with any type of public utilities running through it. You’ll want to check with your local building code enforcement agency to see if this is the case for your area. 

Because you’re building a structural component that often requires electricity, water, and sewage services, you’ll need to apply for permits to attach these utilities to your new property. However, off-grid-only units in rural areas may not need all or any of the permitting you’d normally find in more urban settings.

To survive a nuclear blast, you’ll need to have your bunker at least three feet underground. However, it’s usually advisable to put it further underground. To survive a close strike, you’ll want to have the bunker at least 10 feet down and with five-foot thick reinforced concrete. However, knowing exactly how deep to build depends on the size of the blast you’re trying to avoid. Most bunkers don’t need to be more than 5 feet below the ground. 

The Washington, DC homeowners’ guide to shelter or outbuilding building services

From average costs to expert advice, get all the answers you need to get your job done.