Lets try to get some ideas of things that would be on your wish list for a good home built to last and allow you to survive in. I am curious as to what everyone else thinks are good attributes to have in a home designed for bugging in.
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Lets try to get some ideas of things that would be on your wish list for a good home built to last and allow you to survive in. I am curious as to what everyone else thinks are good attributes to have in a home designed for bugging in.
Just gonna throw this out there for you to get excited about: http://www.pensmore.com/
Quote:
Originally Posted by tmckay2
Cinder block, concrete or brick walls 1/2 way up from the foundation, potable water cistern you have access to from below main level. Some form of shrubbery in front of every window to prevent anyone from accessing them as points of entry(as we have) . Entire yard, perimeter motion sensor solar powered lights. Driveway alert warning systems
http://www.harborfreight.com/catalog...iveway%20alert
Pressurized independent fire sprinkler system, as some folks are required to have if their FD response time is greater than X minutes. I know a few people east of ft lupton their ins co required it be installed whne building their house.
Window security bars that can be kicked out if needed, but not accessible from outside.
3' diameter galvanized thin wall pipe sunk 5-10' below ground giving you an escape route bringing you say 100' from the house.
All power to home underground from service line.
One of those bunkers with an NPR filter that you bury under the ground, under your foundation, in the case that some one torches your house. Plus it would be a place to keep some stores in an area where NO ONE will see them unless you show them.
heres an interesting question: if you live in town and don't have a well/septic, what are your options? i was thinking steel shutter systems would be nice too over the windows. certainly some form of concrete tyype walls is probably a good idea, possibly a steel roof?
Lugable LOO. Yes we have one, in the crawl space / lower level access. It will hold 6 rolls of TP when not in use. 1 box contains 5-6 disposable, self contained , bio-degradable crapper bags.Quote:
Originally Posted by tmckay2
http://www.relianceproducts.com/prod...tation/96.html
When you have a few filled, out of hiding you go and toss at the opposing team. Environmental chemical warfare[ROFL1]
"Pressurized independent fire sprinkler system, as some folks are required to have if their FD response time is greater than X minutes. I know a few people east of ft lupton their ins co required it be installed whne building their house."
Residential fire sprinkler systems are designed for one purpose; life safety. In short, to make sure your family gets out of the house. While they may suppress a fire, I wouldn't rely on them in a SHTF scenario.
Check out the Interactive Tour on this website.
http://www.hardenedstructures.com/fo...ened-homes.php
Better to have and not need than need and not have. 30 seconds of cover fire when exiting the home is better than no cover fire. Having a pressurized system might be a deciding factor. Again, each to their own.Quote:
Originally Posted by <MADDOG>
Internet access
Hardened structure as several folks mentioned
Well or spring water than can be had without electricity
A hot springs pool
Adobe is a material worth considering, especially if it is made on site.
Straw house
monolithic dome. moab/bunker buster resistant. f4 tornado proof. extremely fire resistant and energy efficient. also semi ballistic since it's reinforced concrete. no roofing or siding.
That is sweet I'd hate to see the price though. I'd like to have a couple of those burried under my house, but the house still needs to survive an asualt long enough to get in there,Quote:
Originally Posted by hollohas
Build a house on top of an old missle silo.
For limited budget.. get a concrete or steel reinforced steel room or whole basement that is financeable.
That is what they pimped off up here after the tornado. After looking in to them i realized i can buy those 10-12X's sewer junction forms and work off that, or something ready to goQuote:
Originally Posted by ChunkyMonkey
http://www.americanconcrete.com/comm..._Buildings.htm
http://www.missilebases.com/denver
Just get a few friends to go in together and...
Been for sale for years. [Flower]Quote:
Originally Posted by dwalker460
Quote:
Originally Posted by dwalker460
Got a group of people together from my former job interested in buying this together. Between us we were able to afford it. Contacted the seller multiple times and they never got back with us. Unreal. Not sure they really want to sell it.Quote:
Originally Posted by jerrymrc
SILLY!! They only make money on the tour DVD, you know that right? It's a good ol trick... If you check w/ county records, the property is not even theirs.Quote:
Originally Posted by Omicron
Good thing we didn't buy the tour DVD. :)
Did anyone even look at the Pensmore link I posted? I really think they have a great idea... It's virtually indestructible and its very efficient for heating and cooling.
You bet I did - still studying it. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by HoneyBadger
A few simple features that I didn't see mentioned yet:
* Steel roof - for rain harvesting while retaining potability
* Wood burning stove cookstove and heat stove, with a floor plan / air circulation pattern conducive to wood heating.
* Root cellar and spring house close to the house or in the basement
* Water well drilled from the basement - with adequate ventilation and solar pump
* Outdoor summer kitchen in a screened in porch - for canning without blasting the house with heat in the summer
* South facing roofline pitched for ideal solar panels efficiency (unless snow accumulation dictates a steeper pitch)
* Roof overhangs tuned to the latitude so windows are in shadow during the summer months and in sun during the Winter months.
* Concrete or earthen construction throughout, so that the structure is less susceptible to fire damage.
* Basement is a must
* Water drip-line on the roof ridge line, for summer cooling without power (preferably from a ram pump, given an adequate water supply)
* Tunnel from the basement to a hidden exit as emergency egress and/or flanking position.
* Attic mounted cistern sitting on sturdy steel beams, for both the thermal mass and gravity fed water
* 1" hardened plate steel below each window,
* Sturdy storm/security shutters
You brought up some interesting points. [Beer] Hope the members chew on them. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by omnione
Thanks. I'm also fascinated by the idea of designing a floor plan that can be built in stages. I really don't want to go into debt for a house again, so something that can be built ~200 sq ft at a time would be ideal for my situation. It could start as a flat-topped tiny home on an over-sized foundation, and eventually spring 3 or 4 wings and a second floor.Quote:
Originally Posted by jerrymrc
This would be pay-as-you build style to avoid usury. I would probably have to avoid areas of the country with zoning and building codes as well; or at least avoid places with expensive or onerous permitting processes.
Once my daughter graduates from high school in 3 years, and hopefully has a successful launch to independence, I hope to put some of my zany ideas into practice.
There is an awful lot to chew on here with quite a few ideas I had not considered... Things like an attic cistern... Basically a private water tower in your home. Roof overhangs to provide shade to your windows in the summer and sun in the winter? Why doesn't every house do this??Quote:
Originally Posted by jerrymrc
Some very good ideas here, thanks Omnione!
Think concrete box for a basement. One side can be open (walk out) just needs to be able to be sealed.But from a walk in safe.;)Quote:
* Tunnel from the basement to a hidden exit as emergency egress and/or flanking position.
Have had the plan in mind for years. :)
You mean like this safe?Quote:
Originally Posted by jerrymrc
http://www.sportsmansteelsafes.com/i..._1713FINAL.jpg
http://www.sportsmansteelsafes.com/safe_room.htm
I could get behind that idea.
I've also always liked the idea of incorporating a roof porch into the second floor of a prepper home. This can serve both as a tactical LP/OP style post (though admittedly not a great one), but also is a cool place to sleep outdoors on a hot summer night. Here's a quick and dirty concept drawing of just the porch feature I have in mind:
http://i.imgur.com/WpspN.png
i was curious about this too. it would be nice to do it in stages
Quote:
Originally Posted by omnione
this is basically what i am going for with a builder but only 2 stories, on flat ground, with a three story tower and reinforced basement. the question is going to be the cost haha. won't be that large either
Here's an extension on my earlier idea. Just doodles, really. I'm trying to envision how this house could be built out in phases. I'm not in love with this particular order of construction because it would involve building the staircase twice - but meh. It illustrates the idea:
http://i.imgur.com/xgr2e.png
And as long as I'm dreaming, here's a possible third or fourth stage, with a big open great room with windows out the back. It continues the theme of excessive roof square footage for rain catchment and for solar panel real estate.
http://i.imgur.com/vUqdO.png
Aw heck how about one more. This one borrows tmckay2's idea of a third story tower (3.5 stories here), with truncated roof lines for more clear lines of sight/fire. It has a vaguely barn like styling so that it wouldn't stick out too sorely as a prepper retreat.
http://i.imgur.com/IBJOC.png
I would just have to install a fireman pole from the top of the tower to the basement - because what's not to love about a 45 foot slide for fast retreat to hardened shelter!
Thanks for indulging me.
~Omni~
PS - Here's the full album in a more logical progression: Sorry if I hijacked this thread a little bit.
Rain harvesting is illegal if you've got a well. Its not potable by most standards after coming off a roof no matter what the roof is made from.Quote:
Originally Posted by omnione
Well in the basement is a bad idea for any kind of maintenance. Resleeve? Move your house over.
concrete interior walls is a waste. Just use steel studs and fire rock. Also saves tons of money.
cistern and well could be put in uphill and save a ton and increase the size and reduce maintenance costs.
1" steel hardened is for tanks. 3/8" hardened is what we just did a group buy on and they hold up very well.
Your perspective is refreshing. I'll respond with some additional thoughts:Quote:
Originally Posted by Wulf202
1) I did not mean to advocate breaking the law, especially not during times of peace and prosperity. I do believe steel is healthier than tar and shingles. I'll volunteer an additional con to steel roofs: rain is NOISY on them!
2) I agree, the well in the basement would be a nightmare to maintain, and probably should not be the only well on the property. There are other detriments as well, including possible out-gassing. The real concern from a survival perspective is to have the well and tank in a defensible location, and there are many ways to accomplish that.
3) Concrete walls on the interior have pros and cons. One pro is thermal mass. You're right that cost is a little bit of a con here in the United States where we have cheap manufactured materials. Folks in the Philippines use concrete on interior walls and it seems to work very well for them. That is where I got the inspiration. (I have no first hand experience.) One additional benefit is the confidence I would gain in home invasion scenarios in terms of ballistic protections between rooms. It transforms interior walls from concealment into cover against smaller calibers.
4) On the topic of steel plate: I'm no expert in material engineering. A brief google search indicated that 3/8" is indeed adequate. I suppose that if I shoot that steel at the range, it ought to be just fine for protection. (Thanks!)
More food for thought. Cheers.
~Omni~
All your points are valid, and worth thinking about. [Awesom]
There is a farm house (according to google maps), it appears, on one of the old silo systems that were east of Denver. The other locations (five I think) are not really accessible, as one for sure is on the DADS landfill site. Another one is alone that county rode that continually turns into arapahoe then back to elbert counties. A friend of mine, who is a little older, grew up in the area and showed it to me one day. It can't really be seen from the road.Quote:
Originally Posted by rondog
I would love to see one in real life
This is very similar to what my friend showed me, but definitely a different location.Quote:
Originally Posted by dwalker460