Designing a preppers home

[omnione]

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

[jerrymrc]

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. Hope the members chew on them.

[omnione]

You brought up some interesting points. Hope the members chew on them.

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.

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.

[tmckay2]

i was curious about this too. it would be nice to do it in stages

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.

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.

[omnione]

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:



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.

[Wulf202]

A few simple features that I didn't see mentioned yet:

* Steel roof - for rain harvesting while retaining potability
* Water well drilled from the basement - with adequate ventilation and solar pump
* Concrete or earthen construction throughout, so that the structure is less susceptible to fire damage.
* Attic mounted cistern sitting on sturdy steel beams, for both the thermal mass and gravity fed water
* 1" hardened plate steel below each window

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.
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.

[omnione]

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.
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:

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~

[Wulf202]

Your perspective is refreshing. I'll respond with some additional thoughts:

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~

Not an expert myself but i've got a decent amount of experience. I also currently live in a place with 12" concrete exterior walls...

Cons for concrete walls; they take up more space than standard construction thus increasing your footprint for the same living space, thermal mass works both ways, noise reverberates well like gunshots or the tv set real low two rooms away, r factor sucks, bullets bounce and skip off of them so a safe direction is questionable at all times.

Pros of concrete walls; bullets bounce and skip off of them, thermal mass, they reflect sound real well (we live next to a train track)

The R factor of concrete is 1.35 per 8" thick wall. Which is roughly a 1/2" peice of fiberglass batting or 2 sheets of 5/8 sheetrock (the same as a standard interior wall). Modern construction of houses provides r-13 as standard for an exterior 2x4 wall.

This place sucks in the winter the summer isn't bad since the south exposure is limited.

[tmckay2]

why not use ICF instead of straight concrete? or is it an older home?

Not an expert myself but i've got a decent amount of experience. I also currently live in a place with 12" concrete exterior walls...

Cons for concrete walls; they take up more space than standard construction thus increasing your footprint for the same living space, thermal mass works both ways, noise reverberates well like gunshots or the tv set real low two rooms away, r factor sucks, bullets bounce and skip off of them so a safe direction is questionable at all times.

Pros of concrete walls; bullets bounce and skip off of them, thermal mass, they reflect sound real well (we live next to a train track)

The R factor of concrete is 1.35 per 8" thick wall. Which is roughly a 1/2" peice of fiberglass batting or 2 sheets of 5/8 sheetrock (the same as a standard interior wall). Modern construction of houses provides r-13 as standard for an exterior 2x4 wall.

This place sucks in the winter the summer isn't bad since the south exposure is limited.

[Great-Kazoo]

why not use ICF instead of straight concrete? or is it an older home?

Allegedly, the exterior was used for filming Omega man.